Annuals to Purchase as Starter Plants

As a beginner gardener it’s hard to know what to grow from seed and what to buy as a plant. Some seeds are pickier than others, and it really depends on your growing season as well. Here are my top 7 annuals for buying as a plant vs seed in zone 4b-5a. But that just means that what might be an annual for me, could be a perennial for you! 🙂

This is a salvia hybrid. In my zone (4b-5a) it’s an annual, but it can be a perennial in zones 9a and up. It comes many colors, including this deep purple, pink and reds. It’s a quick grower, getting up to 3 feet tall, and is good in part to full sun. Hummingbirds absolutely love this and in my past experience the purple has been more of a draw than the pink. It also makes a neat addition to a cut-flower bouquet even after the blooms themselves are gone.

Nemesia reminds me of pansies- it products a ton of blooms on one head, and can be dead-headed for more blooms. It will grow about a foot tall, and it’s great in containers. I would recommend morning sun with afternoon shade.

Lemon Coral Sedum. This plant is SUPER easy to grow- loves light and can handle a bit of drying out. It’s also very easy to propagate. Trim off a few inches, remove the lower leaves and stick in dirt. I keep mine in contains and bring them in for the winter, but in zones 7a and up it’s a perennial. It will spread so be sure to put it in a place with plenty of room!

Pansies! These are one of my all-time favorite flowers- I even had them on my wedding cake. It comes in a ton of colors- from simple orange and yellow, to vibrant mixes of purples. Some have ruffled petals. Some are such a dark purple they appear black in the shade. Pansies do not like to be hot, and do well with some morning sun and shade in the afternoon. They will wilt when it gets to be too hot, so I keep mine in containers I can move around if necessary. I wouldn’t let them dry out entirely as they may not bounce back. I’ve watered mine once a day when temperatures have gotten into the 90s. They’ll bloom all summer though- just remove the spent blooms.

Snapdragons are a quick grower when given a lot of sun. They come in several colors- including mixed ombres like this one, simple yellow, pinks, reds. They make great cut flowers. They can spread quite a bit so I wouldn’t plant them closer than 8 inches.

These smaller petunia varieties make great hanging baskets. They also come in tons of colors, but the red seems to draw in the hummingbirds the most. I usually buy mine as a hanging basket each year, but they will need to be watered every 1-2 days when it gets really hot (if you’re hot, they are too). You’ll notice them wilting when they need water. If you purchase as a hanging basked, check to make sure that it has a bottom to collect extra water so it doesn’t run straight through.

Sweet Alyssum. This plant makes a wonderful edging plant. They start small and grow very quickly into lovely bushy mounds that trail- making them great for containers and hanging baskets. They also come in several colors and will bloom all summer long. They’ll get a bit wilty when they need water but tend to bounce back fairly quickly.

Have questions? Post them below and I’ll do my best to answer!

Happy Gardening!

Carey