1505 N. Main St.  Bloomington, Il  61701  (309) 828-1424 (800) 679-2300Casey's Garden Shop & FloristOrder Now
Plants
Annuals At Casey's Annuals, Herbs & Bulbs

Annuals

Annuals frame the view, soften the edges, and provide accents that shrubs and perennials cannot provide-other benefits include providing armfuls of cut flowers in the home, patches of color all summer long, easy fill-ins for spaces in beds, colorful container plants, and the sheer joy of seeing a seed blossom in one season. Unlike other plants in the garden annuals provide season long color, colors that can be changed from year to year, altering the beds to obtain a difference that cannot be gained by perennials and shrubs. When special events call for change, annuals can be coordinated to match your needs.

Geraniums

Moist Location: Angel Trumpet, Forget-Me-Not, Hibiscus

Poor Soil: California Poppy, Celosia, Petunia, Cosmos, Snow-on-the-Mountain

Sunny Location: Aster, Baby's Breath, Bachelor Button, Calendula, Castor Bean, Celosia, Cosmos, Dianthus, Flowering Kale, Flowering Cabbage, Gazania, Geranium, Larkspur, Marigold, Morning Glory, Moss Rose, Nasturtium, Pansy, Petunia, Poppy, Salvia, Snapdragon, Statice, Strawflower, Verbena, Zinnia

Shade or Semi-Shade: Annual Phlox, Balsam, Begonia, Bellflower, Calendula, Clarkia, Coleus, Dwarf Lobelia, Forget-Me-Not, Four O'Clock, Flowering Tobacco, Godetia, Impatiens, Larkspur, Nasturtium, Pansy, Sweet Alyssum, Verbena, Wallflower, Wishbone Plant

Dry Locations: Ageratum, California Poppy, Cockscomb, Coreopsis, Cosmos, Four O'Clock, Moss Rose, Petunia, Statice, Swan River Daisy, Verbena, Zinnia

Herbs

The word herb means a plant or plant part that is used to make medicine, food flavors (spices), or aromatic oils for soaps and fragrances. An herb can be a leaf, a flower, a stem, a seed, a root, a fruit, bark, or any other plant part used for its medicinal, food flavoring, or fragrant property. Every herb garden should contain at least the backbone herbs: basil, Italian parsley, marjoram, rosemary, sage, and thyme.

The latest trend in culinary gardening is planting herb collections - groups of herbs that share a common theme. Collection motifs run the gamut from single herb to scent and cuisine themes.

Herbs in a strawberry jar

Basil Collection: Basil grows easily from seed; sow directly in the soil well after any chance of frost. Choose from countless basil cultivars: cinnamon, purple ruffles, lemon, sweet, African blue, holy red, and more.

Citrus-Scented Collection: This group is for citrus fanatics: grapefruit mint, orange mint, lemon verbena, lemongrass, and lime balm.

Chocolate-Scented Collection: These plants are exclusively for chocoholics: chocolate mint and chocolate-peppermint scented geranium.

Container Collection: Plant the entire collection in one strawberry pot for a cascading effect: dwarf savory, dwarf sage, dwarf hyssop, miniature creeping thyme, creeping germander.

Bulbs

No garden is complete without bulbs. They provide early color and minimal care produce flowers year after year. A diverse group, blooming at different times can produce a variety of color, sizes, and shapes across the seasons.

Casey's carries a full line of fall bulbs for you to beautify your beds. Think of the photos you have seen of Holland and the rows and rows of tulips that just take your breath away with the intensity and brightness of the color. Those are good examples of fall bulbs. Bulbs you plant in the fall are those that grow roots through the fall and winter and in the spring burst forth with spectacular color. Some examples are: tulips, daffodils, crocus, muscari, hyacinth, allium (some are big purple balls on a stem), frittillaria, and narcissus. We carry all those and more. We also carry iris in the fall (not a true bulb).

In the fall we also carry some indoor bulbs. Amaryllis and paper whites are bulbs available in the fall for indoor container growing. And you can force the other fall bulbs to bloom indoors, just so long as you provide 12-15 weeks of 'winter' (in the fridge or unheated garage or cold frame) to trick the bulb into thinking that it is outside.

Spring bulbs include gladiolus, dahlia, calla lily, elephant ear, tuberous begonia, freesia, and other bulbs that cannot stand our winters in central Illinois. These are planted in the spring and will bloom during that growing season. We carry a wonderful selection of those in April and May.

Not sure what to plant or where to plant it? The staff at Casey's can make suggestions as you browse through our bulb collection and see what you like.

 

Tulips
Amaryllis
Calla Lily