Garden Flower Gardens 10 Low-Growing Annuals That Will Add a Carpet of Color to Your Garden Take your garden to the next level by focusing on annuals close to the ground. By Samantha Johnson Published on August 2, 2024 Close Photo: MRaust / Getty Images When planning your garden each year, annuals are a must-have—they offer massive variety and brilliant colors to add charm and depth to your garden, attract pollinators, and can even deter some common pests. Another major draw? Giving your garden a variety of vertical growth. If you already have plenty of sunflowers, lilacs, and daylilies filling up the vertical space in your garden, why not include some additional blooms and foliage closer to the ground? Here are some expert-recommended favorites that can add some short but sweet zest to your landscape. Keep in mind that many of these species will live as perennials in warm climates (often zone 9-plus), but must be grown as annuals elsewhere. Dick Zondag, master gardener, horticulturist, and owner of Jung Seed Company Mary Schier, garden writer, editor, and author of The Northern Gardener 14 Annual Flowers That Bloom All Summer Long 01 of 10 Sweet Alyssum Getty Images This is the flower that may come to mind when you think of a low-growing annual. Sweet alyssum is petite yet powerful and brings a lot of beauty to the garden despite its small size. "It’s a very low-growing annual that comes in a couple of colors and can cover an area in a very short period," says horticulturist Dick Zondag. Zones: 5 to 9Mature size: 3 to 10 inches tall x 2 to 4 inches wideCare requirements: Full to partial sun; well-draining soil How to Find Your Gardening Zone—Plus, the Best Plants to Grow in Your Region 02 of 10 Marigolds Getty Images You might primarily think of marigolds as a way to add a touch of orange to your garden, but marigolds actually come in a range of additional colors—white, yellow, red, even blue or purple. Plus, if you’re into seed saving, you can save some money next season. "They are easy to grow from seed in the North, and the bunnies seem to leave them alone mostly," says author Mary Schier. You might also have luck using marigolds as a garden deterrent for deer and other mammals. Zones: 2 to 11 Mature size: 6 to 12 inches tall x 6 to 12 inches wideCare requirements: Full sun, and be careful not to overwater How to Plant and Care for Marigolds, Splashy Bedding Plants That You Can Grow in Almost Every Hardiness Zone 03 of 10 Impatiens Jeanne Emmel / Getty Images You might have some shady spots in your landscaping, and you can fill these up with impatiens. You have a lot of varieties to choose from—over a thousand—so there’s bound to be something that fits your garden’s color scheme. "For a low-growing annual for shade, I LOVE Beacon™ impatiens," says Schier. "They are easy to grow from seed, but you can usually find the plants at local garden centers in spring. They spread to 12 to 14 inches and flower constantly. I edge shady beds with them, and even use them in containers with coleus under my deck." Zones: 2 to 9Mature size: 6 to 18 inches tall (or taller) x 12 to 14 inches wideCare requirements: Partial shade; moist soil; well-drained 15 Full-Shade Annuals That Will Flourish Without Direct Sun 04 of 10 Zinnias Getty Images Some zinnias can grow quite tall, but some wonderful sub-24-inch varieties add a dazzling splash of vivid colors to your groundscape. Zondag suggests 'Profusion' zinnias for their many colors and low-growth habit. "New flowers tend to cover the spent blooms, so the border always looks fresh," he says. "It blooms from summer through fall, so little maintenance is necessary." Zones: 3 to 10Mature size: 14 to 18 inches tall x 20 to 24 inches wideCare requirements: Full soil; well-drained soil How to Grow and Care for Zinnias, an Easy Flower That Blooms All Summer 05 of 10 Nasturtiums Stefan Sutka/Getty Images Some annuals put out tremendous blossoms but are perhaps a little lacking in the foliage department; the same can’t be said for nasturtiums, which sport lovely, low-spreading foliage. Even still, the vivid bell-shaped flowers are the star of the show. Zones: 2 to 9Mature size: 18 inches tall x 24 inches wide.Care requirements: Full sun; well-drained (even sandy) soil 06 of 10 Lobelia Irina Chayko / Getty Images For a dash of the unusual, turn to the lobelia. "True blue annuals are not too frequent," says Zondag. "Lobelia comes in many colors, from true blue to white and red." He recommends using them in hanging baskets or window boxes with other annuals to make a nice color palette, "as true blue is not a usual flower. They also trail nicely." Zones: 2 to 9Mature size: About 8 inches tall x 8 inches wideCare requirements: Full to partial sun 20 Types of Blue Flowers That Add a Pop of Color to Your Yard 07 of 10 Celosia kwanchaichaiudom / GETTY IMAGES Celosia offers something for everyone: vibrant and varying bloom colors, foliage of varying colors, and three different types of blossoms. It’s easy to love celosia for its non-dramatic approach to garden life and for the unique attributes it adds to any collection of annuals. Zones: 3 to 9Mature size: 6 to 36 inches tall, depending on the varietyCare requirements: Full sun; well-drained soil; take care not to overwater 08 of 10 Pansies Ðезгодов / Getty Images Pansies come in such cheerful colors, and their sweet faces brighten any garden. These diminutive plants make for super low-growth color, standing less than a foot tall. They work well in containers, too. "When they start to wilt in late June or July, I put them in a shady corner and keep them watered until the weather cools down," says Schier. "Often, you'll get another flush of bloom for the fall." Zones: 3 to 8Mature size: 6 to 12 inches tallCare requirements: Full to partial sun but cool temperatures; well-drained soil 09 of 10 Wax Begonias Jobrestful / Getty Images Similar to succulents, wax begonias can handle low-moisture soils, but these colorful annuals are also fond of shade or sun. Wax begonias are low-maintenance plants that require less deadheading than other annuals and are known for their diminutive size (and they may even stay on the shorter side if grown in the sun rather than the shade). Zones: 3 to 7Mature size: 6 to 12 inches tall x 6 to 12 inches wide.Care requirements: Shade or sun; well-draining soil Begonias Are a Beautiful Addition to Any Garden—Here’s How to Grow and Care for Them 10 of 10 Petunias Olena Lialina / Getty Images If you need a top-notch, low-growing annual, look no further than petunias. Zondag loves the Wave petunias because they’re extremely vigorous and floriferous. "You can plant them 18 inches to 2 feet apart, and with care, they can cover an area very quickly and look nice for the whole summer," he says. "New blooms tend to cover the spent blooms, so very little deadheading must be done to keep the bed looking nice." Wave petunias come in many, many colors. "Late in the summer, when the petunias start to look a little over the hill, trim back and fertilize with a high nitrogen fertilizer to get a new spurt of growth and flowering," says Zondag. Zones: 2 to 11Mature size: 6 to 12 inches tall x 20 to 30 inches wideCare requirements: Full sun; well-drained soil How to Grow and Care for Petunias, a Low-Maintenance Annual That Blooms All Summer Long Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit