If that area gets road salt remember to flush it out with watering it in the spring before you plant. You are wise to choose annuals. Perennials would surely die with that treatment in winter.

Some small plants that I grow.

Allyssum, Phlox drumundi, Fantasy petunias, Augusta zinnias, Janie or boy oh boy marigolds, celosia, Rudbeckia toto or becky,saratoga nicotiana--all these are 10 inches tall or smaller
for something a bit taller try dwarf calendula, Antigua marigoldgrandiflora petuniascelosia, annual for-get-me-not geraniums and salvia--these run about12 to 14 inches tall

dianthus are not long lived in MI .. in my experience ... if not in fact biennial ...

and snaps do not winter over [or they wouldnt be called annuals] .. but reseed freely.. presuming you can recognize the babes in spring ...

why are you using annuals.. and not perennials??? .. most annuals are heavy water users.. will you be able to provide such.. down by the road ...

if your thought is to save money .. check into the winter sowing forum for growing perennials from seed ...

rose campion .. johnny jump ups .. balsam .. annual poppies ... larkspur.. and 4 o'clocks ... are all free seeding annuals that you cant beat back with a stick ... frankly.. that is what you should be looking for in annuals.. those that reseed themselves for eternity ... add forget me nots ...

if it were me.. i would start a perennial collection.. and use the annuals as ground cover.. until you get enough perennials to cover the area ... it should 'not be an either or' proposition ...

ken

I have to say that in MY experience in growing in Michigan, I regularly had snaps overwinter. I lived in what is now classed as zone 5b. I think that using annuals is a good choice because of the location - the heavy snow accumulation and salt will make your soil difficult to work with, so annuals give you the ability to work it up in the spring if needed. I'm assuming that this is an area that gets full sun, so I echo the suggestion of short French or American Marigolds, short zinnias (angustifolia is an excellent choice) Vinca (Catharanthus) would be an excellent choice for hot, dry conditions, specifically a series called Cora.

Vinca and celosia are used in the front of this bed I tend. They are tough plants.
{{gwi:23859}}

Ken:
Usually you are right about things but with snaps you missed the mark. Snaps originate in the Mediteranian and are tender perennials. Even in my zone 3 garden they have overwintered especially if they have good snow cover and are in a protected place

if they have good snow cover and are in a protected place

==>> just a minor thing.. lol ...

but how would they do.. out by the curb with road salt and perhaps plowing???

ah.. whatever.. maybe they will work.. maybe they wont ... never let us stop you .. experiment..

though i will note.. the question is in the annual forum ... not the 'semi-perennial forum, with perfect placement' forum .. lol

i guess i was thinking more along the lines of what MIGHT BE bullet-proof out there ...

ken

For early bloomers that will reseed I suggest California poppies, and for late summer, portulacas. Those guys reseed better than weeds and take road salt handily. Around here, the Montauk Daisies (perennials) are planted alongside roads and also seem to handle the salt without a problem. I've also noticed bachelor buttons on the sidewalk green areas come back every year, again with salt spray from a busy road.

Heck, ken...most people mix up herbaceous perennials with annuals in this forum ALL the time (hint, hint KEN). My read on docmom's post is that she needs low growing plants that will provide a lot of color all summer long. Annuals are usually the go to category for the longest bloom period...though there are surely some tender perennials that fit the description.

docmom, I live the idea of portulaca, especially Portulaca grandiflora. Talk about color! They are carefree, self cleaning, and are likely to reseed nicely.

Mantis referred to 'Vinca' but really meant Catharanthus roseus, often called vinca though it's not. Catharanthus is a tender perennial often grown as a disposable annual. Once established, it can be pretty bullet proof. goblugal already mentioned that.

I also love her suggestion of Zinnia angustifolia. I love that little annual. It's a star in the garden...sure fits my criteria of carefree, long blooming, sun and heat tolerant, etc.

A hardy, evergreen perennial that might be worth trying is Delosperma (iceplant). Don't know about that road salt, though.

Speaking of road salt...that part really worries me. The accumulation from years of the usual de-icing chemicals can ruin road side soil. Does the grass grow pretty well in that location? Do you know what your municipality uses for roadside de-icing? If it's sodium chloride, then applications of gypsum can mitigate the sodium toxicity. I don't know what you could use if calcium choride is the agent.

catharanthus rosea:
Vinca or periwinkle?
I have always found this debate interesting. Most seed companies call them vincas. And because that is so common and reinforced by the fact that their basionym is vinca rosea they are frequently called vinca by home gardeners, like me. For example when I ask my cat 'Why are you in the Vinca's again?' he knows what I am talking about. If I said 'catharanthus' he would be confused. :-)
I am drifting towards calling the groundcover (you know the vinca major/minor type) ...vinca groundcover. But that's me. The real question is which one is a periwinkle :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: vinca rosea

Thank-you all so much for the helpful replies. I will certainly end up having a mixture of annuals and perennials and see what survives. The grass seems to do OK by the road with no supplemental water. My goal is to have natives that will attract butterflies and other pollinators, but so many of them are tall. The poppies are a great idea, and so is the larkspur. I'm in the process of amending the soil to try to keep the moisture in the soil. I spent last weekend hauling loads of composted horse manure from a local horse farm. I also have heavy loads of oak leaves getting ready to fall, which I'll shred and add on top of the manure. Hopefully the worms will get to work and prepare the soil for spring planting. I already have a bed on either side of my driveway, but set back from the road. The longer bed is primarily shaded, because it is set back from the road and is under the oaks. I have quite a few mixed perennials and a few annuals there, but I want to extend the bed toward the road and into the sun. I think/hope that the primary anti-slip treatment the road receives is sand. I'm sure there must be some chemical treatment as well, but they use a lot of sand.

You've given me some great ideas to try, and some guidance as I obtain seeds in prep for wintersowing. I've been a wintersower for longer than I want to admit. LOL. Thanks again.

Martha

Oooh! I just looked up Portulaca and I love the deep pink colors. I wonder if they will still do well in the rich soil I'm preparing. As Ken suggested, I'll just get to experiment. I'll see if anyone over at the exchange forum has any portulaca seeds to spare. Thanks again.

Martha