Annuals can fill the open spaces around shrubs and perennials with flowers for a growing season. They also work well in pots when you want color that can move around the yard. Choose plants for the light in the spot, and check how big they are expected to become before you bring them home.
What should you look for at the garden center?
Annuals often come in small multipacks and four-inch pots. Start with healthy-looking plants that have been watered well, rather than choosing by flowers alone. A small plant can grow substantially during warm weather. Read the label for its mature size and leave enough space so neighboring plants are not crowded as they fill out. If you are still deciding how annuals fit alongside returning plants, read beginning perennials.
Prepare a bed or a pot for the roots
In the ground, annuals benefit from loose soil where their roots can establish. Take a look at the soil before planting rather than trying to make up for a poor planting spot with extra fertilizer later. Our soil basics post covers that starting point.
For containers, use a mix intended for pots. Garden soil or topsoil can pack down and hold too much water in a container. A potting mix gives roots a lighter growing medium. Pots dry out differently from garden beds, so feel the mix and water according to what you find. Container basics has more on planting and caring for pots.
Keep color going through the season
Check annuals regularly as they grow. They may need additional feeding during a long flowering season, especially in containers, but follow the product directions and the plant’s needs rather than applying fertilizer on a fixed schedule. Liquid feed is one option, not a requirement for every plant. If a planting becomes tired during the hottest part of the season, you can replace it with something better suited to the remaining weather. Leave enough room for the new plants to grow, too.
