Flowering Annuals That Can Grow in Full Sun
Below you will find a list of flowering annuals from our plant database that can grow in full sun. If you click on any of the photos, you will see a Virtual Plant Tag that may contain plant descriptions, usage suggestions and a link to where you can buy that plant.
Uses for these annuals that flower vary by variety, and may also thrive in partial shade, partial sun or even full shade. Flowering bedding plants that flourish in sunny areas may do equally well in wet soil, average moisture or dry conditions.
Some of the blooming annuals for sunny climates are native plants which frequently helps the plants be more insect resistant, have more natural disease resistance, heat tolerant and salt tolerance. Several wonderful native annuals that do really well in full sun are American Basket Flower or Cornflower (Centaurea americana); American Marigold (Tagetes erecta); Annual Coreopsis or Tickseed (Coreopsis tinctoria); Black-eyed Susan; Golden Fleece (Thymophylla or Dyssodia tenuiloba); Satin Flower or Godetia (Clarkia amoena); Sunflowers; Texas Sage (Salvia greggii); and Youth and Old Age or Zinnias.
Recommendations for enjoying annuals that grow in full sun would be incomplete without including Angelonia or Summer Snapdragon, Bedding Salvia or Sage, Calibrachoa or Trailing Petunia, Candytuft, Canna Lily, Cape Daisy, Flossflower, Hibiscus, Lantana, Marguerite Daisy, Mexican Heather, Moss Rose, Nasturtium, Nemesia or Paintbox, New Guinea Impatiens, Pansy, Periwinkle or Vinca, Petunias, Phlox, Pinks, Marigolds, Scarlet Sage, Snapdragons, Spider Flower or Cleome, Stock, Strawflower, Sweet Alyssum, Sweet William, Treasure Flower, Tuberous Begonias, Twinspur, Verbenas, Wax Begonias, Wishbone Flower and Zonal Geraniums.
With so many wonderful plants to choose from for the sun garden, thinking about what goes together is a great place to start. Monochromatic color schemes combine the same color groups but uses different types of plants, with their different heights and foliage textures. An example would be to use a tall, red Geranium along with red Snapdragons for their delicate leaves, and red Moss Rose to cascade. Lighten the planting or mixed container with a soft spray of Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost' and you have created an arrangement in minutes that will last all season. Many garden centers have 'recipes' for other combinations which include contrasting, complementary or harmony.
As you look at the thumbnail images of the bedding plants for sunny locations, you will see that many of these flowers attract butterflies and birds, particularly hummingbirds, to your home garden.