Annuals

Color of the season

Home » Plants » Annuals

Annuals

Seasonal Blooms and Foliage!

Annual flowers are beautiful, low-maintenance flowering plants that can be used in spring or summer flower beds, or in colorful containers around your patio or porch. Annual flowers are also great for homeowners who want to add seasonal color to their living spaces without the work of caring for perennial plants.

With summer coming to a close and fall just around the corner, it’s time to plant fall time annuals. Exciting arrivals include dianthus, marigolds, petunias, snapdragons, zinnias, and so much more. Enjoy them in both in-ground and in containers!

Easy Wave® Violet Petunia | Petunia 'Easy Wave Violet'

Snapdragons

A Cottage Garden Staple!

A cut-flower garden favorite amongst gardeners are snapdragons! These annual flowers come in a vast array of colors and sizes. Some of our favorites include the ‘sonnet’ and ‘snaptinis’ as well as the showstopping ‘rocket’ snapdragons if you are needing some height in your flowerbeds!

Ornamental Peppers

A Splash of Fall Color!

A popular seasonal favorite that is a must-have for your fall container gardens and flower beds are ornamental peppers. These tender perennials are often grown as annuals here, if not protected from freezing temperatures. They are available in a wide range of pepper colors from shades of green, yellow, red, orange, and purple.

These peppers are technically edible but are often heavily spicy with little to no flavor. We recommend pairing them with marigolds, zinnias, snapdragons, and crotons to complete the fall look! If you are looking to add texture and color to your garden in a unique way, go with ornamental peppers.

Hollyhocks

Create a Backdrop of Stunning Blooms!

When you think of annual flowers that can grow in Texas, gardeners often forget about Hollyhocks (Alcea rosea). Hollyhocks are a member of the mallow family, alongside hibiscus, Texas Rose, and Altheas. These tall annual flowers do best in the ground or in a raised bed due to their size.

Important things to keep in mind when growing Hollyhocks, is that they are heavy feeders and require frequent watering. They appreciate moist soil, not soggy soil. Also, Hollyhocks are a biennial bloomer, this means that they may or may not bloom the first year of growing. Plant in an area that receives at least 6-8hrs of sunlight.

Edible Blooms

Create a Backdrop of Stunning Blooms!

Fall veggies aren’t the only thing in the garden you can eat! Some of our favorite annual edible blooms are Nasturtium, Pansies, Violas, Stock, Alyssum, Calendula, and Marigolds!

While these blooms may not be a meal in itself, they are great garnishes to salads, cocktails, salad dressing, and baked goods! Adding a seasonal bloom to your fall dishes will make your guests swoon over this curated touch. You can find many recipes and videos now of people incorporating and arranging these blooms on focaccia, sourdough breads, and cookies.

Coleus

Foliage Can Provide Color Too!

Coleus is a tried and true annual that thrives in the Houston climate. They can be planted in both containers and in flowerbeds, some varieties are bred to tolerate more sunlight than others. Majority of coleuses will do best in shade to part sun.

Coleus is relatively low maintenance and will sometimes even survive for a few years depending on our winters. They are also easily propagated by stem cuttings and can be propagated in water or dabbed in rooting hormone and planted in rich moist soil. So, if you have a plant that needs a little trim in a bed you can snip and plant in another area of your garden. Their colorful foliage can also make a stunning addition to any floral arrangement.