Eye-Catching Orange Annual Flowers

Papery flower petals dry in a snap on this heat- and drought-tolerant annual. This variety reaches 10 to 12 inches tall, but other types grow to as high as 5 feet. Harvest flowers for drying when the outermost layer of petals has opened and before the flower center is showing. Hang stems upside down to dry blooms, or dry upright after slipping floral wire into stems.

Marigolds have a bold color and an unsubtle scent—so it stands to reason that they symbolize strong emotions: courage, passion, jealousy, exuberance. Tradition says that girls who place marigolds under their pillows will dream about the man they’ll marry one day.

Cheerful poppies have a dark side: they’re symbols of sleep and oblivion, and the Chinese flower calendar even calls the poppy a harbinger of evil, signifying the inability to control one’s worst urges. But we’d prefer the label “dreamy,” which perfectly describes the sight of a field of poppies nodding in the sun.