12 Annual Flowers That Bloom All Summer Long

It ’s such a delight to see a garden bursting with color from early summertime right through to the first clue of frost ! one-year bloom that keep redact on a show all season not only add round-the-clock visual magic , they also nurture good insects , provide forage and nesting spots , and make full in gap when perennials take a breather . By choosing varieties known for their heat tolerance , deadheading spend blooms , and giving them the right tutelage , you ’ll create a tapis of color that hums with pollinator activity from June until September — and sometimes beyond !

I know how disappointing it can be when mid - summer arrives and your once - vibrant flower start to slice — that ’s why I ’m thrilled to share 12 of my very favorite annual that really go the distance . Each one is easy to raise from seed or commencement , non - encroaching in most abode gardens , and rewards you with weeks of blooms , wildlife visits , and innumerable “ wow ! ” minute . get ’s dive in and explore these summer whizz !

Marigold

Tagetes spp . , native to the Americas , includes both heavyset French marigolds and taller African miscellany . They ’re well - behaved in the garden — occasional volunteers belt down up if you let seedheads dry out , but they do n’t take over . Their sunny pom - pom and daisy - alike flowers light up borders and containers from June through frost .

Marigolds also bid organic pestilence mastery : their root exudates suppress sealed nematodes , make them perfect companions for tomatoes and peppers ! The bright salad days attract hoverflies , ladybugs , and solitary bee , and their dense leafage provides tax shelter for predatory insects on pest patrol . It ’s such a winnings - winnings to tuck them among veggies and ornamentals alike !

Impatiens

Impatiens walleriana , hail from East Africa , is the go - to for shady spots where many annuals sulk . Non - invading in temperate zone , they ’ll restfully reseed in modest climates but stay contained otherwise . Their cheerful reddened , pinkish , snowy , and bicolor blooms extend the plants nonstop when you keep them evenly moist and twinge out a few seed pods .

Those clustered peak serve as miniature landing pad for midget bee and syrphid fly try nectar in dim turning point — one of the sweet garden surprises ! Plus , impatiens foliage provide coolheaded , damp resting post where lacewings and spiders hide , helping to keep aphid in check . I make out pairing them with ferns and genus Hosta for a tropical shadiness vignette .

Cosmos

Cosmos bipinnatus , originally from Mexico and Central America , offers feathery foliation and daisy - like blooms in shades of pink , white-hot , and deep ascend . It ’s not invasive in most regions but Tennessean can arise ; merely pull unwanted seedling or transplant them elsewhere . Cosmos thrives in lean ground and full sun — too much fertility and you ’ll get lush leaves at the expense of flower .

Its open - faced rosiness attract an army of beneficials : hoverflies , lacewing fly , ladybeetle , and even predatory white Anglo-Saxon Protestant all drop by to hunt aphids ! I leave a few cosmea at the back of my boundary line to create a mini insectary — watching those fragile petals sway and protection insects make me feel like I ’ve built a tiny wildlife refuge in my one thousand .

Nicotiana (Flowering Tobacco)

Nicotiana alata , aboriginal to South America , fills eve gardens with elegant , fragrant tubelike heyday that open as dusk fall . Though it can ego - seed in modest climates , most gardeners wo n’t face invasiveness issues . Plant in enriched grunge with part specter , and you ’ll revel its perfumed blooms from midsummer until frost .

While nocturnal moth flock to those evening bouquet , daytime bees — include tiny sweat bees — explore the tubes for nectar . I ’ve watch them crawl right inside the flowers , turn each blossom into a bustling micro - world ! unconstipated removal of drop blossom prevents seeding and encourages brisk flower yield every calendar week or two .

Verbena

Verbena hybrida , a South American native , forms low , sprawling mats of morose - green foliage topped with clusters of midget flowers in purple , pinkish , ruddy , or lily-white . It ’s well - mannered in temperate gardens — self - seeding gently at most . Shearing off spent clusters keeps the bloom coming , effectively rug - bombardment your garden with uninterrupted color .

Beyond look , verbena ’s dull groundcover inhibit weeds and create humid microclimates where good louse like parasitical wasps and ladybeetle expand . The straight - top flush clusters also serve as commodious landing platforms for larger butterflies . Every time I pass my verbena patch , a new butterfly stroke or loveable hoverfly awaits !

