On the hunt for something unusual, fun, maybe even outrageous to try in the gardens? Here are three annuals that meet those criteria.
Devil’s claw
My first encounter with devil’s claw (Proboscidea louisianica) was with the late Jim Story, a retired Navy vet who lived and gardened in Pendleton, Indiana. Known as the gourd guy, I met him soon after I started writing this column. He died in 2005.
Devil’s claw. (C) Photo nightfrost/CanStockPhoto.com
Throughout out friendship, he gave a red trillium, a no-name hosta and a devil’s claw, which he’d grown in his garden. Sometimes called unicorn or elephant plant, the 6- to 8-inch long devil’s claw is the seed head of a native annual, generally found in the southwest, and grown here from seed as an annual (NativeSeeds.org). Native Americans consume the oils and seeds from this plant, use plant parts for dyes, and fibers in basketry. Herbalists and practitioners of natural medicines also use the plant.
Devil’s claw gets up to 3 feet tall. It has a 1- to 2-inch long pinkish-white flower in summer. Soak seeds or peel off the black coating before planting.
Persian shield
Youngsters may have fun allowing the purple, silvery, bronzy-green Persian shield (Strobolanthes dyerianus) guard plants in a container or in the ground. This vining, spreading plant is substantial, but not aggressive or invasive. It is a tender perennial that is at home in the tropics. Here, we use it as an annual.
Persian shield with variegated leaf lantana. (C) Photo Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp
It may get about 3 feet long with about a 10-inch height. In a container, I wend Persian shield back among its companion plants. You can allow it to trail from a pot or window box. If it gets too long, cut it back. In the landscape, consider it a seasonal groundcover. Persian shield is readily available in garden centers as a premium summer annual.
Hairy balls
The third crazy annual has several names – balloon plant, swan plant and swan milkweed – but my favorite is the outrageous hairy balls (Gomphocarpus physocarpus), the most frequently used common name, followed by family jewels. I’m not making this up.
This quick growing, shrubby perennial from Africa is grown as an annual here. You’ll have to grow it from seeds, which you can find at these online retailers smartseedstore.com, joyfulbutterfly.com, plant-world-seeds.com.
Hairy balls. (C) ideation90/Deposit/Photos
“It’s a milkweed plant, so it functions the same as other milkweeds,” said Kylee Baumle, an Ohio garden writer and author of “The Monarch: Saving our Most Loved Butterfly.”
Monarchs use it for egg laying, and then the caterpillars feed on the leaves, she said. The seed does not need to go through a cold period, called stratification, to germinate. For an early show, start the seeds indoors.
The flowers are insignificant but the seedpods are distinctive. Rounded, pale green, almost translucent pods with soft, hair-like spines give this plant its common names. The seedpods are prized by cut flower arrangers, and by gardeners who like to shock visitors to their garden.