Multicolor Annual Flowers

Annuals are flowers that bloom the first year they are planted, often flowering just a couple of months after sowing. Most annuals are started indoors or in greenhouses in late winter or early spring. Multicolor annual flowers bring a splash of color to your garden.

Tender Annuals

Some annuals, called tender annuals, are killed by frost. They grow in hot weather and are started indoors or in greenhouses and then set out in the garden after the danger of frost passes. Some of the faster-growing mulitcolor tender annuals, such as zinnias, can be sown directly into garden beds -- after the frost in spring -- for bloom or use all summer long. This depends on many factors, including where you live and how long summer weather lasts.

Hardy Annuals

These annuals have some built-in frost tolerance. They are often, but not always, planted outside from seed a few weeks before the final frost, but sometimes they are started indoors in warmer conditions, hardened off for a good adjustment, and planted outside during spring (or in winter in Zones 8 to 10).

Annuals Image Gallery

Zinnia is an annual flower among the favorite in American garden flowers, loved for its sturdy and colorful blooms.
©2007 Publications International, Ltd.
Zinnia is an annual flower among the favorite in
American garden flowers, loved for its sturdy and
colorful blooms. See more pictures of annuals.

On this page, we've included links to multicolor annuals, grouped according to light condition. Before planting, check with your garden center to make sure that the annuals you've selected will flourish in your locale.

Full Sun Multicolor Annuals:
 Partial Shade and Full Shade Multicolor Annuals:
 Full Sun and Partial Shade Multicolor Annuals:
 Full Sun, Partial Shade, and Full Shade Multicolor Annuals:
 Didn't find what you were looking for? Try Annual Flowers, Annuals, or Perennials for more information.