[barbarella]

Which are your favourite annuals?  The ones that work the hardest in your garden and provide the most colour and/or attractive foliage?

Mine has to be Cosmos 'Dwarf Sonata' with Tagetes 'Golden Gem' as a close runner up.  They are both really easy started off indoors late Feb/early March and are still flowering their little hearts out.  I deadhead the Cosmos regularly,  but the Tagetes don't need any attention.  I love sweet peas too and sow them in succession but only on the allotment for cut flowers as the plant themselves don't add anything to the garden display. 

[arugula]

Cosmos or Cerinthe, for different reasons as they are so different.  Probably.... 

[mumofstig]

Cosmos in all it's colours is a joy, but the only annual I grow religiously every single year is Nicotiana x sanderae 'Fragrant Cloud'.
Pure white trumpets on a 3 ft stem, the foliage is nothing special, but the fragrance is sublime., and I wouldn't be without it, especially in the tubs near the door

[tosca100]

Sweet peas!!

[barbarella]

I am going to base my seed ordering list for next year on this thread  
I've got a brilliant display of Nicotiana langsdorfii and last year I grew N. sylvestris (both from Mr Fothergill).  Where you can get the seed for Fragrant Cloud Mumofstig?

[mumofstig]

here,
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/flowers/flower-seeds/half-hardy-annual-seeds/nicotiana-x-sanderae-fragrant-cloud/6534TM

1000 seeds in the pkt  ..my pkt is on it's 4th year now 

[Springlands]

My favourites are Calendula (Pot Marigold). They re-seed themselves every year and even on dull days the flowers seem to shine - do not like the smell though.

[Yorkie]

Tough question. At present it's a draw between calendula, sweet peas and cosmos.

[barbarella]

here,
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/flowers/flower-seeds/half-hardy-annual-seeds/nicotiana-x-sanderae-fragrant-cloud/6534TM

1000 seeds in the pkt  ..my pkt is on it's 4th year now 

Thanks

[sunshineband]

Currently it is annual lavatera --- beautiful clouds of pale pink satiny flowers, with the occasional white flowered plant just for variety.

Just poke the seeds in the ground in March and stand back and watch the show 

[sion01]

here,
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/flowers/flower-seeds/half-hardy-annual-seeds/nicotiana-x-sanderae-fragrant-cloud/6534TM

1000 seeds in the pkt  ..my pkt is on it's 4th year now 

Cosmo'purity' is one I can't be without and this year calendula'neon' has really performed well.I'm jealouse of mum as I'd like to grow nicotiana but they never grow for me

Surprisingly the best display of annuals I ever had was this year from a bit of madness on my part.I planted cosmo purity in a patch about 15 x 10 ft .Gathered all my old annual seeds and half used packets .Broadcast them around the cosmo and just raked them in.It's been a mix of the cosmo,marigolds,dill,shirley and field poppys,borage,evening primrose and field marigold for weeks .On a sunny day it just hums with so much bees.Its going past it's best now but it's been well worth it with absaloutly no care what so ever.They'll all be happily selfseeding and I'll probably regret it in years to come but its worth it.

[JayG]

If you like flowers with bold, intense colours, with shapes varying from cheeky pom-poms to something dreamt up by a mad confectioner, and which are easy to sow and grow outdoors I would recommend mixed Zinnias. Amazing! 

[sion01]

I forgot annual asters.They may not be spectacular but last and last whatever the weather

[barbarella]

If you like flowers with bold, intense colours, with shapes varying from cheeky pom-poms to something dreamt up by a mad confectioner, and which are easy to sow and grow outdoors I would recommend mixed Zinnias. Amazing! 

I had already decided to try Zinnias next year.  They are in a garden featured in this month's issue of The Garden (RHS magazine) - it mentions that have been out of fashion in recent years but deserve a comeback. 

[JayG]

If you like flowers with bold, intense colours, with shapes varying from cheeky pom-poms to something dreamt up by a mad confectioner, and which are easy to sow and grow outdoors I would recommend mixed Zinnias. Amazing! 

I had already decided to try Zinnias next year.  They are in a garden featured in this month's issue of The Garden (RHS magazine) - it mentions that have been out of fashion in recent years but deserve a comeback. 

These are what mine look like (most of these individual blooms have been there for at least a fortnight, although they probably would have faded quicker in hotter weather.)

If you are wondering why I mentioned "mad confectioner" have a look at the one near the top left corner!

If you are sharp eyed you may also spot echium, antirrhinum, violas and pansies, all of which are volunteers which must have come from the donated compost from flower-loving friends which I used to improve the soil! 

Oh, and the cucurbit in the top right is indeed a very healthy looking Winter festival squash plant with b*gger all on it (although it was the one which got eaten to a stalk by slugs!)