Adding a splash of color to your garden is easy with annual flowers. These plants complete their life cycle in one growing season, making them perfect for gardeners who love variety and change. Here are eight of the best annual flowers that are not only beautiful but also easy to grow.
1. Petunia
Petunias are a top choice for vibrant, long-lasting color in your garden. Among them, the Supertunia Vista cultivars stand out. These hardy flowers thrive throughout the growing season, extending well into October in temperate climates and an additional month in southern areas. Their prolific blooms make them a favorite for landscaping.
2. Verbena
Verbena is a magnet for butterflies and hummingbirds, providing a long season of blooms. While most verbenas require deadheading, the newer varieties produce fewer seeds, reducing the risk of invasiveness and making maintenance simpler. Their colorful clusters can brighten up any garden bed or container.
3. Calibrachoa
Also known as Superbells, Calibrachoa is perfect for gardeners with busy schedules. These small, trumpet-shaped flowers come in bright shades of red, yellow, orange, or pink. They are ideal for containers, window boxes, hanging baskets, or raised beds, offering a vibrant splash of color with minimal care.
4. Begonia
Surefire Begonias are incredibly versatile, thriving in both sun and shade. They boast stronger, more resilient stems and larger blooms that don’t require deadheading. These flowers provide year-round color and are a fantastic addition to any garden, promising continuous blooms without much fuss.
5. Impatiens
Rockapulco Impatiens are easy to grow and thrive in shaded areas. They require just a bit of fertilizer and consistently moist soil. Their double flowers come in stunning shades of pink, coral, purple, and red, making them a standout in garden beds or containers. They are perfect for adding color to those shadier spots in your garden.
6. Angelonia
Angelonia, often referred to as summer snapdragons, bring a burst of blue, purple, pink, or white to your landscape. These flowers thrive in sunny, well-drained soil and can withstand hot, humid weather. Their spiky blooms add vertical interest and vibrant color to your garden beds or containers.
7. Globe Amaranth
Globe Amaranth, known for its ease of growth, is suitable for gardeners of all skill levels. The Truffula Pink variety quickly fills in spaces with its unique, textured blooms. This charming annual adds a touch of roughness and style to containers or garden beds, growing rapidly to fill any gaps.
8. Spider Flower
Proven Winners’ Cleomes, or Spider Flowers, are a gardener’s delight. These thornless, seedless, odorless, and non-sticky plants bloom from spring to fall. They tolerate heat, humidity, and drought, and are relatively disease-resistant. Their delicate, spider-like flowers add an elegant touch to any garden.