Regional Considerations

• Most important when choosing flowers is the climate in your geographical region. Some plants prefer intense heat, while others thrive in cooler climes. When perusing flower catalogs, pay attention to the USDA hardiness zones to which each plant is suited.
  
  

Annuals to Sow Indoors

• Annuals flower throughout the growing season, adding color and variety to the garden from spring to fall. Kathy LaLiberte of Gardener's Supply Company recommends buying flower seeds as a way to save money, compared with purchasing bedding plants. Some easy-to-grow varieties that can be started indoors, under lights, six to eights weeks before the last frost, include impatiens, salvia, statice, nicotiana, snapdragon and coleus.
  
  

Annuals to Sow Outdoors

• Other annuals grow best if they are seeded directly in the garden soil rather than being transplanted, LaLiberte said. These include sunflowers, marigolds, bachelor buttons, calendula, sweet peas, cosmos, morning glories, larkspur, annual poppies and zinnia.
  
  

Flowering Perennials

• Nursery owner and gardening author Doug Green recommends several varieties of easy-to-grow perennials. Geranium "Rozanne" is hardy to Zone 3 and tolerates both full sun or part shade. Catnip "Walker's Low" will survive through Zone 2 and will offer a second round of blooms in late summer if you cut it back after the first flowers fade. Hellebore hybrids will live for more than 20 years and remain green throughout winter in Zones 4 and above. Shasta Daisy "Becky" will bloom continuously from early summer to early fall if you deadhead and don't allow the plant to go to seed.
  
  

Strategies for Placement

• Pay attention to the size each plant will reach when mature. Your perennials will be small the first season but will spread each season thereafter. Mature annuals will be taller by summer than the seedlings you plant in the spring. Remember that your perennials will return at the start of the next growing season. Annuals should be removed from the garden before winter, and new plants will need to be added the following spring. Position your annuals and perennials in a way that allows easy access to each plant.