
What a pleasure annual flowers can be! From seed to glorious blooming in one year, they represent one of the miracles of plant growth.
If you’re planning what to grow this year, we have 10 ideas for you……

- Calendula (marigold). I’m a simple girl (no rude comments, thank you L and C) and my favourite annuals are a simple well-known plants, the first being Calendula (marigold). I don’t mean French marigolds (Tagetes), the ubiquitous summer bedding plants – I find their blooms too fussy and I hate their smell (though they are invaluable as companion plants in the greenhouse – whitefly obviously think their scent is disgusting too 🤣! )

No, I love the simple pot marigolds, with their bright cheery faces and their propensity to spread seeds around at the end of the summer so that you can have a patch of them the following year with no effort on your part at all. My husband loves the ability of (edible) calendula petals to bright up a summer salad.
2. Ammi (bishop’s weed). This annual has become a staple of the pretty cottage-garden look that so many strive for. It’s basically a well-behaved cow parsley, and since I adore the look of late spring hedgerows frothy with these pretty umbels, I was always going to love this gorgeous annual. You can sow it in September for earlier flowers, and if it’s happy with its position it will self-seed gently. A. visnaga is sturdier than A. majus, but both create a lovely mist of white amongst chunkier plants.

3. Nicotiana sylvestris (flowering tobacco). Bedding tobacco plants are rightly famous for their scent, but they do have a tendency to look lively and ‘up for it’ only in the evening, which I find rather disappointing. N. sylvestris is different in that it is much, much larger (to 5 ft when it’s happy!) so it has a presence even in the middle of the day, and it pumps out a stunning fragrance as the day ends, when the sticky white flowers become radiantly luminous. The seed is finer than sand – amazing!

4. Tithonias/Zinnias. I have become a real fan of growing annuals in pots – for one thing, it makes them much easier to weed. These Mexican half-hardy annuals are knockout plants for a container in a hot spot, flowering themselves silly right on into the autumn.


I don’t want to sound like the ‘mean girl’ sister and wholesome as Elaine’s choices are – they are a bit predictable aren’t they? Tried and tested cottage garden favourites …
I prefer something edgier, and the annuals I can’t ‘live without’ tend to change every year as the latest obsession with something unusual and arresting I have seen in other people’s garden takes hold.
5. Milk thistles. This year it was the purple milk thistles, Galactites tomentosum, in Denmans gardens (the late John Brookes’ creation near Chichester) that jumped out at me. Spidery plants that creep over unforgivingly inhospitable areas of poor soil with their silver-veined foliage and delicate thistley flowers on surprisingly tall stems. Bees love them. The pink forms were pretty but I’m going to go for the ethereal white form which more resembles a plant that might grow on a lunar landscape.

6. Opium poppies. Another annual that I am determined to try this year are opium poppies. They looked fantastic in the borders of Oxford Botanics last summer and the cultivar ‘Laurens Grape’ still stalks around Chelsea gardens always adding a dash of class.

7. Pictorial meadow mix. My final choice will elicit cries of ‘foul’ from the other two ‘Bags’ as it is actually a collection of annuals, namely a Pictorial Meadow mix called ‘Candy’. It cleverly overcomes the problem of succession in your annuals border by providing a range of early, middle and late flowering varieties. If you fancy a go at creating one of these botanical masterpieces I’ve put a link to how we grew ours at the end of the blog.


Heavens – A/ How can Elaine describe herself as ‘simple’ but have ‘Tithonia’ as one of her ‘must-have’ annuals. Is it one of yours? and B/ a pictorial meadow is more a capital project than a fun summer bloom – fact. But rest easy, you’ve reached the elementary section.
For most of us our ‘go to’ annuals are in fact sunflowers, sweet peas, cosmos and nasturtiums and here’s why – they’re dead easy. Firstly, their seeds are substantial so you can actually see them (with reasonable reading glasses anyway), and secondly:
8. Sunflowers. So easy to germinate it’s a task normally allocated to the under-5s and me. Some are quicker to emerge than others (my favourite ‘Magic Roundabout’ can actually be a bit sluggish), but once they’re through, it takes ‘next level’ incompetence to kill their ambition to be 6 feet tall. There some wonderful colours now available, try ‘Ruby Sunset’ or ‘White Light’ or smaller ones for your tubs like ‘Ms Mars’ from Suttons , (they’ve got a deal on seeds right now in our ‘bag a bargain page’ – just saying. Link at the end).

