List of Annual Flowers That Need Full Sun

Blue Annuals

• The giant larkspur is an annual known for its ability to grow to 4 feet in cool climates, producing spikes of blue flowers. Giant larkspur is a favorite species for cut-flower and dried-flower arrangements. Another blue annual fit for full sun is the cornflower, possessing purple-blue flowers and growing to between 1 and 3 feet. The Swan River daisy, bindweed and the sweetpea are other blue annuals for sunny conditions. Bindweed in particular is striking in appearance, with its blue petals, yellow middles and white interior.

Yellow Annuals

• Melampodium and its Derby cultivar flowers from May all the way to the first frost, with the yellow flowers tolerant of hot summers. Belonging to the aster group, melampodium grows to 2 feet high. Sunflowers crave full sun and these annuals sometimes grow to 10 feet. A smaller cultivar is the Sungold, topping out at 7 feet high. Other yellow flowers that are annuals and need the sun include creeping zinnia, French marigold, clasping coneflowers and the plains coreopsis.

Red Annuals

• Brilliant red flowers and leaves shaped like spears are features of the feather celosia cultivar New Look, a warm weather annual that thrives in sunny sites. Feather celosia does best when the surrounding soil is always damp. Certain species of annuals including Indian blanket and cosmos turn out red flowers in bright sunshine. The satin flower, a red annual for cool climates, takes it nickname of farewell-to-spring from its blooming in the latter stages of the springtime. Though it withstands full sun, in warmer regions, it welcomes some shade in the afternoon when temperatures are their highest.

White Annuals

• The name African marigold is misleading, since this white annual hails from Latin America. Growing to 4 feet, the plant needs full sun and has flowers as wide as 4 inches. Flowerbeds and containers are appropriate settings for a white form of creeping zinnia called Classic. Other white annuals for the sunniest locations in your flower gardens include purslane, prickly poppy and a hibiscus species called flower of the hour, famous for its fast-fading white flowers, which wilt just hours after they bloom.