Let me show you some of my favorites!
After trialing some of Proven Winners annuals that will be available in garden centers in 2027, I’m sharing a list of some of my favorites, along with the details for each, including what you need to know to grow them successfully.
Take a look at how well they performed for me, make notes for your 2027 garden, and let me know in the comments if you have any questions.
1. Bordeaux Supertunia II
With the same outstanding performance as other Supertunias, here is an updated Supertunia Bordeaux. It’s a slightly lighter lavender with dark veins running throughout each bloom, and the faint white picotee margin around the edges really makes the color stand out. I grew this on the east side of my home, where it got sun from early morning to mid-afternoon. It was a pure delight to grow.
Details:
4 to 12″ high, spreads 18 to 24″, trails 36″
Annual – Part sun to sun
Blooms until frost
Hardy Zones 10a through 11b
Heat tolerant
Drought tolerant
Deadheading not necessary
Attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds
Uses: containers, ground cover, landscape, mass planting, hanging baskets, and window boxes
Habit and Container Role: Mounding, trailing, spiller
Water – Average
2. Double Midnight Magenta Calibrachoa
If you love Superbells double calibrachoa varieties as much as I do, you’ll be head over heels for this gorgeous plant with rose-like blossoms. I can’t say enough about this stunning color! This performed well for me, and I highly recommend it.
Details:
6 to 12″ high, spreads 12 to 24″, trails 24″
Annual – Part sun to sun
Blooms until frost
Hardy Zones 9a through 11b
Heat tolerant
Deadheading not necessary
Uses: grows best in containers, hanging baskets, and window boxes
Habit and Container Role: Mounding, trailing, spiller
Water – Average
3. Luscious Vanilla Breeze Lantana
You don’t see this color very often! Here’s a lantana with blossoms that open a soft, buttery yellow and mature to white. I enjoyed looking at this the entire season! If you want to add a little white to your garden or containers, this is a great one!
Details:
20 to 30″ high, spreads 20 to 30″
Annual – Full sun
Blooms until frost
Hardy Zones 9a through 11b
Heat tolerant
Drought tolerant
Attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds
Deer resistant
Uses: containers and landscape
Habit and Container Role: Mounding, filler
Water – Average
4. Sunstar Red Pentas
This is an improved penta that gives truer red flowers than the original. It’s a magnificent color that I could hardly quit looking at. This is a perfect one if you enjoy red in your garden! It will always be at the top of my list!
Details:
18 to 22″ high, spreads 16 to 24″
Annual – Part sun to sun
Blooms until frost
Hardy Zones 11a through 11b
Heat tolerant
Attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds
Uses: border plants, containers, landscape, and cut flowers
Habit and Container Role: Upright, filler
Water – Average
5. Sun Pendants Hot Pink Fuchsia
My, Oh My, this is a pure beauty! I completely fell in love with these blooms the moment they started opening. This is one I’d grow again and again, and it will always stay on my list of favorites. Be sure to put this on your list for 2027. You won’t be disappointed!
Details:
4 to 8″ high, spreads 8 to 12″
Annual – Part sun to sun
Blooms until frost
Hardy Zones 9a through 11b
Deadheading not necessary
Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds
Uses: containers, hanging baskets, and window boxes
Habit and Container Role: Upright, filler
Water – Average
6. Sea Spray Blue Felicia Daisy
Some of the sweetest little blooms I’ve ever seen! Wispy stems hold sky blue flowers with yellow, button-like centers. This is a more heat-tolerant cultivar, so it doesn’t need cool nights to bloom well. It pairs nicely with multiple colors, and for me, it’s been a sweet one to have on the porch!
