Brightening up your garden with colorful annuals is one of my favorite ways to keep things lively all season. These show-stopping plants bring instant cheer and make every corner pop with personality.
Over time, I’ve learned a few secrets that help these beauties bloom nonstop and look their absolute best. Some of these annuals really surprised me with how much color they pack in.
Let’s add a splash of joy that keeps going and going through the months ahead!
1. Petunias
Nothing creates instant garden drama quite like these trumpet-shaped blooms that spill from containers and blanket flower beds. Available in every color except true blue, petunias thrive in full sun and keep flowering with minimal effort.
For maximum performance, pinch back leggy stems in midsummer and fertilize regularly. Modern varieties like Wave petunias spread up to three feet wide, eliminating the deadheading chore that older types required.
2. Zinnias
Few flowers deliver more bang for your buck than these heat-loving stunners. From tiny button blooms to dinner-plate sized flowers, zinnias offer endless color options and attract butterflies by the dozen.
Cut stems regularly to enjoy indoor bouquets and encourage more blooms. The secret to zinnia success lies in their love of heat—plant them after soil has thoroughly warmed and give them plenty of sunshine for non-stop flowering until frost.
3. Marigolds
Beloved for their sunny disposition and pest-repelling properties, these garden workhorses bring reliable color from planting day until frost. Their distinctive scent naturally deters many garden pests, making them perfect companions for vegetable gardens.
For bushier plants with more flowers, pinch off the growing tips when plants are young. Choose from tiny French varieties for borders or tall African types for dramatic garden statements—both offer that signature golden-orange glow.
4. Cosmos
Graceful and airy, these daisy-like bloomers dance above delicate, feathery foliage on long stems. Their carefree nature and drought tolerance make them perfect for gardeners seeking low-maintenance beauty.
Simply scatter seeds directly in the garden after frost danger passes for months of blooms. The charming flowers come in shades from white to pink to deep crimson, and their wildflower appearance creates a meadow-like feeling even in formal garden settings.
5. Sunflowers
Summer wouldn’t be complete without these cheerful giants tracking the sun across the sky. Modern varieties offer options beyond the traditional yellow, including burgundy, cream, and multi-colored blooms perfect for cutting.
For a stunning display, plant different heights together, from dwarf types to towering 12-foot varieties. Birds will thank you in fall when the seed heads ripen, providing natural entertainment as they feast on the nutritious seeds.
6. Calibrachoa
Often called million bells for good reason, these tiny petunia cousins produce hundreds of dainty blooms on each trailing plant. Their compact habit makes them perfect for hanging baskets and window boxes where they create cascades of non-stop color.
Unlike their petunia relatives, calibrachoa flowers don’t get sticky or require deadheading. The plants naturally shed spent blooms and keep producing new ones. Available in vibrant solids and striking bi-colors, they’re surprisingly tough despite their delicate appearance.
7. Nasturtiums
Gardeners with culinary interests adore these edible beauties that add peppery flavor to salads while creating a colorful carpet in the garden. Their circular leaves collect morning dew like miniature lily pads, adding textural interest even before the jewel-toned flowers appear.
Plant them in poor soil for the best flower production—too much fertilizer produces lush leaves but fewer blooms. Both climbing and bush varieties offer the same distinctive flowers in sunset shades of yellow, orange, and red.
8. Impatiens
When it comes to brightening shady spots, nothing outperforms these shade-loving treasures. Their non-stop flowering habit transforms dark corners into colorful retreats from summer heat.
Regular watering keeps them blooming continuously—they’ll quickly tell you when they’re thirsty by wilting dramatically. The newer SunPatiens varieties break all the rules by thriving in full sun while maintaining the lush flowering habit that made traditional impatiens famous.
9. Geraniums
Technically tender perennials but grown as annuals in most climates, these classic favorites offer months of vibrant blooms atop aromatic foliage. Their ability to thrive in containers makes them perfect for patios and balconies.
For maximum flowering, remove spent blooms regularly by snapping off the entire flower stalk at the base. The scented leaf varieties add sensory interest with fragrances ranging from lemon to chocolate mint, while ivy geraniums create spectacular trailing displays in hanging baskets.
10. Celosia
Looking for something truly exotic? These flame-shaped blooms add architectural interest with their unusual form and velvety texture. Available in fiery reds, sunny yellows, and deep burgundies, they maintain their color even when dried.
