Why My Love for Annuals Continues to Grow

By Allan Armitage|November 14, 2022

As I was talking to a plant group recently, it was obvious they wanted to hear about perennials, shrubs, and native plants. I did my usual rambling about what I was seeing out there and then I stepped into the wonderful world of annuals.

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Coleus is an ideal choice for apartment-dwellers who may only have space for containers, rather than a garden bed. Photos: Allan Armitage
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Impatiens will bring a burst of color to any garden.
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Caladium ‘Heart to Heart Chinook’ thrives in sun or shade.
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Catharanthus ‘Soiree Kawaii Red Shades’ is one of many varieties of vincas.

It turns out my wonderful world was not theirs, as someone piped up (politely, of course), “Oh, for the love of Pete, not annuals!”

I hadn’t heard that expression for a long time, but regardless of Pete’s love, I asked why he felt like that. “They are so boring, and are only fillers,” he said. “Color is so overrated!”

I invited him over to my garden, to take a look at a few boring annuals that act as fillers and color. So, let’s talk a little about those boring annuals. We, as an industry, would be duck soup without them, and I can’t imagine anyone who makes a living with plants thinks that color is overrated.

The lesson here is that if our industry is essential to the mental well-being of this country (which I have stated many times), then let’s tell Joe Public how fabulous these boring plants are. This fellow Joe, by the way, is me, your kids, your neighbors, and your local mall.

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Here are four colorful annuals that Joe Public cannot be without:

Impatiens: The No Brainer. Impatiens are the greatest filler. They’re plants that tolerate shade and sun. There are impatiens that are now downy mildew resistant. Impatiens color up any garden. Honest to Pete!
Coleus: The Easy Choice for Containers. Containers are our best friend, allowing anyone to garden almost anywhere. We have a ton of plants to offer, but good old coleus is for everyone. They have colors of all sorts, heights for everyone, and tolerance for full sun and partial shade, what does not work?
Caladium: The Easiest Filler. Caladium breeding is providing full sun caladiums and the standards for shade. But there is nothing standard in the choices available for my neighbor. And oh how we worry about summers getting hotter — bring on the caladiums!
Vinca: So Many Choices. Yes, I fill everywhere I can, and without doubt one of the best fillers is annual vinca. There are so many choices for containers or the garden. From Tattoos to Soirees, from large to small flowered, bring them on.

I love the fact that we have so many growers producing so many types of plants; they are all important. And let us never think that anything is boring.

Allan Armitage was a professor in the Department of Horticulture at the University of Georgia for 30 years. He recently retired and remains an active consultant, author and lecturer. See all author stories here.