Top 28 Annual Flowering Plants To Grow for a Year-Round Colorful Garden

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There are plenty of great reasons to grow annual flowers. Sure, they don’t last forever—but isn’t that true of most beautiful things? 

Annuals offer gorgeous, prolific blooms that will add a pop of color in your garden where you least expect it. With so many annual flowers to choose from, though, it can be tough to know which way to go!

Here are some of the best options you can grow so you always have many flowers that bloom all year in your garden.

#1. Angelonia

This gorgeous, drought-tolerant flower is the perfect annual for a gardener in the south. In a warm environment and in full sunlight, it will produce blooms from summer until fall. 

#2. Vinca

The vinca flower is also referred to as Madagascar periwinkle. This flower blooms nonstop during the summer and is known for its gorgeous blue hues. It grows best in zones four through nine.

#3. Begonia

The begonia plant can be grown just about anywhere. It requires minimal maintenance (zero pruning or deadheading—perfect!). Choose to grow this beautiful annual in a container, and you can move it inside and reuse the tubers the next year. 

#4. Celosia

Celosia produces gorgeous flowers in all kinds of colors and shapes, including pink, orange, red, yellow, fans, plumes, and brains. They grow fast and bloom mostly in the summer. 

#5. Zinnia

Zinnias can be found in all kinds of colors, including red, pink, orange, yellow, and white. These flowers look a lot like dahlias and are best grown in planters or containers.

#6. Chrysanthemum

The chrysanthemum is a must-have plant that can be grown from seed starting in the spring. It blooms in late summer to early fall and can be found at just about any nursery.

#7. Cosmos

The cosmos is an adorable, pint-sized flower that blooms more and grows taller the more often you cut it. It produces lovely flowers in shades of white, purple, and pink.

#8. Cornflower

Not to be confused with the perennial coneflower, cornflowers grow best in zones 2 through 11, particularly in full sun and well-draining soil. These flowers bloom best in the summer months.

#9. Dahlias

Dahlias are gorgeous lowers with honeycomb shapes that look beautiful in any garden. They are easy to care for, and actually, if you are careful about digging up the tubers every year, you can grow these plants and perennials, too.

#10. Nasturtium

The nasturtium is an easy to grow flower that comes in all the best and brightest fall colors. It can produce blooms from spring until autumn and is known for its utility in the vegetable garden (it repels a ton of common garden pests!).

#11. Geraniums

Geraniums are easy to grow and will flourish for several months as long as you grow them in full sun or partial shade.

#12. Calendula

The calendula is another gorgeous flower that grows well in full sun to partial shade. It is best grown in well-draining soil, ideally in zones 9 through 11. You can harvest this flower for its beauty alone, or use its petals to make essential oils for your skin.

#13. Stock

The flowering stock has a clove-like aroma that makes it perfect for bouquets or lining walkways in your garden. These blooms come in all colors and grow best in full sun.

#14. Impatiens

Impatiens are tiny flowers with delicate petals, perfect for dark areas of your yard. These flowers can be planted in a shady location for gorgeous blooms all summer long.

#15. Primrose

There are several varieties of primrose for you to choose from, with English primrose being one of the most popular choices. It has a ton of bright colors that can brighten up your garden or your home. It blooms best in the winter.

#16. Larkspur

Larkspur is shockingly easy to care for in a colder climate. You can grow these plants in the fall and their seeds will overwinter. They’ll produce beautiful blue flowers before dying back in the spring.

#17. Sweet Pea

Another flower that you can grow as an annual is the sweet pea. Known for its delicate, plying aroma, this flower can produce vines that climb as tall as ten feet. There are dwarf varieties available, too, though, if vines are too much for you to handle.

#18. Marigold

Marigolds give you a lot of bang for your buck, pushing out gorgeous yellow and orange flowers every summer. Those flowers tend to last long into the autumn months, too and are known to attract pollinators and repel pests.

#19. African Daisy

Most daisies are perennial, but that’s not the case with the African daisy. This flower can bloom a long time, though, and will add a lovely pop of color to your garden.

#20. Pansies

The humble pansy is an easy flower to grow if you want a frost-resistant bloom. Pansies can be found in just about any color and are the best choice for an early spring garden.

#21. Sweet Alyssum

Sometimes referred to as an herb, the Sweet Alyssum flower has a light fragrance and grows well in both full sun and partial shade. It only reaches a few inches tall, so you don’t have to worry about it taking over.

#22. Petunias

Petunias are also fuss-free, growing well in the spring, summer, and fall. These flowers are usually grown in hanging baskets, but you can grow them in containers, garden beds, and other locations, too.

#23. Dianthus

Fragrant blooms with gorgeous, rich green foliage, dianthus flowers are often referred to as pinks. They can also be found in shades of purple and white, though!

#24. Pentas

This flower is quite similar to the angelonia in that it loves being grown in hot, sunny weather. It produces gorgeous blooms with clusters of lavender, white, pink, or red flowers all summer long. The flowers can attract pollinators, too.

#25. Ranunculus

This flower offers fragrant blooms first thing in the spring as long as you plant in the fall. With colors in shades of pink, yellow, red, orange, and white, you’ll love growing these annuals and using the blooms in your favorite floral arrangements.

#26. Calibrachoas

Sometimes referred to as Million Bells, these flowers look a lot like small petunias. They are hardy only in zones 9 to 11, often grown as annuals in hanging baskets and containers. They prefer being grown in full sun but can also tolerate light shade. 

#27. Snapdragons

The towering snapdragon can add some serious height, dimension, and color to your flower garden. It’s easy to grow and does well in full sunlight.

#28. Sunflower

You can grow sunflowers that are the traditional golden color, but you’ll also find flowers in shades of white, pink, orange, and red. They can grow several feet high—taller than you, in many cases!—and establish themselves rapidly, even in poor soil.

We hope you enjoy reading our list of annual flowers. Don’t forget to plant some of these lovely plants in your garden.

See more: The Difference Between Perennial and Annual Flowers

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