Say Yes to Annuals

All Summer Color, Sun-Loving Annuals for Spring and Summer

Zinnia, a pollinator and bird favorite

It’s that wonderful time of year where we get to plant flowers and watch them grow and bloom. If you’re just getting started and wondering what to plant, I have some suggestions for easy to find and easy to care for annuals, or plants that bloom profusely all spring and summer but won’t come back next spring.

Vinca

If you have at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight, you can grow full sun plants. In annuals, Vinca is a popular bedding flower because it is both drought-resistant and deer-proof. It comes in reds, pinks, purples, and white. Vinca forms small mounds, never needs dead-heading (removing spent blooms), and flowers profusely until frost. Ask for “flowering Vinca” at garden centers because there are a few plants with this name.

Marigolds I planted in spring still thriving in September. You can see Asters blooming in the background.

If you want bright yellows and oranges in a sunny spot, Marigolds offer another deer-proof option. Like Vinca, they are profuse bloomers and require little care. Marigolds will need a little more water than Vinca, however, and keeping them dead-headed encourages new blooms and improves their overall appearance. The flowers themselves are long-lasting so this isn’t as arduous as it might sound. Look them over once a week or so.

Marigolds

Petunias are another popular annual. They are tougher than they look and can tolerate all kinds of soils. Some need deadheading to look their best, but newer varieties don’t.

Petunis “Queen of Hearts”

They come in a rainbow of colors and some trail, working well in hanging containers and window boxes.

These are “Supertunias” and never need deadheading. They are a great filler here with pink Bidens and a Canna Lily in the center.

Sunpatiens are relatively new on the scene, a hybrid of New Guinea Impatiens, which are plants that need protection from strong sun. Sunpatiens can tolerate hot sun but, like all impatiens, they need lots of water. In the heat of the summer, they need to be watered every day, by you or by rain. Sometimes they will droop as an indication of lack of water, but you can pop them right back up with a good drench.

I’ve experimented with them and Sunpatiens also work in shadier spots.

Sunpatiens can struggle to set down roots in clay soils. Either plant them in beds where you have dark, rich soil, or put them in containers with potting mix. They will never disappoint you there--as long as you keep them watered.

These Sunpatiens I had in bright hot sun.

Zinnias are show-stoppers and very easy to grow. They tolerate a range of soil and are drought-resistant. You can grow them from seeds, or buy them as small plants from a garden center. Some are short, bedding-type plants, and others grow quite tall. Once Zinnias start blooming, they won’t stop until frost.

Zinnia “Queeny Lime” that I grew from seed.

If you have a space for a taller variety, Benary’s Giant Mix or Cut and Come Again are two of my favorites. They may need staking later in the summer, and they are prone to powdery mildew, so plant them where they can get some air circulation.

Zinnias, looking nice but I planted them too close.

Sometimes our beds and containers stop looking their best mid-summer, overgrown, not blooming anymore, or dead. It happens to everyone. There is a saying that you’re not a real gardener until you’ve killed lots of plants. But if we still have weeks to go in the summer, I want things looking lush.

This is where Lantana and Portulaca come in. I’ll pull out under-performing (or dead) annuals, and replace many of them with these two, plants that love sun and heat, and don't need much water. You could start with Lantana and Portulaca, of course, but I like the change-over.

Lantana with variegated leaves

Portulaca

Happy gardening! See you next week💚