I like to plant perennials in my yard because not only do they come back every year, but are easy to divide, and can save you a lot of money if you have several large gardens.
But, for my container gardens, nothing beats the wide variety of annuals that are available. I have mostly sun in my yard, and have to find flowers that not only like the sun, but can tolerate my southern humidity. For several years I have limited myself to geraniums, zinnias, and lantanta, but while looking for some container plants at a local nursery, I came upon these pretty cosmos.
They were perfect, fit the requirements for my yard, and were great container plants.
Cosmos are easy to grow.
Requirements include:
Sun 6-8 hours per day
Loamy soil
Water when soil becomes dry.
Dead head spent blooms to encourage new flowers.
I added them to this rusty bucket, and placed a rusty rooster as a backdrop. I like the contrast between the delicate flowers and the rust.
This year, make sure when you are looking for flowers for your garden, you are open to new ideas. The nurseries and local garden shops are full of great ideas, and there are so many flowers out there that will fit the requirements of your yard.
So pretty and easy to grow. I like cosmos because they have that airy cottage feel.