Easy Annual Plants that Come Back Year after Year

Annual plants are known for their seasonal color and showy blooms. Indeed, the best way to make your garden sparkle with color and texture is by planting seasonal annuals. There are some annuals that require constant attention and are designed to bloom for only a short period. However, there are also many easy annual plants that have a long growing and blooming season. Here are some top choices for easy annual plants that come back year after year.

Alyssum: Sweet Honey Scent Returns Every Year

Alyssum is an annual plant that should be planted from October through April. It is readily available as seed or nursery stock. It is low growing, reaching a maximum height of six inches. It grows well alongside roses and bulbs, and helps to hid drying foliage on these plants. Alyssum reseeds white, pink and lavender flower and grows well along the edges of your garden. The hardy annual releases a rich honey scent and reseeds every year, several times throughout the season. Alyssum likes full sun and alkaline soil, except in the summertime, where it thrives in afternoon shade to prolong its bloom. The Alyssum is known to attract many beneficial insects and is known to attract butterflies. If you want some friendly visitors in your garden each summer, consider this easy annual plant.

Bachelor’s Buttons: Long Blooming Annual

If you are looking for an easy, long blooming annual, then bachelor’s buttons may be just what you’re looking for. This annual should be planted in full sun from September through November. It is available as seed or nursery stock. It is known to attract bees and other beneficial pollinators, and is known to benefit wheat crops and rye. This annual is traditionally blue, but it is now available in a variety of shades, mostly pinks and purples. It makes a good cut flower and is known to be very long blooming. Bachelor’s buttons are also known as cornflower, because they are known to grow along rows of cornfields.

Chrysanthemum: A Beautiful, Disease-Free Annual for Your Garden

Are you looking for a hardy annual that is not prone to disease? The Chrysanthemum is a flower that is known for its classic beauty and scent. It is an annual that should be planted between October through April, and it is available as seed and nursery stock. It is a low-growing plant that reaches eight to ten inches in height, with many small flowers. Most of these plants bloom white with yellow centers. This flower is known to attract many beneficial insects, including butterflies and other pollinators. The Chrysanthemum has long been recognized as a good companion to the lettuce. It is also known to be free of pests and disease. You can plant the Chrysanthemum with bulbs and as edgings throughout your garden.

Dianthus: An Annual with a Perennial Flair

If you want an annual that often acts like a perennial, dianthus, sometimes referred to as Pinks, will last from year to year with proper care. Plant Dianthus in full sun from mid-August to February making sure that the plants gets afternoon shade. They are available as seed or nursery seed. This plant needs good drainage, and grows well as a low-growing border plant in front of taller plants in your garden. They are known to attract many beneficial insects, and their bright colors are known as crowd-pleasers in the garden. If you compost, you will want to compost all the spent blooms and clippings, because they are known to release rich minerals. Dianthus is known as an old favorite, treasured for its spicy scent and long bloom period.