Tips for Annual Selection & Care

Choose Well

To ensure attractive healthy annuals all season, choose full, well branched plants with good foliage color and – on flowering annuals – an abundance of buds. Don’t go for the biggest plants or most open blooms, these are more likely to be leggy and burned out too soon. If the latter is all you find, you can improve their appearance and longevity by pruning them back by about one third to encourage branching and fresh growth.

Combined Effects of different annuals are a quick way to set the mood of any outdoor space. The possibilities include calming or energizing, tropical or desert, cottage soft or architecturally edgy. Coordinate or contrast colors and textures for the desired “feel” in beds or containers.

Designing with Purpose: Color Theory in the Garden

Creating a stunning garden display goes beyond simply picking pretty flowers. A thoughtful approach to color can transform your patio pots and garden beds into a cohesive, intentional design. At Andy's Garden Center, we help gardeners move from randomly selecting plants to curating a specific mood. By understanding some basic color principles, you can create arrangements with professional polish.

For a serene and harmonious feel, work with an analogous color scheme. This involves selecting colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel, like blue, indigo, and violet. Imagine a container filled with the deep blues of Salvia, the soft lavender of Angelonia, and the rich purple of petunias. This creates a soothing, unified look that is easy on the eyes.

If you’re aiming for a vibrant, high-energy display, a complementary color scheme is your best tool. These are colors found opposite each other on the color wheel, such as purple and yellow or blue and orange. The strong contrast makes each color appear more intense. Picture the brilliant orange of Marigolds planted alongside the bold purple of an ornamental verbena. This dynamic pairing creates excitement and draws immediate attention. Don’t be afraid to experiment; the right combination can make your garden sing.

Annuals in containers can really focus in on a desired style and look most stunning when a mix of heights and forms are used – the classic thriller, filler, spiller formula:

Upright (thriller, vertical) plants add vertical interest and a sense of height to planting arrangements, making them more lively and dynamic.

Mounding (filler, anchor) plants are used to create stability in planting arrangements. They bring a sense of balance to even the boldest combinations.

Trailing (spiller, spreading) plants are the final “accessory” in planting arrangements. They fill in gaps, soften edges and tie all the elements together for a truly finished look.

Our Favorite Annuals for Thriller, Filler, Spiller Designs

Putting the "thriller, filler, spiller" method into practice is simple once you know which plants serve each role. Our team at Andy's has curated a list of reliable, high-impact annuals that work beautifully in this classic container design formula.

Thrillers (The Vertical Star):
This is your focal point—the plant that provides height and drama.

• Angelonia (Summer Snapdragon): Offers elegant spires of flowers in purple, pink, or white that bloom all summer long.
• Celosia: Whether you choose the flame-like plumes or the intricate crested "cockscomb" varieties, Celosia adds unique texture and vibrant color.
• Salvia: Many annual Salvia varieties, like 'Victoria Blue' or 'Red Hot Sally', provide strong vertical flower spikes that are also a favorite of hummingbirds.

Fillers (The Mounding Middle):
These plants fill out the container and bridge the gap between the thriller and spiller.

• Lantana: A tough, sun-loving plant with clustered blooms that come in a multitude of colors, often on the same flower head.
• Zinnia: Available in nearly every color imaginable, zinnias provide a cheerful, mounding display of classic daisy-like flowers.
• Coleus: Grown for its stunning foliage, Coleus offers endless combinations of color and pattern, from electric lime to deep burgundy.

Spillers (The Trailing Finish):
These plants cascade over the edges of the pot, softening the lines and completing the look.

• Supertunia® Petunias: These vigorous bloomers produce a profusion of flowers on trailing stems that can hang several feet.
• Sweet Potato Vine (Ipomoea): A foliage powerhouse, its heart-shaped leaves in chartreuse, deep purple, or bronze provide a lush, cascading effect.
• Calibrachoa (Million Bells): Looks like a miniature petunia, this prolific bloomer covers itself in flowers and is perfect for spilling over the sides of pots and baskets.

Healthy Mix

Be sure to match by water and sun needs when mixing annuals in a planting, so all can be at their healthiest. If your plant selections have similar sun requirements, but differing water needs – plant them in individual containers that can each be watered separately. You can then arrange a mix of containers and easily rearrange or change them out as season progresses for a fresh look.

Maintaining the Glow

Annuals need regular and consistent feed and water and a touch of cleanup to keep up their dazzling displays. Liquid feed, with every other watering in containers or once a month in beds, or slow-release feed twice per season work for most varieties. Containers should be checked daily for water needs. When you do water, it may run freely from the bottom of a basket or container before the potting mix actually starts absorbing any, especially if it has been allowed to dry out completely. Think of how a dried out kitchen sponge can need a good soaking before it stops repelling water and starts to take it in. Do not use water flowing out the bottom as your only indicator of enough water! Instead, feel the mix to confirm it really did get
moistened or check for heaviness before and after watering – as a thoroughly watered container should have some weight to it. Many varieties are considered self-cleaning and quickly drop their spent blooms. For those that don’t, remove the finished blooms and any seed heads that start to form so the plant can direct energy to new flowers. Annuals being grown for foliage can have any flowers buds that form removed, with no threat to the plants health.