Annuals grow, flower, produce seed, and complete their life cycle during one growing season. Annuals are versatile, sturdy, and relatively inexpensive. They are easy to grow, produce almost instant color, and bloom for most of the growing season. They do require deadheading to keep them actively blooming, and routine maintenance throughout the season. Annuals are useful for extending perennial beds by filling 'holes' where an earlier perennial has finished blooming and a later blooming variety has not yet started its cycle. Annuals are an excellent choice for creating spots of color in tree and shrub beds, and for filling planters, window boxes, and hanging baskets.

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