I would appreciate some feedback on some good choices on Florida summer annuals that love to get fried in full south sun.
Thank you

Have you tried Salvia & Gazania? There are many different types of Salvia. Not all might work, but some are native to Texas and other hotter regions. Gazania would be a perennial down there, but could be treated like an annual.

The very best thing that you can do is to walk/drive through your surrounding neighborhoods and see what different plants are being grown.
You can see what the big box stores are featuring. Use those as a guideline. As a hint, annuals generally do not love to be fried in the Florida heat. When combined with temperatures hovering between 78 and 92, the intense sun is devestating.
So much of Florida is a tropical climate or sub tropical. Picture an island with palm trees and warm tropical breezes. Annuals are not in the picture really.

I grew one set of annuals from November through April and a different set from May through October. I grew a lot of plants in containers are my pool in the lanai, Hibiscus, Plumeria, Adeniums and would put annuals at their base.
I grew a lot of Pentas in the heat.
In the cooler months I grew things like New Guinea Impatiens.

Pentas, Gazanias, Zinnias, Portulacas, Marigolds, Vincas, Baby Sun Roses, Tithonias, etc.

Like Bill mentioned there are "winter annuals" like Snapdragons, Pansies, some poppies, Calendulas, Nasturtiums, etc.

Another vote for Zinnias & marigolds. They don't mind 105° while in the sun. Curious why one would think about annuals in Z10?

Gomphrena, datura, salvia and amaranthus in the hot Florida Sunshine ,

I don't know for the other two, but aren't Datura and Salvia perennials?

Not sure about Datura but here I see Salvias sold as annuals and perennials. I have not purchased any labeled as annuals so I can't be sure that that is even accurate.

I'm not sure anybody knows! LOL! It says here it's an annual, but it has hardiness info:
Devil's Trumpet (Datura metel)

I don't know what kind of Salvia that is, to check hardiness info.

The salvia looks like one of the Salvia microphylla varieties, which are usually Zone 7 or 8 to 10, common names Baby Sage, or Littleleaf Sage. There are so many varieties of salvias though, some even in my zone are perennial, but many are annual and will bloom all summer into fall.

In my zone, Daturas are annuals but reseed easily, but says they can withstand Zones 8 to 10.

Salvia splendens, often just called red or scarlet salvia, is the salvia most commonly sold as a bedding annual and is a six-pack regular in most nurseries in spring, but it's actually (like many plants sold as "annuals") just a tender perennial with hardiness around 9 but they vary. So in zone 10 even that would be perennial.

Perennial means a plant can survive indefinitely for years in some location, in their zone(s) of hardiness. A true annual will live a short life in any location or condition. There is no habitat or location where an individual annual plant can survive for years. Knowing the difference prevents wasting time/space/effort/expectations on trying to do something to keep true annuals alive past the gardening season.

If it is unclear whether a plant is perennial somewhere, it can be confusing if growing that plant doesn't work out. Are there faults with the method or timing of growing/saving, or is it a lost cause because it's a true annual?

Taking a perennial to a location where it can't survive perennially doesn't make it an annual, but store labels might say that to avoid unrealistic expectations.

Of course there are exceptions, but generally, true annuals are more reliably available by buying seeds. Perennials, even when sold where they are not hardy, are more reliably available as potted plants, already growing.

There are also biennials. These are plants that sprout from seed this year and bloom for one or two following years, then that is the end of the individual, but they can last reliably in patches, like hollyhocks.

it is salvia greggii ,,, an annual someplaces and a perrenial other places .
some of the other " annual " salvias reseed so easily they may as well be perrenials , you always have them

when I lived in CT , the datura was an annual , here in Florida they hang on for years and grow into small trees, and sprout all over the place .

Pepper plants last for years here ... only a few months in other places
pentas makes hedges and never dies

some plants are considered annuals here in Florida becaue they cannot make it thru a summer .

That is a beautiful pic, Mikelzz!! Your examples about hardiness are good ones. Pentas, for example, could never survive being left in the ground for winter in OH, but here in south AL, the above-ground part will get ruined by frost but the roots can survive and the plant will continue to grow the next year. And you said it's an evergreen hedge where you are. Examples of different behavior in different zones/climates.

After moving to AL (Z8) from OH (Z5), the list of plants that are suitable as permanent parts of my landscaping changed drastically. Many of my old standbys can't live through summer here, or don't get enough chill hours to bloom. But many other plants became possible choices because of the difference in the gardening zone.

Details about a plant being an annual or perennial are facts about gardening, not based on opinion. Plants don't change whether they are annual or perennial based on location or behavior. These words have fixed meanings. Being killed by cold doesn't make a plant an annual any more than killing it by forgetting to water.

That is what the hardiness ratings are for, to let people know where a perennial plant is known to survive perennially. There is no location to which a true annual can be taken where it will survive indefinitely. The appearance of seedlings after the mother plant has died does not make an annual into a perennial. The new seedlings are separate individuals, not the same plant that is still alive.

People do say "it's an annual here" or other similar comments, but the correct thing to say would be that said plant is not hardy there, or behaves as an annual there because it is not hardy.

Hardy and hearty are different words. Hardy, as a gardening term, indicates the range of perennial survival for perennial plants. It has nothing to do with vigor or speed of growth, or difficulty in removing if unwanted. Any plant growing vigorously can be said to be hearty.

Well said, Tiffany!

Thank you very much : )

Hey all. I completely forgot about this thread! Ack!
For some reason notifications weren't notifying my inbox when I came onto the site.

I greatly appreciate all the replies!! Some were a little confused on why I am looking for annuals in my zone. I already have plenty of perennials, but I have one of those evil things called an HOA where they are very strict in what I do with my plants. They don't even let me plant in the ground so I have to be a container gardener for now. But basically I want to put a new large pot right outside my front porch which I need permission from the association. This particular area is mostly shade, but receives sun in the AM. I'd use it as my annual container as I like to switch out flowers from time to time.

Recently I purchased seeds for Bee's Friend, Purple Coneflower, and Maypop.

Maypops get crazy big and vine all over anything and everything. You might want to keep that one where your HOA can't see it.

So many Floridians are under the thumb of an HOA. Why are they so anti-gardening?

But about your plants, I'm not sure those selections will be ideal for a pot in mostly shade. Here is some more info about each from the plant database on this site:
Bee's Friend (Phacelia tanacetifolia)

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) - Not an annual, but no reason you have to keep it for a long time if you don't want to.)

Maypop (Passiflora incarnata) - Won't mind mostly shade but may not bloom as well. Not an annual, it's a vine that knows no boundaries. As a host plant for gulf fritillary butterfly caterpillars, it's likely that your vine will be completely eaten. If that happens, it will happen quickly. And although it's very interesting to observe, it's not a traditionally attractive thing to have in a big focal point pot.

Plants that look good in a pot in the shade, though none of these are annuals:
https://garden.org/plants/sear... any Begonia that appeals to you

Busy Lizzy (Impatiens walleriana)

https://garden.org/plants/sear... any Coleus

https://garden.org/plants/sear... Vinca (Catharanthus) not for total shade but might do OK if there's patchy sun

Spur Flower (Plectranthus Mona Lavender)

Rex Begonia Vine (Cissus discolor) A vine even the HOA probably won't mind having around

https://garden.org/plants/sear... Hydrangeas

If you like foliage plants, coleus and ferns look nice.