With its long tassel-like racemes of crimson flowers in summer and fall, Amaranthus caudatus (Love-Lies-Bleeding) adds drama to the garden. This exotic, upright annual or biennial boasts large ovate light green leaves and everlasting flowers that can be used for fresh or dried arrangements. A striking choice for the back of the border or as a filler, birds also love the seedheads of this architectural feature.

Bursting with vibrant blooms from spring to autumn, Snapdragons are striking bedding plants admired for their prominent, snout-like flowers that sit atop lush green foliage. Emitting a pleasant fragrance, these flowers display a diverse range of captivating hues. As traditional garden favorites, Snapdragons are short-lived perennials that can tolerate brief spells of frost, but they are typically cultivated as annuals. Exceptionally easy to grow, they make superb cut flowers and create a stunning visual impact when planted en masse.

With long-lasting blooms and little maintenance required, Bidens ferulifolia (Apache Beggarticks) is a hardy, evergreen perennial that's often grown as an annual. The plant bears a profusion of sunny, yellow daisies that bloom from early summer through fall (and almost year-round in frost-free areas). The finely dissected dark green leaves provide a lush backdrop for the flowers, which are a valuable source of nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Tolerant of heat, wind, and drought, this fast-growing Southwest U.S. native is a versatile choice for beds, containers, and hanging baskets. Its cascading stems create a stunning display on balconies, terraces, and patios.

Borago officinalis, commonly known as Borage, is one of the easiest and most beautiful annual plants in the garden. This easy-to-grow annual herb boasts striking sky-blue star-shaped flowers and hairy, cucumber-flavored leaves. It attracts pollinators and beneficial insects to the garden, and its flowers can be used as a garnish or infused to make tea. It is a great addition to the herb garden, vegetable garden, or mixed border.

Callistephus chinensis, commonly known as China aster, is an annual flowering plant that is native to China and surrounding regions. It has a bushy habit with green, lance-shaped leaves. The flowers come in a wide variety of colors, including white, pink, purple, blue, and red, and can be single or double. They bloom from early summer to fall and are popular in gardens and as cut flowers. China aster prefers well-drained soil and full sun to partial shade. It is relatively easy to grow from seed and is often used in borders, beds, and containers.

Displaying delightful and abundant flowers for months, Centaurea cyanus, commonly known as Cornflower or Bachelor's Button, is a particularly captivating annual plant. It features typically double, daisy-like flower heads in shades of blue, pink, lavender, white, and maroon. Profusely blooming from late spring to late summer (if deadheaded), these cheerful flowers stand tall on stems adorned with lance-shaped, gray-green leaves. Attracting butterflies, bees, and other pollinators and beneficial insects, Cornflowers are excellent choices for both cutting and drying.

Painted Daisy (Chrysanthemum carinatum) is a vibrant annual, admired for its profusion of multicolored, daisy-like flowers from mid-summer to fall. These flat blossoms, up to 3 inches wide, display various shades of whites, pinks, reds, yellows, and purples. The aromatic foliage of divided, fern-like, dark-green leaves provides an excellent backdrop to the striking flowers. Painted Daisy is a charming choice for borders, flower beds, and containers, and its long-lasting blooms make it ideal for cut flower arrangements. Native to China, it is also cultivated for its edible young shoots.

Clarkia amoena, also known as Satin Flower, is an annual wildflower native to western North America. The plant typically grows up to 2 feet in height and has slender stems with narrow, lance-shaped leaves that are light green in color. The satiny flowers of Clarkia amoena are cup-shaped and come in shades of pink, red, and white. They bloom from late spring to early-mid summer and attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies. Clarkia amoena is easy to grow and prefers well-drained soil and full sun to partial shade. It is often used in wildflower meadows, borders, and containers and can self-seed to provide additional blooms in subsequent years.

