Question
I live in Michigan.  I have a garden in the backyard with beautiful hostas that thrive.  
The yard is full sun.  I would like to plant some annuals for color with the hostas.  Any suggestions for colorful annuals that do well in full sun?  Thanks.  Kim

Answer
KIm,
If you have sun, you have a HUGE selection available to you!  There are the reliable bloomers like marigolds, annual blue or red salvia, and Blue Horizen Ageratum.  You can grow nasturtiums and zinnias easily from seeds - just keep them moist when they are germinating, then water less but more deeply as they grow (deep watering every four or five days).  If you want tall plants, grow cosmos or cleome.  

Newer annuals available in pots (not six-packs) that are great are the wave petunias, scaevola, and the Simply Beautiful Profusion Zinnias.  These are no-work plants - just plant them with time-release fertilizer and water deeply every four or five days.  

In general, you'll like the look of these plants better if you plant them in groups - a group of five Profusion Zinnias or a group of 12 marigolds, for instance.  Putting plants in groups makes the color have more impact...if you plant one zinnia here and a marigold there, for example, your garden looks dotted and you don't get the same impressive color.

I hope this helps!
C.L.