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HARDY ANNUALS

The Magic of Succession Gardening

Ever notice a lull in your garden between spring’s bloom and summer’s peak? That’s where hardy annuals shine—seamlessly filling the gaps and keeping the garden alive with color and movement. This technique, known as succession gardening, ensures a continuous display while supporting pollinators.

In December, we seeded a vibrant mix of cornflowers, poppies, Queen Anne’s lace, larkspur, and sweet peas—all carefully timed to establish strong root systems before winter. With early planting (as soon as March or April), these hardy annuals burst into bloom just when the garden needs them most, creating a dynamic, ever-changing landscape.

Learn more about Andrew Wiley's poetic gardening style

Vineyard Gardens Display bed in June filled with hardy annuals and biennials

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Why Hardy Annuals?

Extended bloom time – Last year, poppies planted on March 15 bloomed through July 4!
Strong root systems – Early winter seeding promotes healthier, more resilient plants.
Pollinator-friendly – A rich nectar source when other flowers are scarce.
Seamless integration – They blend naturally into garden beds as perennials take over.

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Best Uses for

Hardy Annuals

🌿 GARDEN BEDS – Hardy Annuals fill empty spaces and create a natural flow with perennials. All the hardy annuals we carry are perfect for your formal or informal flower gardens, landscapes or cottage gardens.

🌿 MASS PLANTINGS – A striking, meadow-like effect with minimal effort.

🌿 CUT FLOWERS – Hardy Annuals are great cut flowers! Below is a selection that are beautiful in your garden and on your table.

Larkspur
Sweet peas
Centaurea (Corn Flowers)
Scabiosa
Snap dragons (Antirrhinum)
Ammi majus/ Ammi majus 'Select White'
Ammi visnaga 'Green Mist'
Agrostemma (Both Colors)
Orlaya
Papaver: You must cauterize them (burn the tip of the stem with a lighter) in order for the bloom to last longer after cut.

🌿 CONTAINERS – Hardy Annuals provide early-season lush foliage and color with a mix of tall and trailing varieties. All the hardy annuals we carry are beautiful in containers.

Tall Plants: Cornflowers (36”), Queen Anne’s Lace, Larkspur
Front of Border/Containers: Asperula orientalis ‘Cloud Nine’ (long-blooming)
Other Selections: Poppies, Bellis, Variegated Vinca

🌿 WINDOW BOXES – Shorter hardy annuals are great for lining the front edge of a window boxes.

Asperula: Bloom mid April through the end of June
Papaver : Bloom May through second week of July

With a little planning, hardy annuals transform a garden’s “quiet moments” into a season of abundance.

Want to dig deeper? Explore a couple of our favorite varieties below and tips for planting success!

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Available Now!

List of flowering annuals that we have grown from seed that are available now!

Lobularia benthamii
Malcolmia maritima
Malcolmia maritima ‘Choice Mix’
Mathiola bicornis
Nigella ‘African Bride’
Nigella ‘Delft Blue’
Nigella ‘Miss Jekyll Indigo’
Nigella ‘Miss Jekyll Light Blue’
Papaver ‘Amazing Grey’
Papaver ‘Angel’s Choir’
Papaver ‘Drama Queen’
Papaver ‘Hungarian Blue’
Papaver ‘Ladybird’
Papaver ‘Monet’
Papaver rhoeas
Papaver ‘Sissinghurst White’
Papaver ‘White Cloud’
Salvia coccinea
Salvia sclarea ‘Blue Monday’
Salvia viridis ‘Rose’
Scabiosa ‘Blue Cocade’
Scabiosa ‘Fata Morgana’

Agrostemma 'Ocean Pearl'
Ammobium grandiflorum
Ammi majus
Ammi visnaga 'Green Mist'
Antirrhinum ‘Black Prince’
Antirrhinum ‘F1 Lavender’
Antirrhinum ‘Potomac Cherry Rose’
Antirrhinum ‘Potomac Orange’
Antirrhinum ‘Potomac White’
Bellis perennis
Calendula ‘Neon’
Calendula ‘Pacific Beauty Apricot’
Centaurea cyanus 'Blue Boy'
Centaurea ‘Pinkie’
Dahlia coccinea
Daucus carota
Eschscholzia ‘Purple Gleam’
Eschscholzia ‘White Linen’
Foeniculum vulgare
Gypsophila ‘Covent Garden’
Larkspur 'Light Blue'
Linaria ‘Northern Lights’

Antirrhinum (Snapdragons) are part of the Potomac series and Centaurea cyanus (Bachelor Buttons or Cornflowers), are both excellent cut flowers.