Convolvulus tricolor 'Blue Ensign' (Dwarf Morning Glory), an award-winning annual or short-lived perennial, hails from the Mediterranean region. Its attractive flared trumpets, 2 in. across (5 cm), feature a golden-yellow center ringed in white and surrounded by royal blue petals. Blooming for weeks from early summer into fall, they attract hummingbirds and butterflies. This low-growing bushy plant is adorned with narrow, lance-shaped, mid-green leaves on branching stems.

With its abundance of bright yellow, daisy-like flowers and reddish-brown center disks, Coreopsis tinctoria (Tickseed) is a fast-growing annual that adds prairie charm to any sunny garden. Blooming from early summer to fall, each blossom features 7-9 yellow rays that are notch-tipped and spotted reddish-brown at the base. Native to the western U.S., this Coreopsis is also perfect for wildflower gardens and thrives in summer heat and humidity.

Gaillardia pulchella (Indian Blanket) is a low-maintenance annual or short-lived perennial that is native to most of the United States. Its bright red and yellow daisy-like flowers, up to 2 inches across, bloom from late spring to fall and are a favorite of pollinators like bees and butterflies. The flowers sit atop hairy stems with alternate leaves up to 3 inches long, making them a perfect addition to gardens, meadows, or wildflower beds. Resilient and easy to grow, Indian Blanket is also heat and drought-tolerant, making it an excellent choice for low-maintenance landscapes.

Gerbera jamesonii (Gerbera Daisy), a beloved and elegant evergreen perennial, often grown as an annual, boasts a basal rosette of dark green, lobed leaves and stunning single or semi-double daisy-like flowers up to 4-5 in. across (10-12 cm). Blooming throughout the year (as perennial) and peaking in early summer and late fall, the ravishing flowers are available in a variety of colors, such as red, yellow, orange, white, and pastel hues. Widely grown in gardens across the globe, Gerbera jamesonii is a favorite ornamental flower for its spectacular display as a cut flower or pot plant.

With its delicate pale-blue or violet flowers, adorned with powder-blue stamens, a yellow throat and a dark-purple ring, Gilia tricolor (Bird's-Eyes) is a true beauty among annual wildflowers. Its charming blossoms have a sweet chocolate scent and bloom profusely in early to mid-spring, attracting butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds with their rich nectar. This much-branched plant boasts an upright stem, bearing feathery foliage of pinnately dissected leaves. Gilia tricolor is native to California, drought-tolerant, easy to grow, and requires little care, making it an excellent choice for mass plantings.

Rose Vervain (Glandularia canadensis) is a clumping, sprawling plant that can behave as an annual or perennial, producing abundant flat-topped clusters of up to 20 fragrant, rose-pink to rose-purple flowers from late spring to late summer. It attracts butterflies and many pollinating insects and blooms continuously over a long season. The deeply lobed dark green foliage serves as a lovely backdrop for the showy flowers. This plant behaves as an annual in harsh winters, while it persists as a perennial in other regions. It is a great addition to rock gardens, sunny borders, landscape restorations, trailing over rock walls, or cascading from containers.

Helianthus annuus, commonly known as the Common Sunflower, is a tall, rapidly growing annual featuring broad, oval to heart-shaped, and somewhat hairy leaves. During the summer, it boasts enormous, radiant flowers up to 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter, with yellow petals encircling a dark chocolate-colored central disk. These striking flower heads, borne on sturdy, upright stalks, have a tendency to track the sun from dawn to dusk. Bees find them attractive, and their central disks transform into sunflower seeds, which serve as a food source for birds in the autumn and winter months. These spectacular blooms make fantastic cut flowers and are excellent additions to beds and borders.

With its bright yellow daisies tipped in white, Layia platyglossa (Coastal Tidytips) is a stunning annual wildflower that blooms from early spring to early summer. The flowers, which attract butterflies and other pollinators, are borne on stout, succulent stems above the gray-green foliage of the plant. Coastal Tidytips produces tufted, dandelion-seed-like fruits that are a favorite food of birds. This easy-to-grow wildflower is popular in traditional gardens, wildlife gardens, and habitat gardens, and is often used in habitat restoration projects. It forms dense colonies and is especially spectacular when massed with other wildflowers.

