Full sun cutting and filler annuals

I am new to growing annuals and putting together a list of cutting and filler annuals for raised beds in full sun. Seeds that can be directly sown or inexpensive starts that don't need staking are my first choice. Fragrance, butterfly and hummingbird magnets are a big bonus. Orange is my least favorite color!

Do you have any comments or suggestions in addition to:

gomphrena
balsam impatiens
snapdragons
zinnia
asclepias
bachelor's button
cosmos

I am looking forward to this with great anticipation. Thanks.

There are some annual salvias that are big hummingbird magnets, cleome, alyssum. The hummingbirds go nuts over salvias. Echinacea is a good one for butterflies and doesn't need staking.

Oh, a really cool annual is echinops ritro. Look it up on this website. It's neat looking and attracts butterflies with it's purple blossoms.

Oops, the echinops is a perennial, but it's still a great plant.

Pentas are butterfly magnets that can grow in full sun.

Some that come to mind :
hummingbirds: nicotiana, nasturtium, petunia,
butterflies: scabiosa (perennial), echinacea (perennial), lantana, petunia

And I forgot one of my best: zinnia for butterflies

Karen

And orange is the butterflies favorite color.

If orange is the color favored by butterflies then I will have to get right over myself and plant some of their favorites, which I am more than willing to do to attract them. Thanks for the other suggestions like salvias, pentas and nicotiana. Echinops is a very cool looking plant and one that I will have some day, but since this isn't my property that I am planting on I need to concentrate on annuals!

You could also try annual baby's breath(resow every couple of weeks for constant bloom), calendulas, clarkia, larkspur and shirly poppies.
The clarkia and larkspur may need staking cause they get tall depending on variety.

Steve

I just ran across this article on the American Meadows website that you might be interested in.

http://www.americanmeadows.com/monarch_feature--Diana_nellans.htm

Thank you beaker_ch for the Monarch article. It's unbelievable to see so many of them in one place. There is plenty of milkweed growing near the raised beds that I am planting in and I keep reading that milkweed is their #1 choice, so I am excited to see what happens.

Baby's breath is great idea. I'll be sure to plant it.