When planting a flower garden, plant the varieties of flowers that will start blooming in the spring and continue to bloom until the fall frost takes them away. Finding the right flowers that will continue to provide a colorful show in your garden is not impossible. With the right conditions and a little care, they will give you a long blooming season.
Cuphea - Cuphea (Lythraceae family Cuphea ignea), also called cigar flower or cigarette plant, is a frost-tender bushy annual that originated in Mexico and Jamaica. The USDA zones for the cuphea are 10 through 12, but can survive in zones 8 and 9 until the frost takes them out. The height of this plant is about 3 feet with a spread of 3 feet. The small lance-shaped leaves are a lush dark green while the flowers are orange with white tips. The flowers are about an inch long and shaped like a cigar. Plant the cuphea in a sunny area. To maintain a dense compact shape, pinch the stem tips back. Cuphea tolerates a short drought, but prefers a moist soil. This fast-growing plant is maintenance free, although the stems tend to be weak and brittle. Butterflies and hummingbirds love to feed on the flowers of the cuphea.
Impatiens - Impatiens (Impatiens wallerana) are native to Tanzania and Mozambique in Africa. Hardy in zones 9 through 12, they are a frost -tender annual. Impatiens have succulent stems and the plant grows in a compact mound. The flowers are single with one row of petals, or double with more than two rows of petals. The non-hybrid impatiens are red in color, but the hybrids come in an array of many different colors.