Native Annual Flowers in South Carolina

Planting Native Annuals

• Rainy winter days with cool soil temperatures provide an ideal opportunity to sow spring-and-summer-flowering native annual seeds. They'll have plenty of time to develop healthy root systems before blooming. They'll also bloom on schedule from seed planted in March or early April, but their seedlings may need additional water. Plant seeds for the late summer and fall garden in late spring to early summer. Give the seedlings adequate water during peak summer heat.

Yellow Annuals

• Black-eyed Susan's (Rudbeckia hirta) golden-yellow petals unfurl around deep-brown-to-black centers from mid spring until late summer. The 2-to-3-inch, daisylike blooms open atop 1-to-2-foot stems of oval, bristly green leaves. Black-eyed Susan performs best in well-drained, acidic soil and a sunny spot with afternoon shade. Partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasiculata) pairs compound, fernlike green foliage with 2-to-4-foot, upright stems of red-throated, irregularly petaled yellow blooms. The spring-to-fall flowers open singly from dense clusters of stem-crowning buds. Partridge pea thrives in full sun and consistently moist, well-drained soil.

Purple Annuals

• Butterflies, hummingbirds and bees flock to lemon mint, also known as or lemon bee balm (Monarda citriodora). This 1-to-2-foot annual blooms reliably from May until August, and well into fall with supplemental watering. Long spikes of tufted, tubular, white-bracted lavender or purple flowers crown its square stems. Its lancelike leaves release a lemon scent when crushed. This annual flourishes in sunny, sandy dry soils. Purple false foxglove (Agalinis purpurea) relishes a sunny or partly shady location with moist or wet, sandy soil. Short-stalked, bell-shaped blossoms open along the 18-inch-to-2-foot-high annual's stems of needlelike, greenish-blue leaves from midsummer into autumn. Deep purple freckles splotch the rose-purple flowers' white throats.

Red Annuals

• Compact annual phlox (Phlox drummondi) stands just 6 inches to 1 foot high, with densely branching stems of felt-textured, sticky green leaves. In sandy, well-drained fertile soils and with sufficient water, this phlox blooms continuously from April until June. Its bright, rose-red -- sometimes white or pink -- trumpet-shaped, 1-inch flowers open in branch-ending clusters. Butterflies feed on their nectar. Scarlet sage (Salvia coccinea) lures hummingbirds with its spring-to-fall flowers. The brilliant-red, whorled blooms open at intervals along its upright stems of aromatic, oval green leaves. The 3-to-4-foot, drought-resistant annual grows in sun to shade, but blooms most abundantly in spring. It tolerates a wide range of soils.