Limnanthes douglasii, also known as Poached Egg Plant, is a quick-growing, bushy annual that produces a lovely carpet of yellow and white flowers throughout summer. Resembling poached eggs, the cup-shaped yellow flowers with white petal tips attract a host of beneficial insects, including bees and hoverflies, making it a great addition to any pollinator garden. The blooms emerge on slender stalks among the glossy yellow-green foliage, creating a charming display in cottage gardens, path edges, or mixed borders. This low-maintenance plant contrasts beautifully with dark-leaved shrubs and is a great choice for adding a touch of whimsy to any garden.

Limonium sinuatum (Statice): The Colorful Dried Flower Favorite. This short-lived perennial or biennial, often grown as an annual, boasts clusters of funnel-shaped flowers in summer and fall, with showy calyces in shades of violet, pink, and more. Loved by bees and butterflies, Sea lavender is easy to grow and salt-tolerant, making it perfect for coastal gardens. Ideal for mixed borders, rock gardens, and cutting gardens, its papery petals retain their color well, making it a popular choice for fresh-cut or dried flower arrangements.

Matthiola Incana, also known as stock flower, is a popular garden plant renowned for its sweet fragrance and vibrant colors. The delicate blooms come in shades of pink, purple, white, and yellow and can be grown in various climates. These flowers are perfect for adding a touch of elegance and charm to any garden or floral arrangement.

Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila menziesii) is a popular garden plant prized for its small, trailing annual that produces a profusion of bowl-shaped, bright blue flowers with white centers. The flowers are about 1.5 inches (4 cm) across and are borne in clusters at the branch tips from late winter to early summer, depending on the location. Baby Blue Eyes is a charming spring wildflower that grows best in cool summer climates and does not tolerate hot and humid weather. It is easy to grow and looks stunning when planted in drifts, creating a wave of true blue color in early spring. It is also a great choice for rock gardens, garden edging, containers, or in a wildflower meadow.

Nigella damascena, commonly known as Love-in-a-Mist, is a popular, upright, bushy annual that showcases delicate pale blue flowers from early to late summer. These charming blossoms stand atop stems adorned with finely cut, feathery foliage, creating a mist-like effect around them. Following the blooms are decorative, balloon-shaped seed capsules that make excellent dried flower arrangements. As a cool-weather annual, Love-in-a-Mist is easy to grow, low maintenance, and trouble-free. With its attractive foliage and intriguing seedpods, it remains visually appealing even when not in bloom.

Phacelia tanacetifolia (Fiddleneck) is a stunning native plant, prized for its ornamental value and beneficial insect-attracting properties. With its elegant lavender-blue, bell-shaped flowers and long stamens, this plant blooms for up to 5 months, providing a great source of nectar for bees and other pollinators. Its fine, feathery foliage adds to its attractiveness, making it a wonderful addition to any garden.

Portulaca grandiflora, also known as Moss Rose, is an annual plant that produces a carpet of attractive succulent foliage covered with brightly colored, ruffled flowers in shades of pink, violet, white, red, salmon, orange, or yellow. Blooming from late spring to frost, the flowers open their petals on sunny days and close at night or when it's cloudy. Its fleshy, needle-like leaves are clustered along reddish stems, making it a perfect choice for hot, dry, and sunny borders or containers.

Ptilotus exaltatus 'Joey' (Mulla Mulla) is an eye-catching, short-lived herbaceous perennial, often grown as an annual, featuring stunning, long-lasting, cone-shaped spikes of feathery flowers that start out silver and turn neon pink near the tips, blooming from winter to summer. The evergreen foliage consists of fleshy, silver-green leaves. Mulla is a tough, heat and drought-tolerant plant that attracts pollinators and is perfect for sunny rockeries, Mediterranean or desert gardens, and mixed containers. It also makes a great cut flower.

With its distinctive sea star-like blooms, Sedum pulchellum (Sea Star) is a winter annual that grows upright stems covered in needle-like, bright green leaves. In the spring, it produces clusters of tiny pink flowers that later give way to seed pods. Although short-lived, it reseeds itself and can form colonies in favorable sites. Sedum pulchellum is an excellent addition to sunny border fronts, rock gardens, or walls where its foliage and unique flowers can be enjoyed. As summer progresses, the plant dries to cinnamon brown and drops its leaves.

Ageratum, also known as Flossflower, is an annual plant known for its soft, fluffy, and vibrant flowers that bloom from late spring to early fall. The flowers appear in shades of blue, pink, purple, or white, creating a striking visual effect. Ageratum has an upright, bushy growth habit, with oval-shaped, hairy green leaves that provide a lovely contrast to the blooms. This easy-to-grow plant attracts butterflies, bees, and other pollinators, and it's often used in borders, containers, and mixed garden beds.

Angelonia, also known as Summer Snapdragon, is a perennial plant often grown as an annual in colder climates. It features upright, bushy growth with spiky, colorful flowers that bloom from late spring to early fall. The flowers come in shades of white, pink, purple, and blue, and they have a delicate, sweet fragrance. Angelonia's narrow, dark green leaves provide a beautiful backdrop for the blooms. This low-maintenance plant is drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, and attracts pollinators such as bees and butterflies, making it an excellent choice for borders, containers, and mixed garden beds.

Among the easiest and most versatile flowers to grow in the garden, Calendula (Pot Marigold) is a showy hardy annual with aromatic foliage and a profusion of pretty daisy-like flowers over a long season. Prized by gardeners, it has also been used for many centuries for a range of culinary and medicinal purposes.

Calibrachoa, commonly known as Million Bells, is a tender perennial often grown as an annual, well-loved for its abundant, small, trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom from spring to frost. The flowers come in a wide range of colors and sometimes feature contrasting vein patterns. Calibrachoa has a trailing, semi-upright growth habit, making it an excellent choice for hanging baskets, containers, and mixed garden beds. The plant's narrow, dark green leaves contrast beautifully with the colorful blooms. Low-maintenance and self-cleaning, calibrachoa is generally resistant to most pests and diseases.

Celosia is highly valued by gardeners for its striking summer flowers that create a dazzling display throughout the season. This tropical plant, grown as an annual or perennial, is easy to cultivate and thrives in hot and humid conditions. Celosia attracts not only beneficial insects to the garden, making it an ideal companion for vegetables but also offers stunning cut flowers for fresh or everlasting bouquets. With its ability to impress both in the garden and as a cut flower, Celosia truly provides double the delight.

Featuring delicate, finely-cut leaves, slender stems, and striking daisy-like flowers, Cosmos is an annual plant that deserves a place in every garden. Exceptionally easy to grow, relatively pest-free, and low-maintenance, incorporating this elegant and delightful plant into your landscape will result in abundant blossoms and attract butterflies, bees, beneficial insects, and birds. Cosmos also make excellent cut flowers, offering long vase life and vibrant petals that enhance any bouquet. Originating in Mexico, Cosmos bloom profusely throughout the summer and well into fall, depending on the variety.

Gazanias, also known as Treasure Flower or African Daisy, are vibrant tender perennials, often grown as annuals, originating from South Africa. Their daisy-like flowers, up to 4 in. wide (10 cm), exhibit stunning colors and bloom over a long season. These easy-to-grow plants can tolerate drought, heat, and coastal conditions and thrive in most soils. With their dazzling colors, Gazanias are a perfect addition to sun-soaked areas with dry soil, providing dramatic beauty where other plants may struggle.

