Colorful blooms to conquer the summer heat
Gardeners love to see color in their gardens. An easy way to achieve color quickly is using flowering annuals. We have two distinct seasons for annuals — one for heat-loving summer color and one for cool-season blooms. April is when to plant summer color, and choosing plants that can endure the heat will ensure nonstop blooms all summer long.
When choosing annuals, consider the planting site. Do you have full sun or heavy shade? Is the soil decent or poor and rocky? Will plants grow in containers or in the ground? Do you have water nearby? How much space do you have to fill?
Next comes color — bright, bold colors or softer pastels? Seasonal color has to be replaced twice a year, so don’t plant only summer annuals. Concentrate your color in high visibility areas instead
of diluting it by scattering plants throughout the landscape.
| Annuals | Characteristics | Varieties |
|---|---|---|
| Angelonias | Full sun is best. Spikes of blooms in shades of pink, purple, white and red. | Angel Mist is a compact-spreading variety that grows no taller than 8-10 inches. Archangel and Serena varieties can grow up to 20 inches. |
| Begonias | Wide range of varieties. Some do best in full sun, while others do best in the shade. Red, pink and white flowers are most common, but there are some orange and yellow varieties. | Dragonwing grows best with morning sun and afternoon shade. Wax leaf begonias will grow in sun or shade. Pink, red or white blooms. Babywing is a more compact plant, while Big and Whopper are large varieties. |
| Caladiums | Caladiums are grown for their showy foliage. While there are varieties for sun and shade, they add a lot of color in shady areas. Foliage color can range from white to red, pink or silver with a variety of patterns. | These can be planted as dried bulbs or bought as plants. Some popular varieties include White Christmas, Pink Beauty, Tapestry and Wildfire. |
| Coleus | Many varieties to choose from, with excellent choices for sun and shade. Wide range of leaf sizes, shapes and colors. | Flame Thrower series, Wasabi, Redhead, Inferno and Lava Rose are popular choices. |
| Cupheas | Heat- and sun-loving plants that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Tall tubular flowers in shades of red and orange that bloom nonstop. Several varieties to choose from. | Honeybells is more cascading. Vermillionaire is taller and more upright. Sweet Talk and Sriracha series have larger blooms. Bat-Faced has interesting flowers. |
| Impatiens | Wide range of varieties and colors. Popular and prolific bloomer with flat, five-petaled flowers in red, pink, white, purple and orange. | Common impatiens do best in shade. Sunpatiens will tolerate full sun, while New Guinea hybrids fall in the middle, which tolerate more light but need afternoon sun protection. |
| Lantanas | Heat- and sun-loving plants. Lovely blooms are made up of a cluster of small flowers, with solid colors or mixed colors per flower. Compact, tall and spreading varieties exist. Rabbit- and deer-resistant. | Bandana and Luscious series grow up to 20 inches tall and up to 16 inches across. The Lucky series is a bit smaller, while the varieties New Gold and Passionfruit spread up to 24 inches while only growing 12 inches tall. |
| Pentas | Heat- and sun-loving plants and a hummingbird favorite. Clusters of small star-shaped blooms in shades of red, pink and white bloom all summer long. | Graffiti and Lucky Star series are a bit more compact. |
| Vincas | Heat- and sun-loving plants. Nonstop bloomer in shades of pink, red, purple and white. | Cora and Titanium series are disease-resistant. They grow 12-14 inches tall with a 10-12 inch spread. Tattoo series has some interesting color combinations. |
| Zinnias | Several new series give a wide range of colors and most are disease-resistant. Full sun is best. | Zahara series has some unique colors. Profusion series has been around longer and is a good performer. |