9. Cosmos – these seeds are smaller and might be more of a sprinkle in a tray than individual seeds in pots, I grant you, but they come up like grass seed when set on a sunny windowsill. What incredible value they are – whopping plants and loads of flowers. Here’s a thing, apparently they flower best in response to shortening days ie in August and September, so you might not gain much from early sowings? Discuss?

10. Nasturtiums – When you’re tired of nasturtiums, you really do need to get a grip. How a pea-sized seed can, in one summer, send a muscley plant romping along the edge of your border; up your wall, over an obelisk or down your bank is a ceaseless wonder. ‘Empress of India’ is a must, but do please try a climbing variety this year if you haven’t before – instant fiesta on a sunny autumn day!

I know, I know, there’s an elephant in the room – we haven’t featured sweet peas. But these are such a favourite they deserve a post of their own. These gorgeous ‘elephants’ will soon be in the limelight, with sweet pea fan Laura the ringmaster (or Mowgli more like!)
Have you got favourite annuals that we haven’t included here? If so, we’d love to hear from you in the comments section below…
NB You’ll find Laura’s video on pictorial meadows here
For once Louise is not worried about names and labels – find out why she considers these little gems to be informal horticultural currency amongst friends and family

Some January ‘sales’ are running out this week including a super deal from Suttons on seeds. Take a look at our ‘Bag a Bargain’ page:
Isn’t a nuisance when you lose a garden tool! Keep them always at your side in this fantastic tool bag designed by Sophie Conran. They are tough, practical and really attractive. Wonderful as a gift……or for yourself:

