Annual Basics

Each year, All-America Selections announces its picks for the best flowers and veggies nationwide. So when you see that AAS logo on a seed packet, rest assured you’ve found the “best of.” Provide the proper growing conditions, and you’re bound to find these plants winners in your garden, too!

The easiest way to bring instant impact in the garden is to add annual color. Finding the right color combination in garden settings isn’t difficult – it’s just a matter of taste! Learn a few tips to planning a garden color scheme for your planting beds or containers using annuals.

Picking annual plants for your garden is more than just finding the ones you like. It’s all about matching your plantings to your house, your region and your style. Learn the importance of considering annual shapes, heights and texture when planning your next flower bed.

You know annuals add great instant color to the garden – but did you know it’s not just thanks to the blooms? Annual foliage plants offer all types of leaf shapes, colors and textures. Learn some tips to foliage plant use – and see what beauty unfurls.

You might already know where to plant annuals in your garden, but planting annual containers vs. flower beds is a common debate within many home gardeners. If you’ve got the space, why not do both? Learn the benefits of both types of plantings – and enjoy the annual advantage!

The show must grow on! Keep your annual beds blooming for months (and months) by making sure some of the plants in your garden begin to flower just as others are fading. Here’s how to extend the color in your garden throughout the growing season – and beyond.

Many summer gardens start with a colorful bang – then the season’s heat starts to make them fizzle. Don’t write off your garden after that first flush of colorful flowers fade. By practicing three basic gardening fundamentals, you can help keep your garden bloomin’ beautiful throughout the season!

Though they last for only one season, annuals are the showstoppers of the garden. From towering sunflowers to diminutive pansies, they bloom in breathtaking shades and work in many combinations, from garden accent to mass planting. New to gardening? Learn some basic ways of using annuals in the garden.

If you live out West – along California’s coast, inland or in the desert – spring’s the time to get planting for a fruitful flower or vegetable garden that you can enjoy this summer!

Buying a good package of seeds is as easy as picking a box of breakfast cereal. Buying started plants is a little trickier. Learn what to look for – and what to avoid – when picking healthy annuals for your garden. (Remember, a healthy garden starts with healthy plant selection!)

What’s an annual flower, and how do you use it in the garden? Practically speaking, any plant you keep in your garden for a year or less in an annual. But to truly define annual plants, you need to note frost tolerance, as well as consider your regional climate.

Annuals may need to be replanted every year, but many gardeners think these plants are well-worth the effort. Find out why.