The Best Flowers for Full Sun That Are Annuals

Annuals for Cutting

• Many sun-loving annuals make excellent cut flowers. They look beautiful in vases and often last a week or more when given fresh water. Fill sunny spaces with the easy-to-grow zinnia. The 1- to 6-inch pom-pom- or dahlia-shaped flowers are available in every color of the rainbow and the tall, sturdy stems are ideal for flower arrangements. Add texture to floral bouquets with the feathery orange plumes of the cockscomb or create a colorful 4th of July arrangement with the blue blossoms of the cornflower.

Annuals for Drying

• Those who use dried flowers for crafts or home decorating will be happy to know there are a number of low-maintenance annuals that dry well; after cutting, simply hang them upside down in a cool, dry place. Add a bold flavor to a sunny border with the globe amaranth. Its dense, bushy foliage and bright purple, clover-like flowers, form a colorful, casual, low hedge. Give the garden a midsummer lift with the brilliant blossoms of the strawflower. The 2-inch wide flowers bloom in clusters of orange, pink, yellow, red, white and purple from July until the first hard frost.

Fragrant Annuals

• A number of sun-loving annuals are as fragrant as they are beautiful. Some fill the air around them with a light, sweet scent while others conceal their charms, sharing their fragrance only with those come near. Whether short and bushy or tall and climbing, sweet peas bear fragrant clusters of 1-inch long flowers that add a decorative touch to trellises or informal flower gardens. Place scented geraniums where people will pass nearby as the strongly scented foliage must be brushed to release its heady aroma.

Self-Sowing Annuals

• To save time and effort during the spring, plant annuals that self-sow and perpetuate themselves. Fill the front or mid-ground of borders with pot marigolds for splashes of bright yellow or orange that return year after year. Spreads of airy cosmos add vibrant shades of gold, yellow, orange, pink and scarlet to the landscape. Use the unusual foliage and vertical stems of the of bells of Ireland to add visual interest to backs of borders.