Annual flowers are plants that complete their life cycle from seed to flower in one growing season, typically from spring to fall, and then die with the onset of freezing weather. They are a great way to change the look of your garden from year to year, and they tend to have a longer flowering period than perennials. Some popular annual flowers include petunias, marigolds, zinnias, impatiens, spider flower (cleome), gazania, vinca, and lisianthus. Annuals are perfect for temporarily filling in bare spots in established gardens or refreshing containers through the season. They are also great for adding a splash of color to a vegetable garden, filling in gaps when early-season crops are harvested, and attracting pollinators to increase production of edible crops. Annuals provide nearly instant gratification, maturing faster than perennials or biennials, and often bloom from planting time until frost, and in some cases beyond.