Missed the spring rush? Don’t sweat it! June is your golden window to sow fast-growing annuals that hit the ground running. These bloomers are the real deal—quick out of the gate, bursting with color, and ready to steal the show in beds, borders, or containers.
It’s not too late to let your garden shine—just plant, water, and watch the magic happen.
1. Cosmos – Nature’s Fireworks
Feathery foliage topped with daisy-like blooms in pink, white, and crimson make cosmos a garden showstopper. These Mexican natives thrive in poor soil and actually bloom better without fertilizer!
Simply scatter seeds directly in sunny spots, water occasionally, and watch them shoot up to 3-4 feet in just weeks. Their airy stems dance in summer breezes, creating movement in borders.
Pollinators adore cosmos, so expect butterflies and bees to visit regularly. For continuous blooms until frost, deadhead spent flowers every few days.
2. Sunflowers – Sunny Sky Scrapers
Nothing says summer quite like sunflowers reaching for the heavens! Fast-growing varieties like ‘Sunspot’ or ‘Teddy Bear’ can zoom from seed to bloom in just 60 days.
Plant seeds 1 inch deep in full sun areas after all danger of frost has passed. The large seeds make them perfect for planting with kids who’ll be amazed at how quickly they grow.
Beyond their cheerful faces, sunflowers provide food for birds when seed heads mature. Choose dwarf varieties for containers or tall types for dramatic backdrops.
3. Nasturtiums – Edible Beauties
Spicy and sweet, nasturtiums offer both visual appeal and culinary potential. Their round leaves and trumpet-shaped flowers in fiery oranges, yellows, and reds spread quickly across garden beds or trail from hanging baskets.
Soak seeds overnight before planting for faster germination. Unlike most flowers, nasturtiums prefer poorer soil without fertilizer – rich soil produces fewer blooms!
Add the peppery flowers and leaves to summer salads for a nutritious punch. Their sprawling habit makes them excellent for covering bare spots or cascading from containers.
4. Zinnias – Cut Flower Champions
Bold and brilliant, zinnias transform from seed to spectacular blooms in record time. Available in every color except true blue, they’re perfect for gardeners seeking instant gratification and endless bouquets.
Direct sow seeds in warm soil about 1/4 inch deep. Space them 6-18 inches apart depending on variety, as they range from 6-inch dwarfs to 4-foot giants.
Few flowers match zinnias for vase life – cut stems last over a week indoors. For bushier plants with more flowers, pinch young plants when they reach 12 inches tall.
5. Morning Glories – Vertical Virtuosos
Morning glories transform fences and trellises into living curtains of heart-shaped leaves and trumpet flowers. The name tells their story – blooms unfurl at dawn, greeting early risers with intense blue, purple, pink or white faces.
Nick seeds slightly and soak overnight before planting to speed germination. These vigorous climbers can grow 6-10 feet in a single season, perfect for creating privacy or disguising unsightly views.
Their twining habit means they’ll climb without help, though gentle guidance at the start keeps them on track. Hummingbirds find their nectar irresistible!
6. Marigolds – Pest-Repelling Powerhouses
Marigolds pull double duty as both ornamental champions and garden guardians. Their distinctive scent repels many common garden pests while their gold, orange, and russet blooms brighten beds from summer until frost.
French marigolds (Tagetes patula) grow quickly to about 12 inches, while African types (Tagetes erecta) can reach 3 feet. Plant around vegetable gardens to deter nematodes and other soil pests.
Their drought tolerance makes them ideal for hot, sunny spots where other flowers struggle. Deadhead regularly for continuous blooms and collect seeds easily at season’s end for next year’s garden.
7. Sweet Alyssum – Fragrant Carpet
Honey-scented clouds of tiny white, purple, or pink flowers make sweet alyssum a must-have for garden edges and containers. This low-growing beauty creates living mulch, suppressing weeds while cooling soil for neighboring plants.
Sprinkle seeds directly where you want them to grow – they’re so small there’s no need to cover them. Just press gently into soil and keep moist until germination, which happens within days.
Heat can cause summer dormancy, but a light trimming often triggers fresh growth and new flowers. Bees and beneficial insects flock to alyssum, making it valuable for vegetable gardens too.
8. California Poppies – Drought-Defying Dazzlers
Silky petals in sunset shades of orange, yellow, and cream make California poppies standout performers in water-wise gardens. Native to America’s west coast, they thrive in poor soil and full sun with minimal attention.
