Here’s how to keep your potted annuals looking beautiful during KC’s punishing summers

During the intense Kansas City summers, keeping annual flowers vibrant requires specific care.

Jesse Nelson, store manager at Family Tree Nursery in Shawnee, shared some expert advice for local gardeners on how to keep your annuals healthy when things get hot. “As long as you’ve got the right plant in the right place, it comes down to water and nutrients,” Nelson said, emphasizing that proper watering and nutrition are paramount for healthy, beautiful annuals.

Every year, Family Tree Nursery sells thousands of annuals, potted in planters and hanging baskets to customers at their three locations in the Kansas City metro area. Nelson advises selecting the right plant for the right place, considering its sun or shade preferences, and grouping them accordingly.

He said when watering, be thorough: for a 12 or 14-inch pot, you’ll need to apply a gallon or two of water to fully saturate the plant, even if water starts draining from the bottom or sides. “Keep putting water on that thing,” he said. “Put a ton of water when you do it. And then the other thing is going to be fertilizing.”

For nutrients, Nelson recommends a slow-release granular fertilizer sprinkled on the soil surface once a month which he said is highly effective, breaking down and feeding the plant with every watering, often proving more consistent than weekly liquid applications.

As summer progresses and temperatures rise, he said be vigilant when combating common pests like budworms, aphids, and spider mites. An “ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” said Nelson, meaning it’s crucial to regularly apply preventive sprays or granular products. Starting early with these measures helps prevent pest populations from building up and causing a lot of damage to your plants. “Don’t wait until a major problem has already developed,” he added.

Finally, consider a mid-to-late summer rejuvenation for tired plants. Around the beginning to middle of August, if your annuals are looking worn from the heat or depleted of nutrients, you can “chop things back really hard.” Follow this aggressive pruning with a fresh application of fertilizer, he suggests. “Most plants will flush back out within two to three weeks, looking healthier and more vigorous than before, and continue to provide amazing blooms until the first frost,” Nelson said.

“The best advice I have for keeping your pots healthy, the best fertilizer is the grower shadow, and that means you got to get out in your garden,” Nelson said. “You’ve got to look at your plants, you’ve got to be assessing them and dealing with them, you know, at least on a weekly basis.”

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