This is my first year for sowing seeds of cosmos and zinnias. For transplants I usually buy Profusion zinnias. Visiting nurseries tomorrow and I'm thinking about trying periwinkles this year.

I buy lots of annuals. Mostly by the flat. I always buy impatients, marigolds and snapdragons. Lately I have been buying zinnias instead of starting them and also cosmos. Then this year I discovered I love portulacas so bought those in flats also.

I bought impatiens for the window boxes that receive only an hour or two of sunlight. The ones I started from seed aren't growing much and need to be planted out. The first batch were destroyed by the squirrels within 48 hours of planting. I hope the next batch does better.

I don't buy many plants these days since discovering wintersowing. I also direct sow a lot of annual seeds. I like variety, and even with me doing the ordering, we get the same old plants every year at the garden center. The greenhouses just don't have much in terms of variety. They don't even have many zinnias available yet.

Love pentas! With mild winters they're perennial down here.

Most annuals I either start from seed or depend on reseeds - I will buy wax begonias for window boxes and hanging baskets. The ones in the ground will often come back if the winter hasn't been to bad. I buy specialty annuals for my containers every year - angelonia, copper plant, calobracia(sp) (Million bells) - the rest of the annuals will depend on my whim and what is new on the market ......

Lynne

I try to grow as many from seed/self-sowing as possible. In bloom right now, there are alyssum, poppies, larkspur, nigella, rose campion, stick verbena and cornflowers.

Marigolds, zinnias and nasturtiums sown in spring for summer.

In the past I'd always buy purple petunias, yellow marigolds, lacy dusty miller (best grown as an annual here), and white alyssum. Maybe a few other different ones each year but always those 4. Did that for years, then a few years ago realized how boring it was and began to buy whatever looked good the day I went to the nursery! This year I may get a purple verbena again (had it last year and loved it), snapdragons (haven't had any for 2 years), and calendula (which often self-seed and return but I must have deadheaded too much). I'm doing a shade g@rden so may get impatiens and should seed some coleus. Planning to seed several annuals soon. Bot a bunch of seeds - nasturtium was one, forget the others! :-D How many plants I need/get depends on how many of my perennial beds we can get finished in the next 2 weeks. I should be out there right now instead of goofing off here - have given myself a long, long lunch break today! LOL

Rocket snapdragons
Plumbago since it's not hardy here
Agastache "Acapulco Rose" if it doesn't return. (did last two years, this year's wet winter did it in)
a tender salvia or two, something different every year
a tender penstemon if I see one I like

Next year I'm going to try seeds for the very first time.

Victoria Blue Salvia which was hard to find locally this year, even in the City. It grows like a weed in my beds. I planted some only 11 days ago and they've already doubled in size in both height and width!

An annual for me up here I load up the cottage beds each year with Verbena bonariensis.

For me, changing it up every year is what is the most fun. I love trying different vibrant color combos, and try to use plants that attract hummingbirds to the planters on the patio. I like browsing www.provenwinners.com in their container combos section, you can search for combos for all seasons and color palettes. I also like to take inspiration from the White Flower Farm catalog's annuals combination photos - drool worthy! One last fun place to check out online is http://www.kinsmangarden.com/category/URL_970
They have very inspiring ideas there and such lush plantings.
I just bought my annuals last weekend, and when they recover from transplanting and start blooming, I will post pics to show the combos.
This year I have the following planters:
1) In a blue ceramic planter: Persian shield, lavender geranium, white bacopa, 2 purple nemesias, 1 lavender trailing verbena.
2) In a butter yellow ceramic planter: Elfin Pink penstemon, yellow/pink lantana, yellow African daisy, sweet potato vine in bright green, 1 yellow million bells petunia and 1 medium pink spreading mini petunia.
3)Semi-shade black urn: Coleus (orange-reddish freckles on bright green background), green sweet potato vine, and a orangey-pink begonia.
4)Hayrack basket on gate: hot pink million bells petunia flanked by 2 deep purple trailing petunias, and blue horizon ageratum along back of basket.
5) Smaller terracotta planter: Taller dark purple petunias, bright blue nemesia with white eye, and white salvia.
6) Hanging baskets: 1 Fuchsia for the hummingbirds and 1 mixed hanging basket with yellow and purple mini petunias, white bacopa, and lavender trailing verbena.
7) Front door planters: Bought 2 lush hanging baskets of bright deep magenta wave petunias and cut the "hanging" part off, then plopped the "basket" part into the planters. Less expensive than buying individual plants and gives instant impact!
Amy

