9 Annual Flowers That Can Thrive in Cooler Climates
Flowers are easy in the heat and shine of the summer sun… sometimes it can be hard to achieve that same sense of lush, lively brightness in the cooler months. Turns out, you just need to know what to look for. The flowers on this list all thrive in cooler weather, and will keep your garden looking “cool” outside of summer, too.
The Common snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) is a flowering perennial that is commonly cultivated as an annual or biennial ornamental plant. When the throats of its flowers are squeezed together, its lips snap open like a dragon’s mouth; this is the origin of the common name. The Garden snapdragon’s speedy cultivation and ease of pollination made it a good target for research, so it has now become a model organism for plant genetics studies.
The Wild pansy resembles a small pansy. The flowers are edible and can be consumed in salads, drinks, or used as a garnish, though they’re best eaten only in small amounts. Ancient Greek legends told that the goddess Aphrodite colored the previously white flowers purple to make her son, Eros, less attracted to them.
Edging lobelia (Lobelia erinus) is a native South African flowering plant related to the bellflower. Edging lobelia is a popular garden plant for ornamental purposes and is often cultivated in hanging baskets and planters. Edging lobelia can be damaged by frost and cold temperatures and grows best in temperate climates.
The Garden nasturtium is often associated with the “Elizabeth Linnaeus Phenomenon”, an optical illusion that makes the contrasting orange flowers and green foliage appear to flash brightly as it shakes in the wind. Garden nasturtium is cultivated as an ornamental plant. The disc-shaped leaves and seed pods are edible, usually getting used as garnishes and dressings.
Centaurea cyanus is known by several names, like cornflower and bachelor’s button. This flower has a beautiful blue color that was a favorite of famed Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. Today it is a Crayola crayon color as well as an HTML color name. The color is defined as a medium to light blue that contains very little green.
Giant larkspur is a native of Eurasia but is widely grown in the United States as an ornamental. Giant larkspur is known for its tall spikes of blooms in blue, pink, or white. This plant is considered poisonous due to specific types of alkaloids found in the aerial parts and the seeds.
The Pot marigold is a herbaceous perennial plant often recognized by its thick, orange-yellow blooms with numerous petals. Flowers of the Pot marigold have a long history of table use. They are often served in salads or as a decoration. The flowers can also be made into a similarly-colored dye for foods, textiles, or cosmetic products.
(Diascia rigescens) is also called Stiff twinspur or Bride’s saddle. It is a sprawling plant that will grow from 8 to 10 inches tall and 10 to 12 inches wide, forming a mat of heart-shaped leaves. It blooms from summer to fall with pink flowers. It thrives in full sun and prefers fertile, moist, well-drained soil. Makes a nice ground cover.
Garden petunia (Petunia atkinsiana) is a hybrid species of garden plant that describes all hybrids between the two petunia species P. axillaris and P. integrifolia. When grown for gardening, these flowers are relatively easy to grow, can survive in hot climates. Garden petunia require hours of sunlight each day.