What Are the Best Flowers To Plant in the Sun?

Full Sun Perennials don’t die at the end of the growing season, the plant remains above ground perhaps in a dormant state, with just it's foliage but no flowers, much as a tree would loose its leaves in the winter yet live on. They also produce seeds. New plants may grow as well, but the original plant with proper care will bloom year after year. Perennials make good hedges and borders.

There are many varieties of full sun perennial flowers and they do not all have the same care instructions. It’s important to consult with your nursery when making your purchase. It is also important to read the directions that come with the plant, generally these are basic directions but it’s a start. You might also consider purchasing a book, on gardening such as 'Complete Guide to Flower Gardening (Better Homes & Gardens' by Better Homes and Gardens Books and Michael McKinley.

The basics are preparing the soil bed, fertilizing and trimming or pruning. You should make sure that your garden bed is free of weeds and apply a few inches of good organic mulch. This will keep weeds to a minimum. Planting the plants close together will force weeds out. Fertilizer is not generally recommended and some perennials don’t like it all. For this reason it’s best to apply natural compost in the spring and fall. Pruning is achieved by removing dead flower heads, thinning by removing out shoots, or trimming.

Choosing Annuals- Annuals die in one growing season meaning that the seeds germinate, and sprout, become plants with leaves, produce flowers and seeds and then die. Their seeds may grow new flowers in the following growing season but they are the offspring of the plant and not the original plant. Full sun annuals often work well in pots or as borders to the garden, while others such as the sunflower work well to fill a sunny corner of the garden.

Most Annuals prefer full sun and a soft, loamy soil that is loose. To achieve this you can use ground bark or peat moss mixed into the soil if your soil happens to be sandy and dense. Be careful when removing annuals purchased in flats or a container to pull the flower out with roots intact. If the plant is root bound you can loosen it a little by gently massaging the root base 2 or 3 times. It’s best to plant annuals on a cloudy day or when the sun is not in full. Most annuals prefer moist frequently watered soil. Unlike perennials, annuals have a short growing time and thus generally require a bit of fertilizer perhaps once a month. Annual flowers don’t generally require pruning but need to have the dead flowers removed and possibly some light trimming.

These are just a few of the annuals that do well in full sun: bachelor’s button sometimes known as cornflower, sweet alyssum, and perilla. And here are some perennials that do well in full sun: Catmint plant lavender flower, Shasta daisy and black eyed Susans.