My favorite annuals are cosmos sulphureus (self seeds), hybrid cosmos (various), Salvia coccinea 'Coral Nymph' (self seeds...and the hummers love it), zinnias get sown in July for early fall. I buy Evolvulus and Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost' already started.

The C. sulphureus is wonderful.
{{gwi:676625}}

I buy some, and seed some. I can't wait for a greenhouse so I don't buy any.
This year I bought impatience for the very first time. I always buy or start dwarf purple gomphrena, I start gomphrena, usually annual salvias, marigolds, eyeball plant, showy basils as fillers (I love the scent as cut flowers), zinnias, impatience balsima, and yes, those orange cosmos! I also love melepodium and will probably buy a few to fill in as mine come along so late when I grow outdoors from seeds.

We are growing Pentas for the first time in the church greenhouse from tiny plugs. They are very weird. For some reason they are not tolerating drought at all in the greenhouse but also hate overwatering. So this has been very tough for us. I brought two home to see what they do, but when I've tried before with them I have had no luck. So I threw them in a pot with AM sun and PM shade and will watch.
I love sweet potato vines, this year I bought purple million bells, and some hot pink New Guinea impatience.
I plant vincas ever year down by the road, they thrive there all summer. I can see some are coming along from re-seeding too!

Impatiens
Lobelia
Licorice plants
Pink lantana (actually, this is new this year)
Pansies
Also new this year: yellow calendulas

I overwintered my geraniums, plumbagos, and fuchsias, and have sown seeds for the zinnias. :-)

Most of my annuals are direct sown seed, but there are always a few I must buy in six-packs: pansies and violas, dianthus, and foxgloves (only live one year here). I'm trying lobelia and white vinca from seed this year- we'll see what happens.
Renee

i am with Token on the winter sowing. i used to buy a couple wave petunias,occasional coleus, and a some marigolds . But this year, for the first time I w/s sowed everything. Plus still sowing annuals.I couldnt believe it when I saw a flat of marigolds for $10.I didnt realize they were getting that high. i used to always buy my tomatoes, but this yr i tried w/s some and some started inside. i figured since everyone I knew always bought the plants, they must be hard to start. But i found out they couldnt be easier.I didnt have any die.
tammy

Today we went to the city so I bot a few flats of purple alyssum and dusty miller. Not very original but I like them for edging. I will still plant some seeds but I want instant for the edges around the patio and path. I won't plant them til later in the month as there's still danger of frost. I bot them now cause later everything is so picked over and stressed. I will pot them in good potting soil tomorrow, otherwise they will be rootbound. I also bot more perennials and shrubs so will have a very busy day tomorrow as I haven't even planted all I bot last week! Takes time to dig out/move plants to make space for the new ones.

I know what you mean. I keep buying and don't have everything planted from the last trips to the nursery.

Love that bed of orange yellow cosmos.

Most years I by several things, always different depending on what is available. Every year I buy petunias. Wave's if I can find them. I plant both types of them in the garden and even the regular petunias spread quite a bit for me. This year I am trying to WS/SS many annuals and perennials, I just set them out last week to see if spring sowing will work better in this climate. WS has not worked for me. I'm hoping that SS will work better as paying $10 for six petunias is just ridiculous in my opinion.

MeMo

memo, I sowed several different varieities of petunias around mid April. I sowed them the same way I was doing the w/s. I now have many sprouts up.About 1/2" tall. Same with the Aylssum.I am having more luck with the spring sowed, rather than direst sowed.
Tammy