Make Your Garden Pop With Eye-Catching Annual Flowers and Plants

These fun, pretty little flowers are easily one of the easiest annuals to grow. Simply plant the seeds and water, and within a few weeks you’ll have a bounty. They don’t need much in the way of care—though they don’t transplant well, so be sure to grow them from seed.

Sun Exposure: full sun to part shade
Blooming Period: summer/fall
Helpful Information: They’re edible! Growing from seed is recommended.

Learn more about how to grow nasturtium.

Another gorgeous edible flower, these annuals look beautiful by a garden gate, or along a path, by themselves or among wildflowers. They’re annuals, but they will also self-sow. They bloom best in the spring and fall for a month or so at a time.

Sun Exposure: full sun
Blooming Period: spring/fall

Read more: 15 Pretty Edible Flowers for Decorating Your Dinner Plate

These lovely annual wildflowers almost look like they’re made of crepe paper. There available in plenty of colors, but of course that cornflower blue is the most striking. Deadheading the spent flowers will keep them blooming!

Sun Exposure: full sun
Blooming Period: Early to mid summer

Should You Deadhead Your Flowers? How to Do It and Why

The paper-thin petals, setting on top of tall stems, make poppy flowers hard to mistake for anything else. You can find them in all sorts of colors, not just that traditional red. Grow them from seed—you can practically sprinkle them on the ground. Though technically they’re short-lived perennials, they’re mostly grown as annuals.

Sun Exposure: full sun
Blooming Period: late spring/summer
Helpful Information: seldom severely damaged by deer

Learn more about the symbolism of poppies.

A true annual, zinnias are easy for beginners to grow from seed, and they reseed readily, making them a no-fuss bloomer for lazy gardeners. Plant zinnias in your butterfly garden, and the flowers will likely attract hummingbirds too. Available in an array of forms and vibrant hues, with sizes varying from petite dwarfs to towering stems that benefit from staking, this beloved annual deserves a spot in your cutting garden for flowers all summer long.

Sun Exposure: full sun
Blooming Period: summer/fall
Helpful Information: seldom severely damaged by deer

SHOP ZINNIA SEEDS

You can’t go wrong with these fuss-free flowers for containers, pots, window boxes, hanging baskets, and garden beds. You can find them in pretty pinks, reds, whites, yellows, and purples. The hybrid ‘Supertunia Vista’ is a particular favorite of Melissa Lallo Johnson, a Midwest-based master gardener who shares her expansive garden on Instagram at @fancyflowerfarmer. “It is a superstar that quickly fills in gaps with loads of color,” she says.

Sun Exposure: full sun
Blooming Period: spring/summer/fall

RELATED: 22 Creative DIY Bench Ideas to Add to Your Garden This Year

These dainty flowers, which bloom in shades of white, pink, and red, require very little maintenance and upkeep (no deadheading or pruning required!). When fall arrives, you can move them indoors or dig up their tubers to reuse for the following year.

Sun Exposure: full sun/partial shade/full shade
Blooming Period: summer

These heat- and drought-tolerant flowers are perfect for gardeners down South. Even the hottest, sunniest days won’t ruin these beauties. In warmer regions, they’ll continue to flourish through the fall.

Sun Exposure: full sun
Blooming Period: summer
Helpful Information: deer resistant

These colorful beauties come in a variety of shapes (brains, fans, and plumes) and a range of colors (pink, red, orange, and yellow). Plus, they grow fast and are incredibly easy to care for.

Sun Exposure: full sun
Blooming Period: summer
Helpful Information: seldom severely damaged by deer

These cute and feminine flowers grow taller the more you cut them (and faster, too), meaning you’ll have pretty petals (in shades of pink, white, or purple) in your garden all summer long.

Sun Exposure: full sun
Blooming Period: summer

SHOP COSMOS SEEDS

Dress up your walkway, porch, or front yard with these perky and petite blooms. Once grown or potted, these fuss-free flowers will flourish for months.

Sun Exposure: full sun/partial shade
Blooming Period: spring/summer

These small flowers with soft and delicate petals are ideal for darker areas of your yard that aren’t suitable for plants or flowers that need lots of sun. Plant them in your favorite shady spot, and you’ll have beautiful blooms to enjoy all summer.

Sun Exposure: partial shade/full shade
Blooming Period: summer

RELATED: 10 Plants for the Shady Spots in Your Garden

Looking to get a lot of bang for your buck? These fast-growing, vibrant orange and yellow flowers produce a hardy amount of blooms each summer. You can expect around 15+ flowers per plant.

Sun Exposure: full sun
Blooming Period: summer
Helpful Information: seldom severely damaged by deer

SHOP MARIGOLD SEEDS

Easily add height, dimension, and bold color to your garden with these tall, easy-to-grow flowers.

Sun Exposure: full sun
Blooming Period: summer
Helpful Information: deer resistant

Learn more about how to grow snapdragons.

While you can opt to grow sunflowers in their classic golden hue, you can also find other varieties in shades of red, white, orange, and even pink. These tall flowers can grow several feet high, so you may need to stake them to give them the proper support they need to flourish.

Sun Exposure: full sun
Blooming Period: summer/early fall

These stunning flowers will make your garden beds look oh-so-lush. From honeycomb-like shapes to fluffy peony-esque varieties, there are endless options. They’re incredibly easy to grow as annuals. With proper care, you can dig up and reuse the tubers year after year as perennials.

Sun Exposure: full sun
Blooming Period: late summer/fall

If you’re looking to add some fresh blooms to your fall landscape, chrysanthemums (or simply, mums) are a must-have. Pick them up at your local nursery and add them to planters, or grow them from seeds starting in the spring.

Sun Exposure: full sun
Blooming Period: late summer/fall

If you’re after bold color, frost-resistant pansies are the way to go. You can find them in almost every color of the rainbow (and several multi-color options). And since they can tolerate frost, they’re the perfect bloom for your garden in both the fall and early spring.

Sun Exposure: full sun/partial shade
Blooming Period: spring and fall