Details:
10 to 16″ high, spreads 12 to 24″
Annual – Part sun to sun
Blooms until frost
Hardy Zones 9a through 11b
Heat tolerant
Deadheading not necessary
Attracts bees and butterflies
Uses: border plants, containers, and landscape
Habit and Container Role: Mounding, filler
Water – Average
7. Soprano Pastel Pink Impatiens
Impatiens are one of the showiest annuals, providing waves of color. They grow well in the shade but can tolerate some sun, as long as the soil stays moist. Like many plants that do well in the shade, I feel they have deeper color when they receive a little bit of sun. Mine in this photo is sitting on a bench on the east side of the house, where it gets sun until about noon. If you’re looking for something that can take a lot of shade but still tolerate some sun, this one is perfect! And the soft, multi-toned pinks are precious as can be!
Details:
10 to 15″ high, spreads 12 to 14″
Annual – Part shade to shade
Blooms until frost
Hardy Zones 10a through 11b
Heat tolerant
Deadheading not necessary
Uses: border and edging plant, ground cover, landscape, containers, hanging baskets, and window boxes
Habit and Container Role: Mounding, filler
Water – Consistent
8. SunCredible Yellow II Helianthus (Sunflower)
This is Proven Winners improved ever-blooming sunflower (Helianthus). Sunflowers are a favorite for many, and this one is my pick for a low-maintenance focal point and a go-to cut flower. Let it fill a large area, or keep it cut back for a smaller one. My honest take: this is a sure winner!
Details:
2′ to 3’4″ high, spreads 20″ to 3′
Annual – Full sun
Blooms until frost
Hardy Zones 9a through 11b
Heat tolerant
Drought tolerant
Deadheading not necessary
Attracts bees and butterflies
Uses: containers, mass planting, landscape, and cut flowers
Habit and Container Role: Upright, thriller
Water – Average
9. Aromance Plum Honey Nemesia
Here is a wispy, sweetly fragrant flower with beautiful little blooms. The bicolor plum-purple and yellow flowers are the reason this plant is on my list of favorites. This nemesia blooms throughout the summer in many climates and is another one worth adding to your list!
Details:
8 to 12″ high, spreads 12 to 24″
Annual – Part sun to sun
Blooms until frost
Hardy Zones 8a through 10b
Deadheading not necessary
Attracts bees
Uses: border plants, containers, and landscape
Habit and Container Role: Upright, filler
Water – Average
10. ColorBlaze Pepper Flakes Coleus
Here is an interesting coleus with maroon-red leaves flecked with chartreuse speckles. It’s colorful in both sun and shade, with the red undertones more dominant in lower light. For those of you who have issues with deer, here’s one they’re not fond of! This easy-to-grow coleus looks amazing and fills an area or container quickly. Keep your eye out for this one in 2027!
Details:
20″ to 2’6″ high, spreads 2′ to 3′
Annual – Sun or shade
Hardy Zones 10a through 11b
Heat tolerant
Deadheading not necessary
Deer resistant
Uses: border plants, containers, and landscape
Habit and Container Role: Upright, thriller
Water – Average
11. Sweet Caroline Bewitched After Midnight Improved Sweet Potato Vine
Here is another improved plant from Proven Winners award-winning line of Sweet Caroline Bewitched Sweet Potato Vines. The deep purple-black color adds contrast and drama to combination containers. This heat-tolerant plant is just as impressive in the South as it is in cooler climates. In most climates, the foliage stays deep purple-black all season, and even in extreme heat, it holds its rich color. This was an amazing plant to trial, and it’s already on my list for next year!
Details:
10 to 20″ high, spreads 2′ to 3’4″
Annual – Part sun to sun
Hardy Zones 11a through 11b
Heat tolerant
Deadheading not necessary
Uses: border plants, containers, edging, and landscape
Habit and Container Role: Mounding, filler
Water – Average
Once again, Proven Winners has outdone themselves! Trialing these new varieties has been such a joy, and I can’t wait for you to see them in garden centers next spring. Whether you’re filling porch containers, brightening a shady spot, or adding a pop of color to your landscape, you’ll find something on this list to love. Save this post for when you start planning your next garden!
For more info on these plants and many other, visit my page Smiths Country Gardens.
Let me know in the comments which ones are your favorites and which ones you’ve added to your list!
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