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Unusual annuals

After seeing incarvillea sinensis flowering for the first time today I
thought I would like to start a discussion on unusual annuals.  This plant
was offered by Thompson & Morgan and looks truly delightful.   Attractive
ferny foliage and nice size white flowers.    

I find the perennial incarvillea arguta a useful thing as it will flower in
shade and extremely dry.

I understand that cerinthe, probably mainly the purple one, is a big hit in
California at present.  I don't find it extra easy to grow in a pot and it
has never self seeded to the weedy stage for me.  I gathered some of the
brown one from a friend where it is definitely weedy.  It has evidently been
weedy in NZ for years.

Another annual I like is ponygonum orientale.  I have just gathered a heap
of seed.   This grows to l.5m quite quickly and has drooping panicles of
crimson flowers and carries one common name of pink wheat because of its
appearance.   It is handy because it is a quick grower.   A book by Roy Hay
first printed in 1937 says there is one with creamy white flowers, does
anyone know anything about that??

A useful pretty little thing is browallia viscosa I think.   It grows about
35cm high and has bright violet blue little flowers with a white eye.  It
will reseed and grow through winter if it is not too frosty.  It has masses
of tiny seed like poppy seed.

Another annual I like pretty much is cuphea viscosissima.   It is short and
sticky and has pink papery flowers.   I find the seed pod entertaining as
the pod bursts on the side and the side bulges out.

I also like nicotiana langsdorfii for its green flowers.  This is about a
two year job mostly for us but it is kind of annual.

Ceratotheca is a pretty annual I think.  It is narrow and tall, to lm, with
silvery pink foxglove flowers with fine black bee lines leading into the throat.

There was an interesting chysanthemum annual which I saw near Tijuana and
also a whole canyon of it below Santa Barbara in California.    It grew
almost 2m high and was quite bushy with yellow flowers or a yellow and white
flower.   Does anyone have any ideas from this vague description.  I would
have a photo of it I could forward to someone who is fairly sure they know
it.   I would like a correct identification.  I collected some of the seed
and have one plant flowering at present.

Cynoglossum (amabile I think it is) is grown widely here in south eastern
Australia.  Mainly the bright blue which I would have in flower any time of
the year,  then there is a deep pink.  I think there is also white but I
don't have it.

Over to you!   What are some of your favourite unusual annuals?

Sue Templeton, Albury Australia,  where it is looking like we might get some
rain in the next few days,  and have not had frost yet.  Today's temperature
about 23C.  Was 27C on Thursday.
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