NB If you’re not already a subscriber and you’d like a bit more gardening chitchat from the3growbags, please type your email address here and we’ll send you a new post every Saturday morning.
14 replies on “10 annuals we can’t live without”
Absolutely agree that sunflowers and nasturtiums bring quick happiness being easy to sow and grow, likewise calendula, I like all of the marigolds.
I absolutely love zinnias but they don’t return the affection, if they bother to germinate they seem to change their minds quite soon; those that do grow on make sad plants that don’t get round to flowering until well into September.
A favourite for me last year was Malope Trifida, stunning flowers that seemed fine in various parts of the garden.
Absolute favourite, sorry but has to be sweet peas! First batch sown October and growing beautifully despite the extreme cold a couple of weeks ago, second batch germinating now and will sow a third lot in March to be sure of flowers with long stems until the frost returns.
Happy growing!
Diane – it’s Caroline here and Im so pleased you’ve mentioned failure on the annuals front. I’ll see your disappointing zinnias and raise you my ammi which I found impossible to germinate and was pleased to hear at our local gardening group on Thursday, that I’m not the only one. Your sweet pea campaign sounds very impressive – what a gorgeous show you’ll have this year! I’ve made a note of Malope Trifida which is new to me, so thank you. Wishing you a sunny Saturday in your part of the world, best regards, Caroline
I love annuals! Cosmos is also an all time favourite for me. Others not mentioned are Nigella – sprinkle direct so no hassle and you get lovely flowers for the bees followed by gorgeous seed heads. Linaria Fairy Bouquet also direct sprinkle and flowers so quickly. Nice and short for any gaps at the front of borders and pots. I also love Scabiosa (as do the bees and butterflies). Black Knight is a favourite and can come back for 2/3 years here in Devon.
Hi Lisa, Elaine here. Thank you for reminding us about Nigella – I find the flowers intriguing and absolutely love the seedheads. Linaria is not one I’ve ever tried, but I’ve certainly grown Scabiosa before and marvelled at the flowers’ attraction for all types of insects – I shall look out for Black Knight, and hope for the same fortune as you in persuading them that they’d like to hang around a little longer than one year! All the best.
Love orange Cosmos. New to me. Saved lots of seeds so hope they are all viable
That’s really interesting Lois, are they smaller than the more popular whites and pink cosmos? It’s Caroline here – I grew orange and yellow cosmos a few years ago but hadn’t bargained for them being substantially shorter than I was expecting (maybe my garden conditions but I probably didnt read the packet 🙄). Thank you for reminding me – I’d love to grow some more orange ones this year. Very best wishes to you, Caroline
Nicotiana sylvestris is perennial for me in North Shropshire – perhaps because the roots are protected by the large conifer above. I’ve had the same plants for three years. I also love Nicotiana langsdorfii with its dainty green (albeit scentless) bells. Again some of these are perennial here: I garden on almost pure sand – perhaps that’s the reason.
Hi Sue, Elaine here. You are very lucky to get N. sylvestris to keep going over the winter! Yes, maybe the conifer is protecting their roots from the bitterest winter weather? You have reminded me about N. langsdorfii which I remember growing in my garden a few years ago – I showed them proudly to my sister Laura, and she very sniffily said that there was ‘too much foliage for too few little flowers’ for her refined taste! It might be time to sow some again and see of she feels the same! Enjoy your gardening this year.
I wouldn’t be without Echium Blue Bedder. Perhaps they are not technically annuals?
I live in a rather chilly part of England so the seed never germinates in the ground from one year to the next. Wonderfully good take up on a packet of seed and they are such a wonderful blue.
Can’t wait to get going and will definitely add the milk thistles to my collection. Thank you.
Hi Jane, Elaine here. I think they are technically classed as Hardy Annuals, but they self-seed so readily in many places that they can seem perennial. Indeed they are classed as invasive in parts of Australia and the USA, but as you say, the cold of the UK climate pegs them back. The other thing to remember is that Echium sap can be irritant. It’s fabulous when you find a flower in a real true blue though, isn’t it! Laura will be pleased that you’re excited about her milk thistles – I might even be tempted by those myself……..All the best, and thank you for writing in.
Bishop weed? This is also the name for that rather invasive perennial plant Aegopodium podagraria which we in Scotland call it while you in the south call it ‘Ground elder.’
‘Milk thistle’ is the common name for Silybum marianum. I saw Arab ladies in Israel harvesting it, cutting off the jaggy leaves for the succulent stems to feed to their goats.
Hello Bill, yes as usual you’re right! Several plants often share the same common name which is why (Laura) am always nagging my two sisters to include a plant’s scientific name along its common one. The Galactites tomentosum actually has the common name purple milk thistle but as I am intending to grow the white version I, (probably wrongly) left out the word purple so I’m going to go in and amend that now – thank goodness you keep us on our toes ! Very best wishes Laura PS I’m loving the image you paint of feeding goats thistle leaves in Isreal …
Hi, Nicky here. I grew Cosmos for the first time last summer ⛱️ in our Community Garden 🏡🌿🍂 next to Edinburgh Castle 🏰. We are up at the top of a hill, the garden is all in big pots, including trees 🌳🌴, perennials, annuals etc. The garden 🏡🌿🍂 is cold 🥶❄️ and windy 🌬️🍃 and completely overlooked by high buildings 🏢. We get some sun ☀️ for a few hours but it’s a miracle that plants ☘️ 🌵 grow 🪴 and flourish here at all. I don’t have a sunny ☀️ windowsill 🪟 or much patience so I always buy bedding plants ready to go. To my absolute astonishment the Cosmos was still flowering bravely in November! A miracle.
Hi Nicky, Elaine here. Well done! That sounds like a pretty challenging position to have a Community Garden, so you deserve a lot of respect for persuading things to grow there. My pots of Cosmos are also in quite a windy position, but it doesn’t seem to bother them too much, just like yours. They are such generously-flowering annuals, aren’t they! Hope you have another successful year. PS Excellent use of emojis🤣!