Don't Bother Deadheading These 6 Low-Maintenance Annual Flowers – They Keep Blooming All Summer on Their Own
Put down your pruners! These easy-to-grow annual flowers don't need any deadheading to keep blooming from spring to the first frost of fall.
Deadheading is a great way to get a new flush of flowers, but it’s a boring task that takes up precious time during the summer months. Many plants require deadheading in order to keep blooming, but there are a few unicorns out there that will keep blooming all summer without any deadheading.
These low-maintenance flowers are exactly the kind of plant I love growing in my garden. Give me minimal effort with maximum rewards, please! The key to finding the perfect balance of working hard in the garden and actually enjoying your outdoor space comes down to plant choice.
Making wise plant choices will save you tons of time and effort in your garden. That’s why I put together a list of low-maintenance annual flowers you never need to deadhead, but that will keep blooming the whole summer. Here are the best plant picks if you can’t be bothered to pinch off faded blooms all season.
1. Scaevola
Scaevola, also known as fan flower, is a summer gardener’s dream. It’s easy to grow, looks gorgeous as a filler or spiller in pots, and it doesn’t mind hot, sunny summer days. It keeps on blooming all season long from spring all the way to the first frost date.
This beautiful annual flower comes in a variety of colors, but is often seen in pink, purple, or blue. You can shop lovely scaevola seeds from Burpee to start your summer garden today.
2. Melampodium
Melampodium is an underrated annual flower that should really be on more gardeners’ radars. It’s also known as the butter daisy because of its bright yellow blooms that light up containers or garden beds.
This dainty-looking, yet tough little flower will bloom from spring until the first freeze with no extra effort from you. The faded blooms even provide food for hungry goldfinches, so it’s a great choice if you want to attract more birds to your garden. You can get melampodium plants from the Home Depot.
3. Supertunia Petunias
Supertunia petunias have the same classic blooms as regular petunias, but they bloom even more with less work from you. They come in a dizzying array of colors, but I really love these ‘Bubblegum’ Supertunia plants from Proven Winners that bloom in exactly the shade of pink you’d imagine.
Supertunias are self-cleaning, like all the annual flowers on this list, which means you never need to deadhead them. They drop their faded blooms without any fuss and just keep putting out more and more flowers on their own.
4. Impatiens
Impatiens are one of my must-have summer annuals. They are just so sweet and lovely – it’s no wonder they are such a beloved and classic annual flower. Impatiens come in lots of beautiful colors and even in different flower types nowadays.
The ruffled double-bloom impatiens, like these ones from Walmart, are some of my absolute favorites. They look like tuberous begonias, which are another shade-loving annual flower that doesn’t need deadheading to keep flowering all summer.
5. Annual Vinca
Annual vincas are another annual I grow in pots almost every summer. They have simple, charming blooms that look similar to impatiens. But their foliage is a bit glossier and they have a slightly more tropical feel.
These low-maintenance flowers thrive in full sun and don’t need any fussing to keep blooming all summer. They’re heat and drought-tolerant and come in shades of red, pink, purple, and white.
A vinca hanging basket, like this one from Walmart, adds instant color and beauty to a sunny porch. It can be hard to deadhead faded flowers in a hanging basket, so choosing annual vinca is a smart choice for this kind of container.
6. Calibrachoa
Calibrachoa flowers look like mini petunias. Their pretty and petite blooms come in a vast range of colors, from flaming hot oranges and reds to cool pastels. They are another fantastic choice for hanging baskets because their blooms tend to spill out over the edges of containers.
Calibrachoa looks great on its own or combined with other low-maintenance annuals in summer pots. They bloom all summer with no help from you other than regular watering and maybe a dose of fertilizer. You can find a wide array of colorful calibrachoa plants from the Home Depot.
