Having a nice garden is a very hard job especially if you aim to keep it year round. But if you are open to suggestions, we have found some annuals (flowers that are not seasonal) and perennials that look good in every season that can give your garden the push to look beautiful regardless of the season.
The best things to plant for a nice garden year round
01 Firestorm Lantana Plant
Botanical Name: Lantana camara ‘CCCF1’
This plant thrives in hot, dry locations. It is known for its red and yellow blooms and it is perfect to attract butterflies and hummingbirds into your garden. It works better in containers or garden beds, and its leaves remain green in colder locations.
02 Summer Snapdragon
Botanical Name: Angelonia angustifolia
Commonly known as Angelonia or Summer snapdragon, this plant truly does resemble a dragon, featuring long spikes of two-lipped blooms that open all summer long in rich pink, blue, lavender, and bi-color hues. It is drought tolerant, but will still thrive in hot, humid summers, which makes it perfect for a variety of climates.
03 Diamond Spire Gardenia
Botanical Name: Gardenia hybrid ‘Leefive’
This is a compact plant, only growing three to four feet tall and only two feet wide, but it packs a punch. Specifically, it smells really good and continues to do so once its flowers have been cut. Plus, it blooms heavily, which makes it perfect so that you can decorate your home with the flowers you cut all summer long.
04 Catmint
Botanical Name: Nepeta spp.
Known mostly to cat lovers, it makes for wonderful teas and decoration. It is a hardy plant that withstands heat and droughts, but be careful which type you pick, ‘Select Blue’, ‘ Walker’s Low’, and ‘Cat’s Meow’ will be the best ones as others can begin to spread and become weeds.
05 It’s A Breeze Red Rose
Botanical Name: Rosa hybrid ‘Meigremlis’
Ideal for ground coverage or cascading from pots, this plant offers plenty of dark red, double-petaled flowers, typically 20 to 30 per stem. They make their first appearance in spring and continue to reflower into the fall months. This variety holds up well against heat and common plant diseases.
06 Common blanketflower or common gaillardia bush in full bloom
Botanical Name: Gaillardia spp. and hybrids
Blanket flowers thrive in full sun, producing vivid red and yellow blossoms from spring through fall. It stands out for its remarkable resistance to heat and dry conditions. It attracts a range of pollinators, including bees and butterflies in the spring and in the fall, birds such as goldfinches are drawn to the small seeds.
07 Pentas
Botanical Name: Pentas lanceolata
Also known as Egyptian start flower, they attract hummingbirds and butterflies die to all the colorful varieties this plant comes in. They do best in full sun, but if your yard is shaded, you might still want to give it a try.
08 Saucy Salvia Plant
Botanical Name: Salvia splendens
This is a sterile and self-cleaning series of salvia which is in bloom for most of the year. They make great cut flowers and do not grow much bigger than a two- to three-foot clump.
09 Million Bells
Botanical Name: Calibrachoa hybrids
Also called trailing petunia, the flowers resemble a bell, giving it its name. They can keep green through the winter months and come in a variety of colors. They can tolerate heat and drought quite well, making them a fan favorite.
10 EnduraScape Verbena
Botanical Name: Verbena peruviana
Known for their extended blooming season and vibrant shades of purple, red, pink, and white, these plants feature strong branching habits that create lush, low mounds ideal for groundcover or cascading over edges.
11 Bat-faced Cuphea
Botanical Name: Cuphea llavea
Among the many varieties of cuphea suited for garden spaces this one has small, one-inch flowers with a fuzzy purple base and a pair of red petals that give the illusion of a bat’s face and ears, giving it its name.