What are Warm Season Annuals?
Annuals are known for their large blossoms, attention-grabbing colors, and countless petals. These flowers may only live a single season, but they make it the best season your home has ever seen. They bloom nonstop all summer long. There’s still time to add many gorgeous varieties of warm-season annuals to your garden.
Some annuals do well in cold weather so that you can plant them early in spring without problems. Violas and snapdragons can even handle frost. On the other hand, warm-season annuals can’t take cold temperatures at all. To plant them, you need to wait until the ground has completely thawed. That’s why spring and summer are the perfect times to add these flowers to home landscaping.
Why Plant Summer Annuals?
These bright blooms add pops of irresistible color and give off relaxing fragrances. They fill indoor and outdoor spaces with life, even attracting butterflies and hummingbirds. If you love to stop and smell fresh flowers, you’re not alone.
Spending time in a garden with lots of summer annuals can reduce stress, taking care of your physical health and emotional well-being. The scents and sights of these colorful blooms can calm anxiety and improve your mood throughout the day. Whether you love gardening or want to be surrounded by natural beauty, annuals are an easy option for bringing the home to life.
Another benefit of using summer annuals in landscaping is the way they add visual interest to home decor. Depending on the flowers you choose, you can give your patio the warm feel of an Italian countryside garden or the luxury of a refined English manor. Annuals provide so many color options that it’s easy to create a breathtaking arrangement to fit your exterior decor.
What are the Best Annuals to Plant in Summer?
There are hundreds of individual varieties of summer annuals to choose from. This list includes some of our favorites for growing around the United States:
1. Marigolds
The quintessential summer annual, marigolds are extremely easy to care for, and they offer bright yellows and oranges that are impossible to miss. African marigolds have tall blossoms with a ball shape. French marigolds have small but abundant blooms and a shorter profile. There are also edible marigold varieties for adventurous cooks and gardeners.
2. Zinnias
A stunning annual originally from Mexico, zinnias have wide circular blooms. Many landscapers choose intense hues of red, violet, and pink as a hot border, but there are also subdued pastels. Some tall varieties (such as Zinnia Elegans) grow to four feet, perfect for the back of borders. Zinnias love full sun and summertime weather.
3. Impatiens
These simple-yet-colorful flowers have delicate petals that light up the garden. They provide excellent ground cover, making them ideal for filling in empty spots in landscaping. Impatiens offer a staggering variety of colors, which is why they’re often combined into beautiful floral arrangements of white, red, yellow, purple, and even blue!
4. Sunflowers
If there’s one flower that says summer, it’s the sunflower. Sunflowers stand tall and illuminate the outdoors with intense yellow blooms. It’s impossible not to smile when your garden has sunflowers.
5. Celosia
Some varieties of celosia (also called wool flowers) have groups of tall, spiked flower heads in intense reds and yellows. Butterflies love these curious annuals. Plant celosia in full sun or partial shade.
6. Cosmos
Similar in appearance to daisies, cosmos have flat, round flowers with airy petals. Thin green leaves and stalks make cosmos seem like wildflowers blowing gently in the breeze. These summer annuals attract hummingbirds to the garden, making them an excellent choice for people who enjoy early-morning bird watching on the patio. To enjoy them all summer, buy flowering plants from your local nursery.
7. Angelonia
Also called summer snapdragon, angelonia has tall vertical stalks that hold dozens of tiny purple flowers. Whether you plant them in window boxes or in the corner of the garden, these annual perennials are sure to become one of your favorites.
8. Petunias
Purple, red, white, and yellow petunias have trumpet-shaped blooms that are wide and noticeable. They commonly appear in gardening publications with their velvety flowers lightly sprinkled with morning dew. They add excitement to exterior décor, often planted in hanging baskets or elegant patio containers.
9. Geraniums
Though technically perennials, geraniums are usually grown as annuals since they don’t survive cold winters. What makes geraniums popular with gardeners isn’t just their beautiful red and pink blooms but also the incredible fragrance they produce. As long as your soil has good drainage, keeping geraniums alive all summer is a breeze.
If you want to make your garden truly special, don’t forget to stop by your local nursery for inspiration. Each year brings new summer annuals. If something catches your eye, add it to your garden.
What Do Summer Annuals Need to Bloom?
The list of needs of annuals is short and sweet. To stay happy and healthy, these warm-weather flowers want:
- Abundant sunlight
- Lots of nutrients
- Plenty of moisture
- Good soil drainage
You can cover most of these essentials by mixing good-quality soil with Harvest Gold Organics® Premium Soil Additive.
Harvest Gold Organics® is easy to use for any kind of planting medium. If you want to enjoy warm-season annuals in a hanging basket or pot, mix HGO with organic potting soil at a ratio of one-part product to nine parts soil. Make sure containers have a tray underneath to allow for adequate drainage.
For landscaping or a raised garden, calculate two bags of Harvest Gold Organics® for every six square feet (one foot deep) of soil. Mix HGO Premium Soil Additive thoroughly with the soil and water before planting.
The silica and minerals in Harvest Gold Organics® provide essential nutrients that encourage annuals to bloom all season. At the same time, this mixture offers better drainage, so you can give annuals enough water without worrying about drowning them.
Helpful Tips for Planting Warm Season Annuals
These flowers are almost universally easy to work with. Still, for the best results, it’s helpful to follow a few important tips for annuals:
- Plant on a cloudy day or in the evening
- Choose small nursery plants with healthy leaves
- Gently squeeze containers to remove annuals instead of pulling
- Leave eight to 12 inches of space between plants for a flower bed
- Water annuals immediately after planting
- Cover soil with mulch for extra nutrients and moisture
- Add plant food about halfway through the season
Many annuals benefit from deadheading. This is when you snip spent blooms to make room for new flowers. Not only does this make your garden look more beautiful, but it also helps the plants make excellent use of nutrients in the soil.
Don’t miss this opportunity to add the beauty of annuals to your home or garden! Entertain guests in a colorful backyard or enhance the curbside appeal of your front walkway. Relax in gorgeous surroundings every morning, afternoon, or evening all summer. Use Harvest Gold Organics® to make warm-season annuals shine.
