Enjoy vibrant color all season long with professional annual flower bed installation from Greenlawn Inc. Serving Ellicott City, Columbia, and Howard County since 1986.
Call for FREE EstimateAnnual flowers provide something perennials can't match: consistent, long-lasting color from planting through first frost. While perennials bloom for 2-4 weeks then go green, annuals flower continuously for months with proper care.
At Greenlawn Inc, we've been designing and installing annual flower beds throughout Ellicott City and Columbia since 1986. Our 39 years of experience means we understand which annuals thrive in Maryland's heat and humidity.
We offer both spring and fall annual installations, allowing you to enjoy color nearly year-round in Howard County.
Spring annuals are planted in April-May and provide color through summer until frost:
The workhorse of summer color, petunias bloom continuously from May through October in Ellicott City. Modern wave and supertunia varieties are heat-tolerant, disease-resistant, and self-cleaning. They thrive in full sun and tolerate Maryland's summer heat beautifully.
Perfect for Columbia's shaded areas, impatiens provide continuous color where sun-loving annuals fail. These shade champions bloom prolifically from late spring through fall, creating carpets of color under trees and along shaded foundations.
Tough, reliable marigolds handle Maryland's heat and humidity while providing cheerful orange, yellow, and red blooms all summer. These low-maintenance annuals resist pests and diseases, making them ideal for Howard County gardens.
Wax begonias and Dragon Wing begonias excel in Ellicott City's part-shade locations. These versatile annuals bloom continuously with minimal care, tolerate heat, and maintain attractive foliage even when not blooming.
Classic geraniums provide bold color and attractive foliage from May through October. These sun-lovers handle heat well and require minimal deadheading. They're also deer-resistant—a valuable trait in Howard County gardens.
Fall annuals are planted in September-October and provide color through autumn and often into winter:
Mums (Chrysanthemums): Fall isn't complete without mums providing rich autumn colors throughout Ellicott City. These reliable fall bloomers offer deep reds, oranges, yellows, and purples that complement fall foliage.
Pansies & Violas: These cold-hardy annuals are planted in fall and bloom through winter into spring in Columbia. They tolerate freezing temperatures, providing cheerful color during Maryland's gray winter months.
Ornamental Cabbage & Kale: These unique ornamentals provide texture and color through fall and winter. Their colors actually intensify with cold weather, becoming more vibrant after frost.
For homeowners wanting year-round color, we offer seasonal rotation programs:
Most popular in Ellicott City and Columbia. Includes spring annual installation (April-May) and fall annual installation (September-October). Provides vibrant color from spring through early winter, with only a brief summer gap during peak heat.
For maximum color, three-season programs add mid-summer replacement. Heat-sensitive spring annuals are replaced in July with fresh heat-tolerant varieties, ensuring continuous color through Maryland's challenging summer.
Our maintenance programs include regular deadheading, fertilization, and replacement of declining plants. These services keep beds looking perfect all season.
We design color schemes that complement your home's exterior and existing landscape. Monochromatic designs create elegant looks. Complementary colors create vibrant displays. Analogous colors provide harmonious combinations.
Proper layering creates dimension and ensures all plants are visible. Taller varieties go in back (or center of island beds), medium heights in middle, and low growers along edges.
Mixing fine-textured plants with bold-textured plants creates interest and prevents monotony. Texture variety is as important as color variety in professional designs.
Repeating key plants throughout beds creates unity and cohesion. Rather than using every variety once, we select focal plants and repeat them in groupings, creating rhythm and intentional design.
Timing: We install spring annuals after last frost (typically late April in Howard County). Fall annuals go in September-early October before first frost.
Soil Preparation: We refresh soil with compost and slow-release fertilizer before planting. This preparation provides nutrition through the season and improves soil structure.
Plant Quality: We source premium annuals from reliable growers. Quality plants establish quickly, bloom sooner, and perform better throughout the season.
Proper Spacing: Annuals are spaced closer than perennials. We plant densely enough for immediate fullness but with adequate air circulation to prevent disease.
Per Season for Most Howard County Residential Installations
Seasonal rotation programs provide better value than one-time installations. We always provide detailed estimates before beginning work.
Spring-planted annuals typically provide color from May through first frost in October or early November—about 5-6 months of bloom in Howard County. Fall-planted annuals like pansies and ornamental kale can provide color from September through the following April, though bloom pauses during coldest winter months. With a two-season rotation program, you can enjoy fresh color from April through November and again from November through April.
Both have advantages, and many successful gardens combine them. Annuals provide constant bloom all season and can be changed seasonally for variety, but require replanting each year. Perennials return annually and cost less long-term, but bloom for shorter periods and take 2-3 years to reach maturity. We typically recommend perennial gardens for foundational structure with annual beds in high-visibility areas like entryways where constant color matters most.
Annuals require moderate maintenance for best performance. Regular watering is critical, especially during Maryland's hot summers—most annuals need 1-1.5 inches weekly. Many benefit from deadheading (removing spent flowers) to encourage continued bloom, though modern varieties like wave petunias are self-cleaning. Monthly fertilization keeps annuals blooming vigorously. We offer maintenance programs that handle deadheading, fertilization, and replacement of declining plants.
Many annuals thrive in shade, making them perfect for Columbia properties with mature trees. Impatiens are the classic shade annual, blooming prolifically with as little as 2-3 hours of sun. Begonias, coleus (grown for colorful foliage), torenia, and browallia all perform excellently in shaded beds. While shade annuals may bloom slightly less abundantly than sun-lovers, they still provide excellent color and actually benefit from shade protection during Maryland's intense summer heat.
For spring installations in Howard County, we typically plant in late April through mid-May after last frost danger has passed. Fall plantings happen in September through early October—early enough for plants to establish before hard frost but after summer's peak heat has passed. We recommend scheduling 2-3 weeks in advance during peak planting seasons. Call us in March to schedule spring plantings and in August for fall installations.
When transitioning between seasons, we remove spent annuals, refresh the soil with compost and fertilizer, and install new seasonal plants. Spring annuals are removed in late fall after frost kills them, and fall annuals are removed in spring before new plantings. If you're on our seasonal rotation program, we handle all removal and replanting as part of the program.
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