10 Annuals for Flower Boxes in Full Sun

0 Annuals for Flower Boxes in Full Sun

One of the best parts of summer is, of course, the sun! While we love to go outdoors and soak up the sun during both activities and leisure time, some of the hardiest and most enjoyable annual plants love to drink in the sun, too.

Summer is the perfect time to fill your flower boxes and planters with all sorts of annual flower varieties that love the sun even more than you do. Thankfully, there are many types to choose from, meaning you can coordinate your flower boxes by color, growth pattern, and any other method you can think of!

Today, we’re going to go through ten of the best annuals to plant in full-sun facing flower boxes so that, even if you decide to go indoors, you can still enjoy the sun and all the best sun-loving flowers all season long.

Snapdragon

Snapdragon

When it comes to uniqueness, nothing can beat a snapdragon! Its tell-tale flowering stalks will bloom all summer and won’t need deadheading to keep them looking their best. Multiple varieties come in colors ranging from blues to pinks, while certain varieties grow upright and certain ones mound. This makes it the perfect annual to choose to suit your window box wishes.

Snapdragons are heat and sun-tolerant and won’t faint if you miss a watering. They can range anywhere from fourteen to forty inches tall, so whether you want some window cover or a more trailing plant, you’re set with snapdragons.

Amaranth

Amaranth

This hardy and vigorous grower is low-maintenance and beautiful! It keeps its shape well, making it the perfect candidate for a window flower box. The hot pink, feather-like blooms will bring pollinators to your window so you can admire them while they work.

Heat, humidity, and even drought won’t set amaranth back. Its growth habit is bushy and lush, while the flowers do well for cutting and displaying around the house so that you can take some of the beauty of the outdoors in with you.

Lantana

Lantana

This cascading annual combines the reliability of petunias with some tropical flair. Lantana is an excellent choice for window boxes that you want to overflow with that effortless, English garden-like feel slightly.

But these flowers are no delicate daisies. They come in many bright colors and are known for attracting both hummingbirds and butterflies. Plant it in full sun to see it really work, producing bright blooms that will last throughout the season with no need for deadheading.

Canna lily

Canna-lily

A canna lily will provide the perfect focal point for larger boxes where you want some tropical flair. They love the heat and the sun and will flower in a range of bright, tropical colors all summer long. They have a fast and upright growth habit that combines with a mounding annual to maximize visual interest.

Because they’re large, they aren’t suited well to windows but make a great planter box flower that will resist even drought conditions and provide a beautiful oasis of exotic-looking foliage.

Salvia

Salvia

This popular annual comes in many varieties that offer different sizes and colors of foliage and blooms, although all follow similar growth patterns and plant shapes. Above all, these annuals are perfect for attracting pollinators and hummingbirds and, if you select the right variety, will stay small enough to make a great window box flower.

Salvia is both bushy and lush and upright, with tubular flowers on thin stalks. From pinks to purples and deep, nearly black blues, salvia is a breath of fresh air all summer long and will do wonderfully in full-sun conditions.

Spider flower

Spider-Flower

These unique-looking flowers, also called cleomes, can’t be beaten! You won’t miss the beautiful multi-hued pink blooms that look like fireworks in flower form. They have an upright growth pattern and dark leaves that make this annual a dramatic show-stopper.

They love the sun and won’t faint in low-water conditions. They do grow tall, from three to five feet! So these blooms are best in a ground flower box but will provide unique interest and start conversations as ornamental growth even in smaller areas, like an apartment balcony flower box.

Coleus

Coleus

These well-loved summer beauties are best known for their prolific and colorful foliage that won’t wither even in the hottest, driest of conditions. However, they can also produce beautiful flowers late in the summer and into early fall, making them a perfect option for providing season-long interest when some of your other annuals are starting to fade.

They’re vigorous, bushy growers that will fill out any flower box alone but will look beautiful and provide depth in a mixed container as well. And although they love the sun, they can tolerate shade if needed.

Portulaca

Portulaca

If you want a tropical look that stays closer to the soil, then portulaca is perfect for you! These flowers technically bloom from a succulent annual plant. The colors range from bright oranges to tropical reds and fuschias. As a part of the succulent family, they thrive in hot, colorful, and dry conditions and are low-maintenance.

They’ll even grow well in poor soils and reward you with dense blooms that take over the entire plant. If you want an explosion of color in your flower box, then consider planting some portulaca to enjoy all summer long.

Ageratum

Ageratum

If you’ve ever seen ageratum, you won’t have quickly forgotten its lush, almost fuzzy-looking periwinkle blooms. Despite its delicate and whimsical appearance, ageratum is hardy and sun-loving with a great, dense growth habit that can survive almost anything.

As a member of the aster family, these blooms also come in pinks and whites, although they’re not the most common colors. If you want an undeniably unique flower that contrasts with your usual summer oranges and reds, this pom-pom-like bloom is an excellent choice for your flower boxes.

Marigolds

Marigolds

Last but not least is the ever-popular marigold. It’s endured as a gardener’s favorite for decades because of its dependability, bright and cheery coloring, and puffy-looking blooms. If you’re looking for a no-fuss flower, then marigolds are a great choice.

They thrive in full-sun conditions and are known to repel unwanted pests like mosquitos, beetles, and even small garden-foraging animals. So if you want to keep mosquitos away from your window, or if you want to protect your patio herb garden, adding marigolds nearby is a must.

Final Thoughts

There are so many beautiful, unique annual flower varieties that will hold up well all summer long in the sun and provide you with hours of enjoyment. It’s so hard to choose which one to plant that you might as well just try one of each in your window boxes this summer!