Gomphrena, also known as Globe Amaranth, is highly valued by gardeners for its vibrant, long-lasting flowers. Blooming profusely throughout the summer and occasionally until frost, this delightful annual or perennial plant is easy to grow, heat and drought-tolerant, and attracts beneficial insects to the garden, making it an ideal companion for vegetables. To further enhance its appeal, the brightly colored flowers can be dried while retaining their vividness, allowing for the creation of beautiful, everlasting bouquets.

Lathyrus odoratus, commonly known as sweet pea, is a charming annual plant celebrated for its fragrant, butterfly-like flowers and attractive climbing habit. Blooming from spring to fall, sweet peas come in a wide range of colors and make excellent cut flowers. They thrive in cooler climates and benefit from a sunny spot with well-draining soil. With their delicate appearance and delightful scent, sweet peas add a romantic touch to trellises, fences, and garden borders.

Lobularia maritima, commonly known as sweet alyssum, is a low-growing, spreading annual plant that produces abundant clusters of tiny, fragrant flowers. Blossoming from spring to fall, sweet alyssum flowers come in shades of white, pink, and purple. This easy-to-grow plant is often used as a ground cover, edging plant, or in hanging baskets and window boxes. Sweet alyssum is highly attractive to pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, and adds a delightful, honey-like fragrance to any garden.

Osteospermum, also known as African daisy or Cape daisy, is a popular annual or perennial plant that produces colorful daisy-like flowers in shades of white, pink, orange, purple, and yellow. It is prized for its vibrant blooms and low-maintenance nature. Osteospermum is drought-tolerant and can bloom from late spring to fall, attracting bees and butterflies to the garden. Itis commonly used as a bedding plant, border plant, or in containers.

Pelargonium, commonly known as geranium, is a versatile and popular flowering plant with over 200 species. Geraniums are grown as annuals or perennials, depending on the climate. They produce vibrant, showy flowers in various colors, such as red, pink, purple, and white, from spring through fall. The attractive, rounded, or lobed leaves often have a unique, pleasant fragrance. Pelargoniums are easy to grow and are often used in containers, window boxes, hanging baskets, and as bedding plants, adding a splash of color and charm to any garden setting.

Petunias are popular, versatile flowering plants known for their trumpet-shaped, colorful flowers that bloom profusely from spring until frost. Available in a wide range of colors and patterns, petunias are typically grown as annuals, although they can be short-lived perennials in warmer climates. These sun-loving plants have a spreading or mounding growth habit and can be used in containers, hanging baskets, window boxes, or as bedding plants. Easy to grow and maintain, petunias are perfect for adding vibrant, long-lasting color to gardens and landscapes.

Salvia is a diverse and useful genus of plants that offers a variety of ornamental, culinary, and medicinal benefits. With their showy flowers, fragrant leaves, and ease of cultivation, Salvia plants are a popular choice for gardeners and plant enthusiasts around the world.

Tagetes, commonly known as Marigolds, is a genus of annual and perennial plants that are prized for their profusion of brightly colored single or double flowers in shades of orange, yellow, red, gold, and white. Their pungent, fern-like foliage effectively deters pests, making them ideal companion plants while also attracting pollinators and beneficial insects such as hoverflies and ladybugs. They bloom throughout summer and fall and are easy to grow in most soils and sun exposures.

Verbena is a versatile plant known for its vibrant flowers and attractive foliage. Blooming from spring through late summer, the flowers attract butterflies, bees, and other pollinators, making Verbena a valuable addition to gardens. Easy to grow and requiring low maintenance, these plants thrive in sunny locations with well-drained soil, bringing color and life to borders, containers, and rock gardens.

Zinnia is a popular annual plant known for its vibrant and long-lasting flowers that bloom in a wide range of colors, including red, pink, yellow, orange, white, and purple. These plants produce single, semi-double, or double flowers that attract butterflies, bees, and other pollinators, making Zinnia a valuable addition to any garden. Zinnias are low-maintenance, drought-tolerant, and easy to grow, thriving in sunny locations with well-drained soil. They make excellent cut flowers and add a burst of color to borders, beds, containers, and butterfly gardens.