An annual is a plant that completes its lifecycle within one year and does not live through the winter. Many annuals do quite well in, and in fact require, lots of sunshine.
Make sure to read seed packets and tags that come with plants to learn about the requirements of particular annuals. It may also be helpful to talk to the experts at Pasquesi Home and Gardens about your yard and what may grow best, depending on how much sun you have.
A very sunny yard has lots of options for annuals to plant. Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) and petunia are bright, easy annuals that do beautifully in full sun and can usually thrive in moderate soil. Rose Vinca (Catharanthus roseus) is a lovely annual groundcover that tolerates full sun and heat and looks lovely either in soil or spilling over containers. Marigolds (Tagets sp.) are a full-sun annual that bloom in lovely shades of yellow to orange to red. They naturally have a pungent smell, which can make them useful for keeping insects and animals away. However, many varieties have had the scent bred out of them so the gardener has a choice.
For continuous blossoms, throughout the summer, try planting annual baby’s breath (Gypsophilia elegans)! This lovely, hardy annual will produce dainty white flowers for up to two months but can be continually reseeded, to have a steady supply. Seeds can be planted every two to three weeks throughout the spring and early summer and works well to fill in bare patches and liven up any border. The many varieties of sunflower (Helianthus sp.) are worth mentioning, not only for their ability to thrive in full sun. You can get a large selection of colors, just from this plant! Some varieties have fiery, striped petals (like the aptly-named ring-of-fire), while others range from light yellow to deep red. Mix them together, in a sunny spot, to create a bright show that is difficult to ignore. Not all sunflowers grow to seven feet tall: try the dwarf variety ‘Sunspot’ for a smaller plant with a showy bloom.
There are many sun-loving annuals to choose from to populate your yard with a variety of delightful shapes and colors and blooms that last all season long.
