Here's a selection of pink-flowered annuals and perennials that will thrive in San Diego gardens:
Annuals
Angelonia Angelface Pink – This new and improved variety from Proven Winners holds pink orchidlike flower spikes upright. Popularly called summer snapdragons, these striking vertical accent plants grow to 18 inches in sun or part shade.
Marguerite Molimba First Blush (Argyranthemum) – New this year from Proven Winners, this double-flowered Marguerite is low growing and spreading. Excellent heat tolerance. Flowers open a soft, pearly pink then turn white from the center out.
Bacopa (Sutera) – Excellent in containers or borders in full or part sun, new varieties like Copia Dark Pink from The Flower Fields offer profuse blooms spring through fall.
Strawflower Sundaze Pink (Bracteantha bracteata) – compact to 14 inches high, this Proven Winners strawflower thrives in containers or sunny landscapes. Flowers can be enjoyed fresh or dried. Other pink versions like Pink Glow and Strawberry Mousse from The Flower Fields are also available.
Superbells or Million Bells (Calibrachoa) – These floriferous semi-upright and trailing plants that bloom in abundance through summer in full or part sun are available in a variety of pink shades. Spent flowers drop from plants making them easy to tend.
Cosmos – Dancing Petticoats seeds from Renee's Garden are a mix of flower types in pink, deep cranberry and white. Easy to grow when sown directly in the landscape in sun or part shady. Plants grow to 4 feet and flower through fall.
Impatiens – There are more than a dozen different varieties in various shades of pink, from light to hot, with single or double flowers. Spreading varieties like Fanfare Pink Sparkle from Simply Beautiful reach up to 20 inches with 24-inch spread, while dwarf varieties seldom exceed 12 inches. Excellent plants for containers or borders in shady locations.
Larkspur – Parisian Pink seeds are available from Renee's Garden. Wait until early September to sow seeds in landscape and they will emerge in spring.
Nemesia – Pink Innocence and Safari Pink from Proven Winners add color and sweet fragrance to hanging baskets, containers and borders in sun or part sun.
Petunia hybrids – New types of petunias like Supertunia from Proven Winners and Wave petunias from Simply Beautiful and Plants That Work are vigorous, floriferous, self-cleaning plants that produce masses of colorful flowers spring and fall. Vista Bubblegum is new from Proven Winners this year and has a mounding and spreading habit, 18 to 24 inches. Also new are pale pink Supertunia Cotton Candy and Supertunia Mini Appleblossom with yellow centers in light pink flowers.
Verbena – In containers or weaving through borders, these summer flowering plants trail to 18 inches. New pink varieties include Aztec Pink and Magic Dark Pink from Simply Beautiful and Superbena Pink Shades from Proven Winners. Full sun.
Zinnias – Soft pink and carmine-rose are some of the colors you can enjoy if you grow Cool Crayon Colors zinnia seeds from Renee's Garden. Sow seeds now in sunny landscape for summer and fall flowers on plants up to 3 feet tall.
Perennials
Alstroemeria – New versions of Peruvian lilies like the Princess Series from Monrovia are better landscape additions because they don't need staking as some older varieties did. Clumps produce stems up to 3 feet, bearing azalealike flowers in striking patterns and shades, including hot pinks. Full to part sun.
Cape Mallow Elegant Lady (Anisodontea) – A new variety of cape mallow from Proven Winners, this vigorous evergreen plant grows quickly in full sun to 3 feet. Blooms most of the year. Magenta pink flowers can be used in arrangements.
Angle Wing Begonia – Produces a profusion of shell-pink flowers on upright canes that brighten up shady locations. Grows well in large containers or shade gardens. Height to 4 feet.
Dianthus – The old fashioned name of “pinks” describes these small (to 1 foot) perennials with spicy fragrance and charming pink flowers (other colors are also available). Cut back after spring bloom for rebloom. Full sun.
Twinspur Appleblossom and Little Charmer (Diascia) – From Proven Winners, both are pink versions of this popular spring perennial. Prune after spring flush to encourage rebloom in fall. Sun.
Conflower Pixie Meadowbrite (Echinacea) – A new mini (to 20 inches) coneflower from Monrovia that bears a profusion of pink blooms, each with yellow-brown center. Floriferous with dense green foliage. Performs well in full or part sun; in containers or landscapes.
Gaura Strastophere Pink Picotee – Very showy new butterfly flower from Proven Winners blooms May through September. Full sun. Height is 12 to 16 inches with slender flower spikes.
Geraniums (Pelargoniums) – Choose ivy for cascading types or zonal for upright growers. Plants thrive in containers and landscapes in full sun. Available in a variety of pink shades, from light to dark. Deadhead regularly to encourage new blooms.
New Guinea Impatiens – Large, brilliantly colored flowers and attractive dark green foliage make these plants focal points in shade gardens. Look for Infinity Dark Pink, Infinity Pink Kiss and Infinity Pink Frost from Proven Winners; Paradise Cherry Rose and Deep Pink from The Flower Fields; and Celebration Electric Pink and Electric Rose from Simply Beautiful.
Shrubs
Butterfly Bush Pink Delight (Buddleja) – A pink-flowering version from Monrovia of a deciduous shrub that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Sun to part sun. Fast grower to eight feet. Prune to shape after flowering.
Butterfly Bush Strawberry Lemonade (Buddleja) – Variegated leaves of creamy white to yellow enhance the beauty of this attractive shrub from Monrovia that produces arching shoots tipped with rich pink flowers. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Fast growing to 8 feet. Sun to part sun.
Lantana Teenie Geenie – Dense and compact, growing just 30 inches tall and wide. Easy care and evergreen; tolerant of drought and heat. Continuous display of multicolored rosette flowers in shades of yellow and fuchsia-pink. From Monrovia.
– KAREN DARDICK