Scatter seeds where you want them to grow – they dislike transplanting due to their long taproots. Once established, they need almost no water, making them perfect for neglected corners or rocky areas.
Flowers close at night and on cloudy days, reopening when sunshine returns. Allow some to set seed, and they’ll return year after year, often naturalizing into drifts of color.
9. Bachelor’s Buttons – Cottage Garden Classics
Cornflower blue blooms atop slender stems give bachelor’s buttons (Centaurea cyanus) their old-fashioned charm. While blue is traditional, modern varieties offer pink, white, and burgundy options too.
Direct sow in June for late summer flowers that attract beneficial insects. The ferny foliage appears quickly, followed by button-like buds that open into intricate, fringed blooms.
Their natural meadow look pairs beautifully with other wildflowers, creating casual, cottage-style displays. Excellent for cutting gardens, the flowers retain their color when dried, making them perfect for everlasting arrangements.
10. Love-in-a-Mist – Mysterious Beauty
Surrounded by feathery foliage that resembles a misty halo, love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena) brings whimsical charm to gardens. The star-shaped flowers in blue, white, or pink transform into decorative seed pods that dry beautifully.
Sow seeds directly where they’ll grow, as they dislike transplanting. They germinate quickly in cool soil and bloom within 8-10 weeks, making them perfect for June sowing.
Beyond their ornamental value, the black seeds have a nutmeg-like flavor used in Middle Eastern cooking. Allow some plants to set seed, and they’ll self-sow gently for years to come.
11. Annual Phlox – Rainbow Clusters
Star-shaped blooms in candy colors cluster atop 12-inch stems, creating sweeps of color in borders and containers. Annual phlox (Phlox drummondii) differs from its perennial cousin by growing quickly from seed to flower in just 8 weeks.
The flowers come in every shade from white to near-black purple, with many sporting contrasting eyes or petal edges. Plant in groups for maximum impact, as individual plants can get lost in busy gardens.
Their sweet fragrance intensifies in evening, making them perfect near patios or windows where you can enjoy their perfume. Regular deadheading extends their blooming season well into fall.
12. Calendula – Edible Sunshine
Often called pot marigold, calendula bears daisy-like blooms in shades from lemon yellow to deep orange. Beyond their beauty, these flowers have centuries of medicinal and culinary history.
Sow seeds directly in garden beds or containers, covering lightly with soil. They germinate within days and begin flowering in just 6-8 weeks, continuing until hard frost if deadheaded regularly.
The edible petals add color to salads or can be dried for skin-soothing oils and salves. Cool weather brings out their brightest colors, making them excellent for late-season containers when summer annuals fade.
13. Annual Salvia – Hummingbird Magnets
Spikes of jewel-toned flowers make annual salvias standout vertical elements in summer gardens. While perennial salvias require overwintering, annual types like scarlet sage (Salvia splendens) grow quickly from seed to bloom in just 8 weeks.
Modern varieties offer colors beyond the traditional red, including purple, white, salmon, and bicolors. Their compact growth makes them perfect for containers or front-of-border positions.
Hummingbirds find their tubular flowers irresistible, creating garden animation as they dart from bloom to bloom. Most varieties continue flowering without deadheading, making them low-maintenance choices for busy gardeners.
14. Portulaca – Heat-Loving Ground Cover
Rose-like blooms in tropical colors top succulent stems, making portulaca (moss rose) perfect for hot, dry spots where other flowers fail. Their water-storing leaves and stems help them thrive in punishing heat and poor soil.
Sow seeds barely covered with soil in the warmest, sunniest location you have. They germinate quickly in summer heat and spread to form a living carpet about 4-6 inches tall.
Flowers close at night or on cloudy days, reopening when sunshine returns. Their low, spreading habit makes them ideal for rock gardens, between stepping stones, or spilling from containers.
15. Petunias from Seed – Budget-Friendly Bloomers
Skip expensive nursery plants and grow petunias from seed for abundant flowers at a fraction of the cost. While they take slightly longer than some annuals, June-sown petunias will still produce plenty of blooms before frost.
Modern varieties like ‘Wave’ types spread quickly, covering ground or cascading from containers with minimal care. Colors range from pure white to nearly black, with stripes, stars, and picotee edges adding interest.
Lightly press the tiny seeds onto moist soil without covering them, as they need light to germinate. Keep seedlings consistently moist until established, then water deeply but less frequently.