Long-lasting flowering annuals are the greatest color creators in the April garden. Perennials are wonderful, but when it comes to flower power, annuals nearly always take the cake. After all, that’s what we plant them for. 

Many annuals are perennial in limited ranges. We plant them elsewhere to serve for one season, but they will often fail to survive the winter. That’s why some annual lists can be confusing, particularly for those gardeners in warm climates. If you’re a lucky one living in a zone where many of these floriferous plants are perennial, lucky you!

This plant begins flowering in spring and will continue right up until the first frost. Once established, it doesn’t mind heat and humidity and is drought-tolerant. You’ll rarely need to water it. ‘Angelface Blue®’ has blue-violet blooms that look delicate but are surprisingly tough. 

Cosmos ‘Sensation Radiance’

Deadhead often, and you’ll be rewarded with more blooms.

I love my cosmos. They are some of the longest-lasting annual flowers in the garden, and if you can keep them going, they will bloom from April well into the fall months. Their lovely, feathery foliage adds texture to flower beds, and the blooms are small, cheerful, and exceptionally attractive to pollinators. 

Make sure you deadhead your cosmos. If you grow them from seeds, pinch them to get bushier plants with extra blooming power. ‘Sensation Radiance’ has longstanding popularity, dating back to the 1930s. The pretty pink blooms with a dark eye and yellow center are all characteristics that made it a 1948 All-America Selections Flower Winner.

Zinnia ‘Sungod’

Deadheading really does bring out their best performance.

Zinnias bloom frequently, especially if you’re diligent about deadheading. They also make great cut flowers, so make it a point to trim the stems often. They will continue to perform from spring right up to the first frost. They are tolerant of heat and humidity and fairly drought-tolerant as well. 

Zinnias come in many sizes, colors, and petal forms. ‘Sungod’ has gorgeous, golden, double-petaled blooms. The petals are narrow and plentiful, giving them an appearance similar to a dahlia. Pollinators adore these. 

Globe Amaranth ‘Strawberry Fields’

Cut a few now, and enjoy them all winter long.

If you like a whimsical garden, globe amaranth is a must-have. Tall, slender stems dance about, topped with fluffy balls of brightly colored bracts. Tiny flowers peek out from between the bracts, but the bracts are the showy part. 

‘Strawberry Fields’ also goes by the name Rio Grande Globe Amaranth. The bracts are strawberry red, and the tiny yellow flowers that peek between them are lovely cut flowers. They retain much of their color when dried.

Marigold ‘Konstance’

They’re such cheerful overachievers, especially with a little deadheading.

Marigolds are one of the most popular annuals you’ll find at the nursery. They are tough annuals that are easy to grow from seeds or starts, and they tolerate the heat well. If you need a colorful border for your beds or walkways, marigolds are a wonderfully economical way to do it. 

‘Konstance’ is a low-growing French marigold. The small blooms are bright red and orange and bloom in profusion. If you deadhead your marigolds, you’ll have blooms from late spring until the first frost. They also self-seed, so you’re likely to see them again next year. 

Paris Daisy ‘Vanilla Butterfly®’

They bloom like they’re showing off—no complaints here.

Paris daisies are long-lasting annual flowers that will provide color in your beds from planting time (usually around April) until the first frost. This small shrubby plant produces attractive daisy-type flowers that are great in container arrangements and make nice cut flowers.

Petunias stand up well to heat as long as you keep them hydrated. ‘Wave® Rose’ has vivid pink blooms and a slight trailing habit. It will bloom all summer and into the fall if you give it the right care. 

Ammi 

Classic white heads look like they’re dusted with morning mist.

You may know ammi by the name False Queen Anne’s Lace. It has a similar appearance and looks gorgeous in the cutting garden. It has a wildflower meadow vibe that adds a lacy loveliness wherever you use it. It’s a winner of the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. 

If you plant from seeds, ammi takes a minute to get going. It will begin blooming in mid-summer, and it continues on in grand fashion. It self-seeds, but not aggressively, and comes in a variety of shades, though white is the classic and most popular. 

Impatiens ‘Rockapulco® Orange Shades’

These bloom brightly, even in the quiet shade spots.

Impatiens are excellent for spectacular, lasting color in the shade garden. Low-growing and dense, they form a sweet shrub that, when planted in groups, will make a lovely border or low hedge. 

While they don’t like direct sun, they are heat-tolerant and bloom from spring to the first frost. ‘Rockapulco® Orange Shades’ has bright, reddish-orange, double-petaled flowers. These are fancier than the average impatiens and deserve a spot where you can enjoy their pretty blooms. 

Moss Rose

They love the heat and require hardly any attention.

Moss rose is a fantastic ground cover or hanging plant that blooms from spring until the first frost. It’s a succulent annual, so it’s drought and heat-tolerant and requires minimal care. The fleshy leaves are attractive, and the blooms span a wide range of colors and petal forms. 

If you have a sunny spot that needs brightening up but you worry about watering every day, moss rose is great. It works well in rock gardens and anywhere else where hot and dry conditions are an issue. 

Lantana ‘Peach Sunrise’

This is a vibrant addition to any pollinator-friendly garden in warmer climates.

In warm climates, lantana is a pollinator garden staple. It’s evergreen and perennial in tropical climates, and in zone 10, it’s perennial but dies back in the winter. Elsewhere, it makes a nice annual. It can be aggressive as a perennial, but as an annual, it’s more manageable. 

‘Landmark™ Peach Sunrise’ has sweet, pretty, pastel flower clusters. Rings of creamy yellow and powder pink grow around a darker pink center. This is a profuse bloomer that starts in late spring and lasts right up to the first frost. 

Cuphea ‘Starfire Pink’

It’s a hummingbird magnet, blooming steadily from warm days to fall.

Hummingbird lovers will also love the way cuphea attracts these tiny feathered friends. With a multitude of small, red, tubular flowers, it has all the qualities that hummingbirds and butterflies look for in a plant. 

‘Starfire Pink’ is dense and lush. It’s evergreen in warm climates and perennial in zones 8 through 10. Elsewhere, you guessed it, you can grow it as an annual. This is an easy one to care for and flowers throughout the summer and into the fall months. 

Verbena ‘Meteor Shower®’

This is a favorite of bees and butterflies, blooming from summer onward.

Speaking of plants that are attractive to pollinators, verbena is a favorite in the pollinator patch. Its interestingly angular stems and foliage make it interesting in the garden, and it flowers for a long period, from summer until your first frost. 

‘Meteor Shower®’ is a beautiful cultivar and an excellent nectar plant. Butterflies and hummingbirds will seek this out, and bees won’t pass it over, either. The stems are nice for cutting and making fresh or dried arrangements.