Below you\u2019ll find our guide to annual plants and flowers, along with a list of some of the best annual plants to grow, picked by experts.<\/p>\n
Jump to<\/strong><\/p>\n These are flowers that can cope with cooler spring temperatures and frosty conditions. Sown outside in early spring (or in the previous autumn), they will flower by mid summer and many will carry on flowering until the first frosts of autumn. These don\u2019t cope with the cold and wet of winter and won\u2019t survive frost. Sow these seeds indoors or undercover where they can be protected and given a good start before planting out when risk of frost is passed. These should flower by mid summer. Alternatively, you can sow half hardy annuals later in spring direct in the ground but you\u2019ll then expect these to flower later. Like hardy annuals, these should flower well into early autumn before being killed off by the first frosts. Biennials<\/a> are plants that grow, set root and produce foliage in their first year, and then go on to flower, set seed and die in their second year. Biennials are usually sown in summer, placed into their flowering position in autumn and will then grow on to flower the following year. \u2022 Cost effective \u2013 seeds<\/a> are cheap and you can grow lots of plants from one packet Annuals may only have one year in flower but there are plenty of ways to maximise their worth: Find out more on how to sow your seed\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Philippa Hodkinson gardens in England\u2019s most northerly county, Northumberland. Here she picks her favourite annuals that grow successfully in her windswept garden.<\/p>\n A tall-stemmed plant with purple-violet flowers, rather like a delicate thistle-head. It\u2019s an easily grown, scented annual that makes an excellent cut flower. Best sown en masse to create a dramatic effect. H75cm.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t be put off by its common name of bishop\u2019s weed. This voguish plant is like a super-charged cow parsley, but with much bigger, more dramatic flowers. It\u2019s nectar-rich so attracts butterflies and bees too. H1.2m.<\/p>\n Sometimes called cupid\u2019s dart, this short-lived perennial is treated like an annual in Philippa\u2019s northern garden. The flowers resemble a pretty, lilac-blue cornflower, which means it is a favourite of flower arrangers. Has little in the way of foliage, so plant in drifts for maximum effect. H75cm.<\/p>\n Bright-orange, double flower, which was a favourite of Gertrude Jekyll who used it in large drifts in the garden on Lindisfarne. Simple to grow, it self-seeds gently and keeps on producing flowers if it is regularly deadheaded. H45cm.<\/p>\n A dark, almost-black cornflower and a stunner, but best grown in drifts and supported with wire as it has a tendency to flop. The flowers are a bee magnet and last well out of water, making it good for decorating puddings and salads. H75cm.<\/p>\n An elegant plant with bright-green flowers. It\u2019s excellent for flower arranging as it combines well with most colours, and has a long vase life \u2013 although you need to put it in water as soon as it\u2019s cut, otherwise it can wilt. H60-90cm. USDA 4a-9b.<\/p>\n Although it looks quite exotic, with its glaucous blue-green foliage and droplets of dark-purple flowers, this honeywort is a truly tough character, and given dry soil and lots of sun will flower its head off for months. Flower arrangers and bees love it. H45-60cm.<\/p>\nWhat are annual flowers?<\/h2>\n
What is a hardy annual?<\/h3>\n
What are half hardy annuals?<\/h3>\n
![\""Centaurea\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/18\/2023\/05\/1247790AJDSC5172-v2-f9ce0c5.jpg?quality=90&crop=4px%2C270px%2C4025px%2C2681px&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Centaurea\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>What\u2019s the difference between an annual and a biennial?<\/h3>\n
Why grow annual plants?<\/h3>\n
![\""Cerinthe\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/18\/2023\/05\/130370AJ-GM621883-v2-c04fa1e.jpg?quality=90&crop=3px%2C1000px%2C2995px%2C1995px&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Cerinthe\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>How to get the best out of your annual plants<\/h3>\n
The best annual plants to grow<\/h2>\n
Amberboa moschata<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Ammi visnaga<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\""Ammi\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/18\/2023\/05\/1252264AJDSC4165-v2-33a4d35.jpg?quality=90&crop=4px%2C140px%2C4025px%2C2681px&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Ammi\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Anethum graveolens<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\""Anethum\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/18\/2021\/06\/ag_2007_474-54b36b9.jpg?quality=90&crop=1259px%2C671px%2C1848px%2C1231px&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Anethum\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Catananche caerulea<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Calendula officinalis<\/em> \u2018Orange King\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\""Calendula\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/18\/2023\/05\/1247745AJDSC5140-v2-a6f5a27.jpg?quality=90&crop=4px%2C1842px%2C4025px%2C2681px&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Calendula\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Centaurea cyanus<\/em> \u2018Black Ball\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\""Centaurea\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/18\/2023\/05\/1247790AJDSC5172-v2-f9ce0c5.jpg?quality=90&crop=4px%2C380px%2C4025px%2C2681px&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Centaurea\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Bupleurum rotundifolium<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\""Bupleurum\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/18\/2023\/05\/1252222AJDSC4121-v2-de9890f.jpg?quality=90&crop=4px%2C675px%2C4025px%2C2681px&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Bupleurum\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Cerinthe major<\/em> \u2018Purpurascens\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Chrysanthemum carinatum<\/em> \u2018Polar Star\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n