An explosion of color can be created in South Carolina full sun gardens. We are fortunate to have an extremely wide variety of sun loving perennials and annuals to choose from. There are several thousand varieties which are available. This article will highlight some of the most popular species, but don’t let your imagination be limited solely to the list given here below!

Sun Loving Perennials:

Black-eye Susan	Chrysanthemum	Coneflower	Verbena

Plant name	Size	Color	Bloomtime
Ageratum (perennial)	2’	purple	Summer
Artemesia	1-3’	white	late Spring
Aster	1-3’	assorted	Fall
Balloon flower	1’	blue	Summer
Black-eye Susan	2’	yellow	Summer
Butterfly weed	18”	orange	Summer
Candytuft	9”	white	Spring
Chrysanthemum	1-2’	assorted	Fall
Columbine	2’	assorted	Spring
Coneflower	2’	purple, white	Summer
Coreopsis	18”	yellow, pink	Summer
Daisy	1-3’	white, yellow	Summer
Daylily	1-3’	assorted	Summer
Foxglove (biennial)	3’	assorted	late Spring
Gayfeather	3’	purple, white	Summer
Iris	1-2’	assorted	Spring
Lamb’s ears	1’	purple	late Spring
Lily (oriental)	3’	assorted	Summer
Monarda (bee balm)	3’	assorted	Summer
Obedient plant	2’	purple	Fall
Phlox (garden)	2’	assorted	Summer
Sedum	6”-3’	yellow-red	Fall
Stokesia	18”	blue	Summer
Thrift	6”	assorted	early Spring
Tritoma (red hot poker)	3’	yellow/red	Summer
Verbena	1’	assorted	Summer
Yarrow	1’	white, yellow	Summer

Used in combination with the sun loving annuals, outstanding gardens can be created!

Sun Loving Annuals
       
      Bloom time for all of these annuals except pansy and snapdragon is Spring, Summer and Fall. Pansy blooms Fall through Winter, snapdragon blooms Spring and Fall.

Cosmos	Lantana	Petunia	Zinnia

Plant Name	Size	Color
Ageratum	6”	blue, purple
Begonia	6”-9”	red, pink, white, etc.
Cosmos	3-4’	pink, rose, yellow, red, etc.
Four-o-clock	2-3'	red, yellow, etc.
Geranium	18”	white, pink, red, etc.
Lantana	1-2’	yellow, red, white, etc.
Lobelia	6”	blue, white, pink, etc.
Marigold	18”	yellow, orange
Nasturtium	18”	red, yellow, white, etc.
Pansy (Fall bloom)	6”	purple, yellow, white, etc.
Petunia	1’	purple, pink, white, etc.
Portulaca	3-6”	yellow, red
Salvia	1-2’	red, blue, etc.
Snapdragon (Spring and Fall)	1-2’	yellow, pink, etc.
Sweet William	1-2’	red, white, pink
Vinca	18”	purple, white
Zinnia	1-4”	red, white, pink, etc.

     Arrange your garden with the tallest flowers in the back with descending height towards the front and center. Vary the bloom times for color in Spring, Summer and Fall. Some designers don’t mix red with pink or purple, others plan for a riot of color where anything goes. Pure white gardens are an old fashioned theme that has gained modern popularity. It has been reported that white gardens create a particularly romantic atmosphere in the moonlight.

  The South Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association has many experts who can assist you with choosing the right plant for the right spot. Be sure to consult with one of our qualified members who will be able to help you in establishing sun garden perennials and annuals in your setting! A list of these individuals who reside nearest to you can be found in the membership section on this web site. You may also view past articles here. For an extensive list of consumer related gardening topics visit the: Clemson Extension Service Home and Garden Information Center.