Hits: Zahara Yellow zinnias. Beautiful cool yellow on mounding, continuously blooming plants. Did not flop.

Black Pearl Peppers en masse. The hotter it got, the more beautiful they were and are. The foliage stayed really, really black and the lavender blooms were beautiful and fresh looking. Now the black peppers are turning brilliant red. Gorgeous plant. No insects, no disease. Just beautiful. Everyone who comes on my property asks about them.

Profusion Zinnias, Fire: Planted right in front of the Black Pearl Peppers. Cut back in mid Summer and they came right back out with water and fertilizer. I can't wait for the children to see my "Halloween" bed at my front door.

Lime Queen Zinnia: Exactly what I expected Envy to be. It's a beautiful cool chartreuse and did not fade in the heat of summer. WINNER.

Zinnia Zowie Flame: Words cannot describe. This was my favorite new plant this year. They don't even get sun all day long and they completely lived up to their press.

Misses:
Aztec Sunrise Zinnias: Not awful. Not great. The flower color combinations were interesting, but they were small and there was not a big enough mass of any one to make a real show. Plus, the plants flopped, big time. Cannot hold a candle to Zaharas or Profusions.

Enchantress Zinnias: A pretty, lavender/pink, tall Elegans type. The plants were tall and gawky looking. I cut them back and they came right back: gawky. The blooms were beautiful, but the color was wishy washy in the heat of summer. I'm going to try Uproar Rose next year. Still, no disease problems. In a cooler climate and the right setting, they might be great.

Zahara Rose Zinnia: Faded just as badly as Profusion Rose. I love the color, but I'm done for my climate until the breeders make some improvements.

Hits:

Pentas "New look series": compact plants, very heat tolerant, flower clusters don't wither quickly

Gomphrena "Strawberry fields": longest blooming annual, drought & heat tolerant, attract loads of butterflies, requires minimal care

Zinnia "Magellan": the best zinnia ever, huge fully doubled blooms, self branching, need no staking.. Pink and Coral tops the other colors..

Zinnia "Profusion double mix": they just grow and bloom, cuttings are easily rooted, a single plants spreads about two feet.

Celosia crisata "Prestige Scarlet": bright and lovely color, produces multiple heads, comes true from seed, self-seeds easily..

Portulaca "Sundial": largest blooms, remain open till evening, bees love them..

Misses:

Gaillardia "Arizona Apricot": Slow grower, blooms wither in 2 days maximum.. lets see how it performs during our mild winters.

Sunflower "Teddy bear": blooms fade and form seeds very quickly, only one or two branches per plant..

Celosia plumosa "Kimono mix": bloom fades quickly, plants are variable in height and bloom quality.

...and the biggest miss: Zinnia "Queen Red lime".. worst color for a flower.. almost like a faded zinnia... the only annual which I uprooted at its prime..

I didn't do alot of different annuals this year, instead I did alot of a few annuals. The ones I was happiest with were "Purple Gnome" Gomphrena, "Hummingbird Red" Salvia and Melampodium.

"Serena" Angelonia grew and flowered fine, they just didn't excite me as much as they have in previous years. Vincas also grew well and didn't turn that sickly yellow color they often do. They just don't thrill me anymore. The white and light pink gomphrenas that came in a mixed market pack seemed blah in comparison to the purple ones.

As for the misses, portulaca only bloomed sporadically and were kind of ratty looking most of the time. "Profusion Yellow" Zinnias did well and didn't mildew, but were a little too neon yellow for my taste. "Graffiti White" Pentas were disappointing. The white ones didn't seem to bloom nearly as well as the red ones I had last year.

Totally Confused

I think it may have to do with the weather this year, but all my petunias were just blah! I did try a couple new kinds, Wave Plum Vein and Wave Neon Rose. I usually just do Wave Blue (which were not as good this year as others).

What I loved:
Black-eyed Susan Vine (White)
Pentas 'Graffiti Lipstick'
'Sun Burst' Sunflowers
Benarys Giant Purple Zinnias
Double Profusion Zinnias 'Fire'