Good annuals for the metro area are those that can tolerate our dry hot summers while remaining healthy and produce copious flowers for the season. While annuals complete their life cycle in one year, some annuals will drop seed that will produce plants again the next year. Consider these examples:

Ageratum (floss flower or mist flower)

Grows 2=3 feet in full sun. This is an annual that reseeds and returns year after yearAl

Alternanthera ficoides (Joseph’s Coat)

Comes in many colors, hence the name. Prefers full sun and grows to about a foot tall.

Antirrhinum (Snapdragons)

Prefers full sun and comes in many colors. Ranges in hight from 6″ to 3′. Does prefer to be deadheaded

Begonia semperflorens (you guessed it…Begonias)

Range in height from 4″ to 1′. Will grow in both sun and shade

Capsicum (Ornamental Peppers)

Prefer full sun and can grow from 6″ to 2′

Catharanthus (Vinca)

Not to be confused with the perennial vinca, the annual vinca grows from 4″ to 18″. Prefers full sun to part shade. Thrives in hot weather and has a variety of colors

Celosia (Cockscomb)

Will grow from 10″ to 4 feet tall in full sun. Does not always make it through the heat of August though

Dianthis chinensis (Pinks)

Prefers full sun and grows 6-18″. Comes in a variety of colorsDoes need to be deadhead. ed

Heliotropium arborescens (Heliotrope)

Grows to about 1 foot in full sun and is very fragrant

Impatiens

Impatiens prefer shade but the New Guinea Impatiens will tolerate full sun. WIth the many colors and height of 12-14″, they fit in small spaces

Mandevilla vine

Prefers sun to part shade.

Pennisetum setaceum “Rubrum” Burgundy Fountain Grass

Will grow to 4′ in full sun.

Petunia

Will grow from 2′ to 2″ in full sun. With all those flowers, usually needs extra fertilizer. Incredble range of colors from whites and blues to reds and purples.