Expect Success with 6 Goof-Proof Annuals

There are beautiful annuals and plants that are “fail-proof,” for people who want to rejuvenate their flower garden look with something fresh this spring.

Each year flower gardeners have great intentions to try new plants. But most often when we walk into our local garden center we tend to feel overwhelmed with all the choices we end up buying what we know we can grow.

These annuals are easy to grow and care for because they have been selected by experts who recognize super-performers. This should be welcome news to the millions of gardeners who have been left feeling frustrated by poor garden results.

When the gardener goes to the garden center to pick out plants, it’s not always obvious which plants are going to thrive over the season. A well-bred plant will be disease resistant, tolerate more variations in the weather and growing conditions, and be heartier and full. The combination of good breeding with high standards for growing finished plants should make it easier for gardeners to select annuals that they can expect success with.

Twice as Nice

If you want to double the petal power, try flowers like Fiesta Double Impatiens or Double Wave petunias. The Fiesta Double Impatiens are one of the prettiest and easiest annuals to grow in the shade and they spread with twice the flower power. These annuals are covered with double “rose- like” blooms that will make people think you are growing roses in the shade, adding a touch of elegance to any garden. You don’t need to pinch to keep them full and lush. Fiesta Rose is the hot new color this spring.

For sunny locations, try the Double Wave petunias. These annuals spread up to 3 feet in a season and are great in containers or the landscape! Colors range from deep rose to lilac.

Explore The Exotic

Fusion Impatiens will be a great addition in flower containers, they come in hot new iridescent colors that really smolder --Heat, Glow, Radiance, Infrared, and Sunset. Mix and match colors for a dazzling array of color. These huge flower heads are held high above the foliage for a striking show of vivid colors that are sure to grab your attention. Plant them in baskets, beds, or anywhere you’d plant traditional impatiens. Tropical looks are all the rage.

Boom Without Bloom

Foliage is also hot this spring, and the bigger the better. New from Simply Beautiful is Kong Coleus, that offers a big boom without the bloom. When you see it you’ll want to call it “King” Kong Coleus! It’s gorgeous foliage, the leaves are as big as a gorilla’s hand and the colors are amazingly vivid and rich, newly released tri-colored Kong Mosaic is a show-stopper!Kong loves the outdoors in full shade but can also be used inside in bright light conditions.

Sophisticated Summer Snapdragons

AngelMist Angelonia are free-flowering orchid like blooms that are reminiscent of old fashioned snapdragons. They grow and thrive in both wet and dry conditions and love the heat, unlike snapdragons. Try the unique mounding trailing basket variety; it’ll quickly fill your baskets and flower containers to their brims and overflow with a cascading cachet of color growing 6 inches tall and spreading to 16 inches.

The upright AngelMist is a perfect update for borders, beds or even as a cut flower.

Their large orchid-like blooms show off a bountiful mist of statuesque, sophisticated style growing 24 inches tall and spreading up to 12 inches. AngelMist trailing varieties are available in Basket Purple and Basket White. The AngelMist upright varieties are available in many colors…new this spring are Lavender Stripe, and White.

Perpetual Petunias

Wishing your petunias would spread and fill in more? Try Easy Wave Spreading Petunias and sit back and watch them multiply! Easy Wave is more mounded than their sister plant The Wave and you can plant them earlier in the season than other petunias. Easy Wave prefers moist soil, full sun, and a good feeding with an all-purpose fertilizer every two weeks, especially when planted in containers. Easy Wave Red, is the very first true red Wave petunia.

Glorious Groundcover

Each Simply Beautiful Landmark Lantana plant spreads up to 2 feet by almost 2 feet! This gorgeous groundcover was bred specifically for landscape use. Landmark is a blooming landscape, with flower heads similar to small geraniums. It’s perfect for mass plantings, maintaining control, mounding and filling in beautifully with a array of color. Plant in any sunny spot, Landmark annuals loves the heat but also performs well in cooler climates.