You want a lovely yard with vividly colored garden beds, but you don’t have the time or know-how to make it happen. To ensure success, do yourself a favor and plant these simple annual flowers.
Some annual flowers suggested by garden experts are:
- Snapdragon
- Sweet peas
- Marigolds
- Pansy
- Dahlias
Read our article to find out 10 more species!
Reem from landscapingrichmondva.com
Hardy annuals: Snapdragon
From the name of this annual, it is characterized by the ability to stand still in icy and breezing temperatures and circumstances.
Snapdragon is a good example of this classification. Such annuals may be planted for primary spring color well before the frost-free date or ingrained late in the summer for fall color.
Semi hardy annuals: Petunia
This type of annual is somehow like the first one, but in addition to handling cold temperatures, these can also take moderate ones up to 28 Fahrenheit.
You may plant this type of annuals marginally before frost-free date, and as fall comes and chiller days come through, they’ll have the impeccable color.
Tender annuals: Vinca, Zinnia
This type of annual cannot handle or tolerate the cool weather; in addition, you can’t plant them until the danger of frost has passed and until the soil has warmed up pretty well in spring.
A great example of tender annuals is Vinca and Zinnia. In what follows, I will demonstrate the most acceptable guidelines that apply to all annuals to take good care of them.
Tips for growing beautiful annual flowers
- You should find your plant hardiness zone: USDA has split the area into 13 zones based on average annual minimum temperature. So, you need to find your zone and work upon it.
- You’ll need to water your annuals well and check in on them so that they’ll grow adequately.
To water the annuals properly, you should add almost one inch of water, which depends on the soil moisture, whereby if it feels that it’s too dry, you’ll have to add another extra inch.
As the temperature increase, you’ll have to increase the watering from once per week to twice or 3 times.
The materials living in compost, such as fungi and bacteria… uphold the plants’ immunity and inflate the life of the crops. Mulch, on the other hand, gives a head start in growth.
- Always use natural or organic pesticides.
- You should weed your plants often whereby weeding prevents the fungus or any kind of disease from infecting the plants.
- Prune the plants to exterminate any dead or dying foliage; you can also eliminate spent flowers and avoid smaller corps by deadheading, pinching, or cutting off dead blossoms and new bugs.
- Start a diary to keep track of the condition of the plants, including when and where you planted them.
Matthew Magnante from Fitness Volt
Angelonia
Angelonia, also known as summer snapdragons, can grow in sunny places. They have light pink-colored flowers, which add breezy calmness to the optimistic view.
Annual Phlox
Annual Phlox is the best flowering plant for spring, although it can grow in early summer too. It can bear flowers of various colors such as white, pink, purple, and red. Just make sure you water them regularly.
Calendula
For winter, Calendula has to go to the flowering plant. Its bright yellow color provides a sense of warmth in chilly weather. However, it requires utmost care from the gardener. Make sure soil is rich in nutrients and moisture.
Goodell David from Woodworking Clarity
Sweet peas
Sweet peas germinate quickly, activated more so by nicking their seed coat with a knife, avoiding the ‘eye’ of the seed.
Happiest in sunny spots with moisture-retaining but well-drained acidic soil, sweet peas grow significantly in pots, providing lush, beautiful rosy colors and a lovely fragrance.
Make sure to use peat-free compost with a slow-release fertilizer in early spring – it’s essential to avoid any risk of snow but to grow at cool temperatures – at least 20 cm apart, 1 cm in the soil.
They also attract slugs and snails, so keep an eye out for those! Some sweet peas have a stronger fragrance than others, so be sure to peruse and sample a few smells before buying a seedling.
They bloom about 4-6 weeks after some vining, so do be patient!
Marigolds
Marigolds are beautiful, sunny golden flowers that also quickly germinate, ranging from yellow to red shades with brass in between.
They sprout within a few days best in moderately fertile, well-drained soil, under the full sun (they can tolerate shade), and bloom in under 8 weeks.
Marigolds in containers should be watered frequently, with fertilizer used in the growing phase. To be planted best in spring or summer, 1 inch apart, 6 inches down.
Though susceptible to mold and some spider mites, these bright, bold flowers do their fair share of keeping away most bugs and attracting pollinators like bees and ladybugs.
Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums bring a spectacular, vivid color to salads and desserts (uncooked), growing speedy-quick with very little maintenance.
Sowing directly into pots works well, just after spring, through summer up till the first signs of frost, the nasturtium is another sunny flower that grows mainly as a cheerful, preppy orange.
They thrive in moist (even unfertile) soil, planted 1.5 cm in, 30 cm apart, germinated in 10-12 days. They can attract cabbage butterflies that lay larvae and aphids, so be mindful and often check the undersides of leaves.
Nigella
Nigella, love-in-a-mist, not Lawson, is a quaint, hearty flower wrapped in feathery green leaves – the ‘Miss Jekyll’ variety blooms a fantastic, rich blue, and pink and white petals.
Often called the ‘sow and forget,’ this reliable little plant will continue to grow well after it’s been sown 1 cm in, 15 cm apart in well-drained, neutral pH soil, in a sunny area in your garden.
They are an excellent, long-lasting flower that can be used for dry arrangements and bouquets later.
Jeremy Yamaguchi from Lawn Love
Pansy
For annuals, I love pansy. They’re full of character and come in a wide variety of colors. I have yet to meet anyone who just flat-out hates the way pansies look.
They always seem so bright and cheerful, and fortunately, they’re straightforward to take care of.
Pansies do great in the shade, so they’ll work with a wide range of gardens across a wide range of zones. They’re best planted when it’s cool in early spring or fall.
You need to make sure you do an excellent job of aerating the soil, though, because they’re a little picky about that, and clumped soil can inhibit them from getting nutrients.
Noah James from Liberty Lawn Maintenance
Chrysanthemum
These annuals will make your garden pop. These flowers require full sun and bloom in late summer and early fall. You can buy the flower and plant it or grow it from a seed. They have fresh and beautiful colors.
Dahlias
These flowers will catch anyone’s eye. They require full sun and bloom in summer. Dahlias have a honeycomb-like bloom that simply stands out. They are surprisingly simple to grow, and if you do things right, you can plant their tubers every season.
Geraniums
You can’t go wrong with these flowers. They grow in full sun or partial shade and bloom in spring and summer. Their petite petals will last for months.
Conclusion
There’s a lot to learn about flower care, especially if you’re a newbie. But don’t panic; most annuals are quite straightforward to care for, requiring just basic watering, fertilizing, and deadheading. Choose your favorites and begin growing them right now!
