Annual flowers are the best. You don’t need to worry about winter care or long term health. You can just put them in the ground, let them do their thing, and reap the rewards. Whether you choose to start them from seed or buy established plants from the garden center, you can get great, vibrant color without too much worry.
Here are our top 10 annual plants for the garden:
1. Sunflower – A plant that gives you a lot of bang for your buck, sunflowers can reach 10 feet or more in height, though with medium and even dwarf varieties available, they can be found in virtually any size you like. These plants love dry weather, heat, and – wouldn’t you know it – sun!
2. Petunia – Do you want beautiful trumpet shaped flowers in a huge range of colors? If so, petunias are for you. Another easy, heat tolerant plant, petunias are spectacular in hanging baskets.
3. Snapdragon – Unique spires of flowers in any color you could want? Yes, please! Snapdragons get their name because if you squeeze either side of the flower, it looks like a dragon opening and closing its jaws.
4. Marigold – One of the best flowers you can grow is the marigold. Easy, hardy, and the mother of all natural pest deterrents!
5. Impatiens – A good choice for damper, shadier spots, the impatiens plant can practically carpet the ground with flowers.
6. Zinnia – The king of cutting flowers, zinnias look spectacular in bouquets and will replace their cut blooms at a fantastic rate.
7. Geranium – Tough, low maintenance plants that bloom all summer and fall, geraniums are great annuals to add to the garden.
8. Cosmos – Amazing at attracting bees, cosmos also look great in bouquets with their big flowers on top of slender, feathery stalks.
9. Rudbeckia – Perfect for intense late summer and autumn color, the big, bold flowers of rudbeckia plants come in yellow, red and all the shades in between.
10. Sweet Pea – Sweet peas are awesome vining or trailing plants that produce extremely fragrant blossoms. They don’t take heat well, but that just means they’re perfect for some delicate spring color.
