My garden is still relatively young, I started it two years ago and even though the majority of the plants I grow are perennials, trees and shrubs, annuals, too, play an important role.

Because they are annuals, I like to experiment and try different types each year although some like Euphorbia "Diamond Frost," with masses of tiny white baby's breath-like flowers, performed so well for me last year that I have invited it back for what I hope will be another great show. Even if it weren't promoted as both deer resistant and drought tolerant, this annual, which grows 12 inches to 18 inches tall and 10 inches to 12 inches wide, makes a great filler for containers, window boxes or the border with months of nonstop blooms.

Erica Glasener (ENLARGE)

Angelonia 'Serena Purple' offers nonstop color for those hot, humid summers where few other plants can thrive. Click the picture to see additional annuals.

Photos ERICA'S PICK Bat face Cuphea Botanical name: Cuphea llavea About the plant: This annual gets its common name from the striking red, black and purple flowers that look like a bat face with ears. Plants grow to 3 feet by 3 feet and bloom all summer long. Use in the garden: Combine this annual with other annuals or perennials like golden rod. It also makes a good companion for hardy cacti and succulents like agaves. Planting and care: Plant Bat face cuphea in full sun or part shade in a well-drained soil. Source: Scottsdale Farms, 15639 Birmingham Highway, (Highway 372) Alpharetta, 770-777-5875 www.scottsdalefarms.com. RELATED LINKS: Fill containers with wintertime favorites  A good lesson in aesthetic pruning of Japanese maples  These are a few of my favorite (fall) things ...  Plant lovers leave tips for Southern favorites  Brooks Garcia offers tips on garden design  • Get more Home & Garden news

When it comes to deer-proof plants, Dianna Allstadt of Scottsdale Farms says that narrow-leaf zinnia Zinnia angustifolia (linearis), with its small daisy-like flowers, is a winner with her customers every time. Look for "Crystal Orange" or "Crystal White" for months of summer color and very few disease problems.

This compact low-growing zinnia doesn't require deadheading and makes a good companion with plants like Lantana "Lola" with bright yellow flowers. There are numerous lantanas that pump out flowers all summer, despite heat and humidity but one that caught my eye a few years ago is now my daughter's favorite, Lanatana "Carlos" with flowers that are reddish purple with orange and gold centers. Growing 12 inches to 18 inches tall, this lantana is more manageable than some; a good choice for the perennial border or containers.

If you're drawn to the unusual, Bat face cuphea or the Mickey mouse plant, Cuphea llavea, provides months of color with its red and black-purple tubular flowers. Angelonia angustifolia, another good doer in the heat, grows 10 inches to 12 inches high and 12 inches to 14 inches wide. The Serena series offers three-quarter inch blooms in lavender, white and pink.

A combination I admired at the Atlanta Botanical Garden featured Angelonia, Portulaca "Rio" and Coleus "Alabama Sunset." I also have seen Angelonia combined with Yucca and Verbena. An old-fashioned favorite with star-shaped blooms, Pentas lanceolata, known as Star cluster, is also drought tolerant.

Depending on the selections. plants grow from 12 inches to 36 inches high and 2 feet across with flowers that range from white to all shades of red and purple. For interesting texture and color, combine it with ornamental grasses, coleus and plumbago.

Other annuals with showy flowers that bloom well during the hot days of summer include the small species Petunia integrifolia with intense magenta flowers (there is also a white flowered form that is less aggressive) and Calibrachoa hybrids, called Million bells. With 1-inch bell-shaped blooms and a compact habit, this tough beauty never needs deadheading and comes in wide range of colors including "Terra Cotta," one of my favorites. I find both the species petunia and Calibrachoa easier to use in the garden and decorative pots than the larger petunias.

While annual flowers offer instant color, there are also types to grow for their handsome foliage like Dichondra argentea "Silver Falls" with gray-green heart-shaped leaves on trailing stems up to 6 feet long.

Perfect where you want to soften the edge of a container planting or wall. For bigger, bolder foliage Plectranthus argentatus has soft, silver leaves on plants that grow up to 3 feet tall and wide. If they get leggy, just pinch them back to encourage a more bushy habit.

These are just a few of the annuals that will grow and bloom in the summer months despite our heat and humidity.

Erica Glasener is a horticulturist and host of "A Gardener's Diary," airing on HGTV on Thursdays at 7 a.m.