An annual is a plant that grows, flowers, seeds, and dies in one growing season. Choose annuals that will be easy to take care of and enhance your yard with great color combinations.
Avoid the temptation to go to the nurseries without a plan. Everything looks beautiful and the temptation to overbuy will be strong. Draw up your plan, or list of plants needed by taking a tour of your yard to identify spots that could be filled with an annual. Note each spots' size, drainage, sunlight, and height requirements.
Annuals are often sold in flats. Buyers should be aware that often an entire flat of flowers can fill a large space. Make sure the annuals in which you are interested look healthy and strong to increase the odds that they can survive and thrive in your landscape. Choose plants from a reputable retailer such as a nursery, garden center, or greenhouse so you can tap experts for advice on what not to buy and to recommend nice groupings.
If planning to buy annuals to make a grouping of plants, make sure the plants have similar water and light needs. Choosing plants with alternating blooming times can ensure you have blooms all summer long. Finally, follow either a cool palette or a warm palette. A cool palette groups flowers of the same or similar colors together such as all blue flowers or all purple and blue flowers. A warm palette can jazz up a garden with contrasting colors such as orange and yellow or follow a monochromatic scheme of all of one color, for example, all yellow flowers.