Heat-loving and drought-tolerant, celosia thrives during summer’s hottest days when other flowers may struggle. The plume varieties resemble fluffy feathers while cockscomb types form fascinating brain-like crests—both make outstanding cut flowers that last for weeks.
11. Verbena
Butterfly magnet and heat warrior, this versatile bloomer creates carpets of color in beds or spilling from containers. The tiny clustered flowers come in vibrant purples, pinks, reds and white, often with contrasting eyes.
Unlike many annuals that fade in summer’s heat, verbena actually performs better as temperatures rise. The spreading varieties make excellent ground covers in sunny spots, while upright forms create vertical interest in mixed plantings.
12. Begonias
Masters of versatility, begonias offer something for every garden situation from deep shade to full sun. Wax begonias create neat mounds of continuous color, while tuberous types produce rose-like blooms that seem too sophisticated to be so easy.
The angel wing varieties combine spectacular flowers with decorative foliage that’s worth growing for leaves alone. Most begonias prefer morning sun and afternoon shade in hot climates, making them perfect for east-facing gardens.
13. Sweet Alyssum
Honey-scented clouds of tiny flowers create a delicate carpet that softens garden edges and spills beautifully from containers. The sweet fragrance attracts beneficial insects while creating a cottage garden feel.
Though traditionally white, modern varieties offer purple, pink and even peachy tones. For continuous blooming through summer heat, give alyssum a quick trim when flowering slows—it’ll rebound with fresh blooms in just a week or two.
14. Snapdragons
Childhood favorites known for their dragon-mouth flowers that “snap” when squeezed, these vertical bloomers add height and charm to any garden. Their spire-like flower stalks create natural exclamation points in borders and containers.
Most impressive in spring and fall, snapdragons can take a brief rest during summer’s heat before reblooming when temperatures cool. The dwarf varieties make excellent edging plants, while tall types create dramatic background statements and supply long-lasting cut flowers.
15. Salvia
Hummingbirds can’t resist the tubular flowers of these easy-care plants that bloom non-stop from spring until frost. The most common annual varieties produce spikes of intense blue, purple or red that stand out dramatically against their dark green foliage.
Remarkably unfazed by heat and drought once established, salvias keep blooming when other annuals have given up. Their tidy habit makes them perfect for formal borders, while their nectar-rich blooms support pollinators throughout the growing season.
16. Lobelia
Resembling tiny stars scattered across compact plants, these delicate flowers create rivers of blue, purple or white in spring gardens. Their cool-toned blooms pair beautifully with warm-colored annuals for striking combinations.
Traditional varieties may take a break during summer heat, but newer heat-tolerant selections bloom continuously. The trailing types transform hanging baskets and window boxes into cascading color displays, while upright forms create neat edgings for formal gardens.
17. Lantana
Butterfly paradise and heat champion, lantana produces multicolored flower clusters that often include several shades on a single plant. The blooms typically start one color and transition to another as they age, creating a kaleidoscope effect.
Virtually indestructible once established, lantana thrives in hot, sunny locations where other flowers struggle. Though perennial in warm climates, it’s grown as an annual in regions with freezing winters, providing months of carefree color and pollinator support.
18. Angelonia
Often called summer snapdragon, this heat-loving beauty produces spikes of delicate orchid-like blooms from early summer until frost. Unlike many annuals that fade in August, angelonia hits its stride during the hottest weeks of summer.
The upright stems rarely need staking and look fresh all season without deadheading. Available in purple, pink, white and bicolors, angelonia combines well with spreading plants in containers and creates elegant vertical accents in flower beds.
19. Coleus
Grown primarily for its spectacular foliage rather than flowers, coleus offers kaleidoscopic leaves that add color to gardens even without blooms. Modern varieties come in mind-boggling combinations of colors and patterns from subtle to psychedelic.
Once limited to shade gardens, newer sun-tolerant varieties thrive in full sunshine without fading. For bushier plants with more vibrant colors, pinch off the flower spikes when they appear and regularly trim the growing tips to encourage branching.
20. Pentas
Star-shaped flowers clustered in rounded heads make pentas a standout in summer gardens and a magnet for butterflies and hummingbirds. Their continuous blooming habit ensures color from planting time until frost without deadheading.
Originally tropical plants, pentas love heat and humidity, making them perfect for regions where summer feels like a sauna. Available in red, pink, purple and white, they combine beautifully with other heat-loving annuals in beds and containers.