Annual Plants for Zone 3

Annual Flowers for Sun

• Many annuals for sun are easy growers. Petunias grow 8 to 24 inches tall, depending on the variety. Color options are broad, with single or bi-colors like white, red, pink or purple. Deadheading will keep the plants full as they bloom from summer into fall. With one season of marigold (Tagetes erecta variety can reach 3 feet tall), you will be able to collect enough seeds to plant the following year. The blooms in shades of yellow or brown burst in summer and continue into fall. Allow the blooms to remain on the plant, where they will convert to seeds. For color to highlight other plants, choose dusty miller (Senecio cineraria), which grows about 12 inches tall. The leaves of dusty miller are grayish with scalloped edges.

Annual Flowers for Shade

• Impatiens (Impatiens balsamina) may be the most popular annual flower for shade, especially since it self-sows. Reaching up to 18 inches tall, the impatiens has blooms in white, red, salmon, yellow or pink. Forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica), which grows about 1 foot tall, is another self-sow annual plant. In late spring, forget-me-not produces clusters of tiny blooms comprised of five blue petals with a yellow center. Plant coleus (Coleus blumei) in mass to enjoy the color of the leaves, which are red to maroon in the center and rimmed with creamy white, green or both. Pinch off late summer blooms of coleus to encourage leaf growth on this plant that reaches 18 to 36 inches tall.

Low Annuals for Borders

• Create flower borders at the edge of a garden or along a walkway with these annual plants that grow less than 9 inches tall. Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) produces small white, pink or purple blooms on light green stems from late spring into early fall. Alyssum also self sows. Verbena (Verbena hybrids) blooms from late spring into fall with colors of white, red, blue or pink. Pansy (Viola wittrockiana) is available in a variety of single and bi-colors of white, blue, purple, red or yellow. Snip a handful for a small bedside vase. All these plants can also be used window flower boxes.

Annuals with Fragrance

• Plant these annuals along a pathway or near a window so you can enjoy their fragrance. Snapdragon (Antirrhinum sp.) grows 12 to 24 inches tall with blooms of yellow, white, lavender, pink or red. The first blooms appear in summer and will last into fall when they drop their seeds. Four o'clock (Marabilis jalapa) can look a little leggy as it reaches up to about 3 feet tall, so plant it at the back of the flower bed. The white, yellow or red blooms of four o'clock display from summer into fall. You can tap the stem or bud of the plant in the fall to capture the pea-size seed or let the seed fall to the ground to return the following spring. Start sweet sultan (Centaurea moschata) indoors because this annual flower has a long growing period, but it's worth it. Sweet sultan produces fluffy blooms of white, pink, yellow or lavender on stems 2 to 3 feet long, making them suitable for cutting for floral arrangements.