Most of the ones I can think of off the top of my head are fairly ephemeral, such as bachelor buttons, forget me nots, larkspur -- bloom a few weeks and done. Torenia is really pretty, and comes in a nice blue, does well in sun or shade, but like pansies, is more of a cool season, spring flower, and it peters out in the heat and humidity.

I guess lobelia might be one choice. It does pretty well and blooms most of the season, but is a bit fussy about soil moisture, dying if too wet or too dry.

Blue salvia is about the most reliable, long-blooming non-petunia annual I can think of.

Browalia has never performed well for me, and I've tried it in various conditions -- sort of mostly just sits there thinking about growing. Heliotrope is kind of shy to flower, IMHO.

annual lobelia tend to crap out in too much heat

Browallia works for me in planters but not so much in the ground

thanx!

try Wild Blue Indigo. About 3-4 feet tall.

loves me some baptisia

Agastache 'Blue Fortune' http://www.shootgardening.co.uk/plant/agastache-blue-fortune

On the same site, I did a search for "blue annualflower " and selected for "full sun" and "blue": http://www.shootgardening.co.uk/plant/search?q=blue+annual+flower&feature=link&filter=sun&qualify=8

Not a perfect search b/c some perennials come up, but some interesting flowers I'd not heard of before.

are two I've used.

Lithodora (not lorepetalum which i wrote before ) blooms a while - til July - but not all summer.

Most lobelia is a great true blue but wants shade and lots of water where it's hot.

Coastal plumbago is nice but gets big. You can cut it back and it will still bloom.

Ageratum comes in some nice blue colors now.

Those are the only ones I can think of besides morning glory.

It was drop dead pretty but I want a change this year

thanx

(it's a music reference)

But they don't bloom through the summer usually and they are probably perennial.

Here's a picture of it at this link: http://home.howstuffworks.com/define-veronica-speedwell.htm


Easy perennial = I love it.

Last edited Mon Apr 23, 2012, 01:38 PM - Edit history (1)

I think it would work for you. I like the blue salvia also. I have hot pink salvia in my yard next to the plumbago.

I can usually find it in 6-packs at the garden centers, and it's small so 3 6-packs are usually good to fill any holes I have in the yard.

I will post pictures later

Snap Dragon dwarf mix colors 5 flats

Blue Salvia 3 flats

in about 1 or 2 weeks 4 flats of impatiens .... did red last year ..... I think
I will rock the salmon color this year or I might go really gauche and go for
purple or orange

BTW this is surrounding a bed of "no mow" turf

I've had a lot of luck with scaveola (fan flower)---it's beautiful.