17 Summer-Loving Annual Plants For A New Garden Every Year

Summer isn't that summery at all when you don't have annual plants in your garden that signal that the cold days are over. You can depend upon these annual flowering plants and foliage to give your garden a statement that's new every year.

In this article, I'm going to feature annual flowers and foliage for a summer garden you can be proud of.

RELATED: 15 Summer-Loving Annual Plants For A New Garden Every Year

Annual Plants For Your Flower Garden To Grow This Summer

1. Celosia

@liejay0 ♬ Surrender – Natalie Taylor

Celosias are known for their flower heads that look like flames. These edible ornamental flowers are easy to grow. You can save the seeds of these edible ornamental flowers, and you can just drop them anywhere and grow more plants.

2. Cleome

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Commonly known as spider flower, this plant grows best at the back of a flower garden. Or plant them in the middle of a round flower garden design. The fragrant white, pink, or lilac flowers attract beneficial insects like bees and butterflies, while at the same time, deter some of the harmful ones.

3. Coleus

@jaciracamposribeiro ♬ som original – jaciracamposribeiro

Aside from flowers, colorful foliage is a great addition to your summer garden. Coleus is the best when it comes to bright and interesting foliage. They grow well in sunny locations, except during hot afternoons. For a knock-out effect, choose a solid-colored coleus variety!

4. Cornflower

This annual flowering plant is famous for its vivid blue color – a color not commonly found in nature. Aside from the beautiful blooms that go well with all types of gardens, cornflowers are edible and taste like cucumber.

5. Cosmos

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If you want to save on water and compost, cosmos flower is one annual plant that's best for your flower garden. In fact, if you grow them in healthy soil, they won't give off nice flowers. So let them be and let them grow even in poor soil and enjoy blossoms without the fuss.

6. Dusty Miller

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The silver foliage goes well with any other plants in your garden. The leaves are covered with tiny hairs that make dusty miller resistant to drought. More interestingly, the silver leaves glow in the moonlight

7. Laurentia

With its purple color and interesting petal shapes, laurentia could easily be the star of your summer garden. As they are intended to be, these annuals can tolerate the drought and bloom as if it were springtime even in the warmth of summer.

RELATED: 15 Summer Flowers To Plant Now For A Blooming Garden

8. Marigold

@amuthakannan2 ♬ Alaipayudhe – priyadarsh.ly

It's a good thing marigolds are annuals that love the sun because they are good at repelling insects. Since summer is the prime time for growing a lot of vegetables, marigold flowers make a good companion plant for a lot of vegetable plants. And that's aside from the fact that they're very pretty.

9. New Guinea Impatiens

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Different from most impatiens varieties, this one is true to its annual roots and thrives in sunny spots. The choices for color is as varied as the rainbow, that's why it's a favorite among long-time gardeners.

10. Ornamental Pepper

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Although safe to eat, these ornamental plants are grown mainly for their beautiful foliage. These fast-growing pepper fruits come in shades of red, purple, yellow, orange, black or white.

11. Oxalis

@bethplants ♬ Moon Begins – Florist

Although they are mainly grown for their interesting shamrock-like foliage, their tiny attractive flowers are a bonus. They make good plants for containers because they have spreading foliage. Just beware, the leaves are poisonous to pets.

12. Pansy

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It's got a yellow, pink, red, white, and blue variety that will definitely have you growing a rainbow in your garden. Because of their tiny size, pansies will be good ground covers. If you're going to plant this as a border, make sure that it's planted in the front.

13. Petunia

One thing about petunias is that they are prolific bloomers. Make a lovely hanging garden with these brightly colored annual flowers. You can also grow them in windowsills, in pots, or simply as ground covers and borders, preferring the front row.

14. Purslane

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Often treated as a garden weed, purslane is actually an edible plant eaten raw in salads or mixed with soups. Decorate a colorful garden with its variety of colors and flowers that resembles the dainty buttercups. They're very easy to grow and can tolerate the drought.

15. Wax Begonia

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These annuals that make a wonderful bedding plant are also called semperflorens or fibrous begonias. They also give off excellent flowers in the summer but they will require partial shade to grow.

16. Wishbone Flower

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These annual flowers are thus named for its interesting flower shape. They are best grown in containers as they need a bit of extra watering to flourish.

17. Zinnia

@ggthegardengirl ♬ original sound – ggthegardengirl

Zinnia grows best in the sun and displays bright blooms in the fullness of summer. They are easy to grow from the seeds that you can simply scatter them on a well-draining soil.

Invite helpful butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds over to your garden with this flower that simply shouts, “you're welcome!”.

Watch this video from Van Meuwen on how to grow annual plants as flower garden borders:

Summer season is best spent outdoors! And as green thumbs, you would want an ever beautiful and interesting garden. To break off from the monotony and for a perfect summer ambiance, grow annual ornamentals in your garden you can rearrange every year.

Did we miss your favorite summer annual plant? Let us know in the comments section below.

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