It is officially spring in the Tampa Bay area, which means it is time to start thinking about adding new plants to your landscaping. One way to do this is by planting some beautiful spring annual flowers, as they bloom for a long time and give landscape beds a dose of much-needed color.

Here are five of the top spring annual flowers in Tampa Bay areas such as Lithia, Brandon, Valrico, and more.

1. Marigolds bloom throughout spring, summer, and fall.

The beautiful hues of orange, yellow, red, and multicolor marigolds will add sunny color to your landscaping. They thrive in any type of soil and need full sun to grow well so they can bloom throughout the spring, summer, and fall. These are also sometimes referred to as calendulas, which are a type of marigold. Avoid planting them in the shade or very moist areas, as they will be prone to develop powdery mildew in that type of environment.

2. Periwinkle flowers are purple, blue, or white.

A popular choice based on their coloring, periwinkle flowers grow as a ground cover. Typically a purple or blue color, their flowers can also be white. If you want deeper foliage, then plant these in partial shade, but if you desire more flowers, it should be planted in full sun.

3. Sunpatiens can be red, fuchsia, pink, purple, and other vibrant colors.

A vibrant flower, sunpatiens are a hybrid of the popular impatiens. These flowers bloom in many colors such as pink, purple, red, fuchsia, and more. They were created to thrive in full sun as well as hot and humid weather, meaning they are perfect for the Tampa Bay climate. Their blooms last from spring to fall.

4. Caladiums have gorgeous heart-shaped foliage that can be green, pink, red, or white.

Known for their heart-shaped foliage, caladiums have heart-shaped leaves that are a combination of white, green, red, or pink. These gorgeous plants do best in partial shade and humid weather. Their foliage provides a great accent to any landscaping bed or can be added to pots or planters to decorate your porch area.

5. Wax begonias can grow anywhere from six inches to two feet in height.

These flowers do best in partial shade when they are planted in warmer areas of the country. They grow in pink, red, white, and other colors. Their shiny leaves and flowers provide beautiful depth to any planting bed. They can grow from six inches to two feet in height, so consider that aspect when you are spacing them apart for planting,.If you're looking for some color inside your home, they also perform quite well as a potted plant.

Whether you want to plant your own annual flowers or hire someone to install them for you, we can help!

At Lithia Landscape & Design, we provide landscape installation services as well as landscape consultation for those who want to plant on their own. Our company also sells flowers from local growers directly to you. If you are ready to add annual flowers to your landscaping, we're ready to help! Contact us today at (813) 927-0429 to set up an estimate on our annual flower installation services. We can install them for you or tell you the best places in your yard to plant them.