Yikes....speaking in terms of the site....it's super sunny for those annuals you've mentioned. Think of the full sun from above PLUS reflected light and heat from the siding and all of the hardscape.

I'd be thinking about an assortment of zinnias, Catharanthus, salvia, angelonia, celosia....there are lots of possibilities. Of those four, I've grown all but the wonderful angelonia from seed.

If you wanted to plant a riot of different colors and would like to look like you planned it, use a row of something low growing and all the same color in the front. I love the little, white Zinnia angustifolia for that job. It will bloom non -stop until frost.

Thanks for the input. Last year potted petunias thrived in this area so I know they can handle the heat. I will add the varieties you suggested to my list of seeds to buy.

A few followup questions.

1) Which of these are less likely to attract bees? My son is allergic to bee stings so if any of these are serious bee attractants I won't plant them.

2) When should I start growing these annuals from seeds? Is now too early? I normally plant my veggies in my garden May 15.

3) This is my first year growing anything from seeds. My veggies have already germinated and are under grow lights. Is the nursing process the same for growing annuals from seeds?

Hi coeng,

" Which of these are less likely to attract bees? My son is allergic to bee stings so if any of these are serious bee attractants I won't plant them."

I am an avid zinnia hobbyist, so I hate to say anything against zinnias, but in addition to butterflies and hummingbirds, zinnias do attract bees of many kinds. That includes honeybees as well as bumblebees and carpenter bees, and even the little sweat bees. That's too bad, because zinnias would love that sunny site.

Incidentally I have worked in my zinnias for many years, and been in close contact with thousands of bees, but I have never been stung by a bee, except on a few occasions by sweat bees. If you are perspiring (as I frequently am), sweat bees actually do like to drink your sweat, which is normally harmless to you. But on the few occasions I was stung by a sweat bee, I had closed my arm and squeezed and captured one in the crease at my elbow, and it stung me to escape. The sweat bee stings were momentarily painful, but had no persistent bad effects.

But in your case, I wouldn't take any chances on bees and your son, and I would recommend against zinnias because they do attract bees as pollinators.

ZM

I have a friend that was concerned about the same thing. After some research we found these species that are supposed to not attract bees and she didn't notice a dramatic presence increase.

Petunia
Geranium
Nicotiana

I am sure there are others.

It is not to early to start planting. Most annuals are 6-8 weeks from last frost and some 10-12.

Yes it is the same as vegetables but you will find annuals a bit more tender and finicky.

Is planting tomatoes in pots in this area a no-no if I'm trying to fill it with annuals? Of course the annuals would simply surround the tomatoes. I was thinking 2-4 tomato plants in large decorative containers.

Are you starting the seeds inside to plant out after the last frost date? If so....you better get going, girl.

Sure, you can put your containerized tomatoes anywhere. Heck, you could even plant them in the ground, along with the annuals. Can't really help you regarding the bee question. Bright colorful flowers look the way they do for a reason.

Have you considered nasturtiums? Very easy to grow from seed & come in compact or trailing varieties. The foliage will shade the ground for other (taller) plants, too.

to break up that giant blank wall.. i would figure out how to attach 3 or 4 trellises.. and do vines.. like clematis ...

and then do lower things ..

ken

I agree with Ken, that wall is crying out for a trellis.

What's the distance between the garage wall and the brick walkway? That will help us come up with more ideas. To me it looks narrow but photos can be deceiving.
Oh, and how far away is the hose spigot? Will it be easy to keep that bed watered?

Cannas would like a sunny hot spot like that, but they need plenty of room and they drink like fish. They can be spectacular if you keep them happy. Some people grow them just for the leaves and remove any flower buds, which is what I'd recommend you do. Besides solid green leaves, you can find dark-leafed ones and striped ones. In general, going for foliage rather than flowers will be a safer choice for you and your son.

Search on the bulb forum for more info about bees and spring bulbs. Crocus definitely attract bees. I don't know if your other choices would.

I've worked outside my entire professional career....with flowering plants, in the middle of plant beds, flowering fruit trees....you name it. I've never been stung by a bee or pollinating insect. I've brush honey bees away when cutting flowers or watering.

Rhizo makes a good point: bees are usually pretty laid back.

Still, bee venom allergy is potentially life-threatening. And I think the OP will need to do whatever brings the family peace of mind. This is a young child, right? I see little-kid toys in the backyard. Talk to your child's doctor about your concerns. Ask about an epi-pen if you haven't already got one.

Not a plant I would ever recommend unless specific conditions were met, and you may have those conditions. Feverfew actually repels bees. Problem is, it will reseed with a vengeance but that walk should keep it contained. Perhaps intermix it with other plants to see how it works.

tj

To answer some of the questions brought up....

My son is 7 years old and all I need to make sure is that I have Benadryl on hand. His allergy (AFAIK) is not life-threatening but they do seem to gravitate towards him (and not my other son) wherever we go. We had a carpenter bee problem last season under the rake boards on that side of the house but we addressed that and hopefully they won't be a problem this year.

I ordered a mixture of seeds, some that may attract bees, some that aren't really supposed to. The list of seeds I ordered is below and I expect to get them from SwallowTail today (fingers crossed).

My seed containers are already prepped with moist soil, and over the weekend I hung a new 4-foot long T8 workshop light (from Lowes) with my rope ratchets so I can adjust height as needed. As I understand, the seeds I ordered will require the light to germinate.

The distance from foundation wall to pavers is about 2 feet. In my shed I have a removable trellis for the clematis that is just starting to peek out of the ground at the very back of the bed. That is the only thing that I left in this "hell strip" as some have eloquently called it.

Now some questions that I have...

Suppose I seed tonight, when would you expect the earliest would be that I can transplant into the bed? What temp should I have my warming mat set for the seeds to germinate? I had my thermostat set to 85F for my veggies which have all germinated already and are under a 2nd light (not a workshop light, but a 2' grow light).

Here is the list of seeds:

ANGELONIA (SERENITA MIX)
DAHLIA (FIGARO MIX)
GERANIUM (NANO APPLE BLOSSOM)
GERANIUM (NANO PINK)
GERANIUM (NANO WHITE)
LOBELIA (RIVIERA BLUE EYES)
NICOTIANA (AVALON MIX)
PETUNIA (ALADDIN NEON)
PETUNIA (CARPET BUTTERCREAM)
PETUNIA (MERLIN BLUE MORN)
PETUNIA (PRISM SUNSHINE)

I second the epipen. Allergies can escalate from non life threatening to deadly without a lot of notice.