How to Combine Annual Flowers in Beds

A popular annual flower, zinnia is available in many sizes, shapes and colors.

A quick and easy way to get instant bloom in your gardens, annual flowers from transplants are easily combined to create summer color. For best results, combine them in garden beds alongside plants with similar growth and culture needs. Annuals live for a single season, so it's easy to try new designs and combinations every year.

Things You'll Need

• Garden spade
• Granulated fertilizer for blooming plants
• Garden rake
• Organic mulch

Instructions

1. Prepare garden beds to grow annual flowers by turning over the soil with a garden spade. Add granulated fertilizer formulated for blooming plants at the rates recommended by the manufacturer. Rake the soil smooth.

2. Plant small annual transplants by digging a hole the size of the root ball and inserting the roots into the prepared hole. Firm the soil around the plant so it stands up by itself. Water with a hand watering can.

3. Group annual flowers together that have similar sun or shade preferences. Plant impatiens (Impatiens wallerana), wax begonia (Begonia x semperflorens) and coleus (Solenostemon hybrids) in shady gardens. For gardens in the sun, plant periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus), petunias (Petunia x hybrida) and moss roses (Portulaca grandiflora).

4. Plant annual flowers that have similar needs for moisture in the same garden beds. Most flowering annuals grow best with an average of 1 inch of rainfall per week, but some prefer less moisture. For dry sites, plant nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) and flowering tobacco (Nicotiana spp.).

5. Arrange annual flowers so the tallest are on the north side of the bed. Plant successively shorter varieties so the shortest is in the front row, on the south side of the bed. This will ensure the flowers don't shade each other from the sun. The back row can be planted with sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) or cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus), with zinnias (Zinnia elegans) directly in front of them. Put marigolds (Tagates erecta) in front of the zinnias and sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) along the southern edge of the flower bed.

6. Mulch annual flower beds with an organic material such as straw, hay, wood chips or shredded bark to conserve moisture and discourage the growth of weeds. Put down a layer 2 to 4 inches deep.

Tips & Warnings

• Remove spent flower heads promptly to encourage annual flowers to produce large numbers of blossoms.

References

• Colorado State University Extension: Happy Annuals for a Dry Climate
• Texas A&M University Extension: Spring Planted Summer-Flowering Annuals
• Iowa State University Extension: Annuals for Shade
• Purdue University Extension: Growing Annual Flowers