Celosia (Cockscomb)

Celosia cristata , aboriginal to tropical Africa and Asia , dazzles with velvety crown or feathery plumes in fiery reds , oranges , and yellows . Not incursive , but vigorous — deadhead to forestall unpaid worker if you ’d like stricter control . These sculpturesque blooms thrive in heating and sunshine , standing marvellous from June until frost .

Their plumes also attract small bee and butterflies , and I ’ve even spot hummingbird moths sampling their ambrosia on warm afternoons ! The compact etymon zona at a lower place can domiciliate land - nesting bee , which appreciate the warm , bare territory . A bit of compost and reproducible watering during teetotal spells hold on those flower capitulum unsloped and spectacular .

Zinnia

Zinnia elegans , originating in Mexico , is beloved for its vast people of colour pallet and foresighted bloom time . It wo n’t escape cultivation , though volunteer appear if you grant seedheads to mature — deadheading focuses the plant on fresh flowers ! Zinnias favour rich , well - drained land and full Lord’s Day , reward you with endless daisies , pompoms , and cactus - form bloom of youth .

They ’re great power - house for pollinators : monarchs , swallowtails , and tiny native bee all pile to their nectar . I ca n’t help but grin when I see hummingbird darting through a old maid spell . Their stalwart stems also make mythic track flowers , so you may fetch a routine of the garden ’s sunshine indoors .

Lantana

Lantana camara , aboriginal to tropical America and Southeast Asia , can be invasive in frost - free zones ; however , one-year cultivars remain contained in most rest home gardens . The clustered efflorescence agitate color as they age — often from golden yellowness to cryptic pink — creating a living rainbow that blooms continuously without much fuss .

Those vivacious clusters are butterfly magnets — painted ladies , monarchs , and swallowtails all flock to the nectar - rich florets ! I ’ve also seen mason bees nestle in nearby crevices , call for advantage of the docile shelter provided by the common lantana foliage . It ’s like have a butterfly conservatory right on your terrace .

Petunia

Petunia hybrida , from South America , has been hybridized into everything from trailing basket drippers to upright bedding heroes . Not encroaching , though sowing seedheads farm volunteers the next season . Their trumpet - shape blooms open in countless hues — and many release a sweet bouquet at nighttime !

Petunias draw hummingbird , bumblebees , and even nocturnal moths — one of my favored summertime memories is sipping iced tea at evenfall and inhale those fragrant blossoms ! Small mining bees also nest in the warm territory around the containers . A light feeding every few weeks and regular deadheading ensures bloom after bloom .

Cleome (Spider Flower)

Cleome hassleriana , native to South America , produce tall , ethereal spires adorned with bewhiskered stamens — like some fantastical wanderer couture ! It ’s not invading in most domain , though self - seeders can appear ; deadhead to keep it kempt . Full sunlight and lean grunge are all it asks , and those four- to five - base spikes bloom continuously from midsummer until frost .

The elongate efflorescence are irresistible to hummingbirds , butterflies , and bumblebees , which hover and dart among the petals ! I bonk watch ruby - throated hummingbirds operate their direction up each husk , hesitate at every flush . genus Cleome transforms any delimitation into a dramatic , wildlife - rich spectacle .

Salvia (Annual Salvia)

Salvia splendens , screw as blood-red salvia , hail from Brazil and boom in heat and humidity without running wild . Its just spike of tubular red , purple , or aristocratical flowers flower nonstop from June until Robert Lee Frost . I ’ve seen full hummingbird populations descend on a undivided salvias planting — those blooms are a true nectar main road !

These sage also host nesting carpenter bee and other solitary bee that cut up tunnels in nearby forest or ground . Watching those bee emerge and forage along the heyday spikes is a daily reminder of why I garden — to foster these wonderful interaction ! Pinch back spent tip after the first flush for riotous side - shoot flush .

Portulaca (Moss Rose)

Portulaca grandiflora , aboriginal to South America , thrives in hot , dry conditions where other annuals might wilt . Its succulent leaves store body of water , and the rose wine - like blooms open in blazing sun and close on nebulose 24-hour interval — a casual surprise of color ! It ego - seeds only sparingly , so it ’s well - behave in beds and container .

The lusterlessness - form habit creates living mulch that suppresses weed , and those vivacious blooms are magnet for aboriginal bee and small butterflies seeking nectar . I often spot little swither bees nest in simple stain nearby , necessitate vantage of the shelter under the foliage . I pinch spend flowers sometimes , but I also bang the dried - bloom pursuit they cater !