Choosing Annuals

Annuals are great flowers for beginners. Purchase them already beautiful and blooming and then plant them in the garden for instant gratification.

Annuals basically come as two types: Cool-season and warm-season.

Warm-season annuals make up the vast majority of annuals. They thrive in heat and can't be planted until well after all danger of frost has passed in spring. Freezing temperatures kill them and they even won't take off until the soil is sufficiently warm. They include marigolds, impatiens, petunias, and many other of the most-popular annuals.

Cool-season annuals like it cold. They include pansies, calendula, godetia, California poppies, flowering cabbage, flowering kale, and others. They are planted in winter in warm-climate regions, such as California and the South, for winter color. Farther north, they are planted in the spring (and less commonly, the fall) when it's still cold enough to wear a jacket but the soil has thawed sufficiently to work. They like it cool and most don't mind frost or even snow. Heat—that is, daytime temperatures consistently over 80 degrees—makes them fade and turn brown and die.

You can start annuals from seed, purchase them as small established plants in plastic, connected cell-packs, or buy them as larger, more established plants in 4-inch or larger individual pots. Either way, they're often referred to as bedding plants.

Annuals have a short life, so buy the largest plants your budget can bear to get the most bang for your buck. Avoid plants that are wilted or have yellowing or browning leaves. They probably won't recover and if they do, by that time, the growing season may be over. Go for large, healthy blooms. (Note: It's a plus if the plant doesn't have flowers. It's likely to transplant better since it won't have to put so much energy into producing blooms and can instead focus on making the difficult transition into the garden. That's why so many experienced gardeners, wisely, pinch off any flowers from annuals when they plant them.)

The widest range of annuals does well in full sun. Plus, because they don't have years to develop deep root systems, annuals need frequent watering. However, there is a handful that does well in shade or in dry conditions.

Shade-Loving Annuals

Do well with less than 6 hours of direct, unfiltered light a day

  • Impatiens
  • Browallia
  • Salvia splendens
  • Wax begonia
  • Coleus
  • Wishbone flower (Torenia fournieri)
  • Fuchsia*

Drought-Tolerant Annuals

Need less water than most annuals, so good for dry conditions in beds and elsewhere. They're a particularly good choice for containers since pots and others are prone to drying out.

  • Geraniums
  • Moss rose (Portulaca grandiflora)
  • Annual blanket flower (Gaillardia pulchella)
  • Annual verbena, especially 'Imagination'
  • Lantana*
  • Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia)
  • Strawflower (Helichrysum bracteatum)
  • Globe amaranth (Gomphrena globosa)
  • Gazania
  • Swan River daisy (Brachycome iberidifolia)
  • Cosmos
  • Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena)
  • Creeping zinnia (Sanvitalia procumbens)

* Grown as an annual in most areas of North America. Grown as a perennial in areas with extremely mild winters, such as California and Florida, where it grows all year long.