Annual Flowers

Flowering annual plants have a life cycle that lasts only one growing season.

In Florida, we can have flowers twelve months of the year, and annuals are an easy way to add color to the landscape. In beds and as borders they provide bright accents. In containers they add a splash of color to a deck, porch, or patio.

Annuals are typically split into two categories—warm season and cool season.

For beds or borders, limit your selection to as few kinds as possible to prevent visual confusion. Prepare your flower beds before purchasing plants and water your new plants before and after planting.

Keep in mind that annuals require some maintenance such as weeding and removing spent flowers (also called "deadheading"), and applications of water and fertilizer.

UF/IFAS Sites

• Florida Gardening Calendar

UF/IFAS Publications

• Add a Colorful Splash to the Landscape with Annual Flowers (PDF)
• Annuals for Florida, A-Z Index
• Enjoying Nature's Second Bloom (PDF)
• Gardening with Annuals in Florida

Also on Gardening in a Minute

• Begonias
• California Poppy
• Cleome
• Geraniums
• How to Make an Annual Bed
• Impatiens
• Lisianthus
• Marigolds
• Pansies
• Snapdragons
• Summer Bedding Plants
• Torenia
• Winter Annuals
• Zinias

Other Sites

• Annuals Add Color, Fragrance to Fall Landscape--Alabama Cooperative Extension Service
• Annuals: Culture and Maintenance--Virginia Cooperative Extension
• Flowering Annuals for Georgia Gardens--University of Georgia Cooperative Extension
• Growing Annuals--Clemson (SC) Extension
• Three Easy, Heat-Resistant Flowering Annuals for Your Cut Flower Garden--Miami Examiner.com