Spring gardens are waking up and some early bloomers have already done their work. For me, this is both a good and a bad thing because I don’t ever want this to stop!
Call me needy, but I must have flowers in my garden year-round, especially during warmer months. But if you want to paint your summer garden in stunning flower colors, you need to grab your gardening gloves right now.
I know choosing plants can be tricky and time-consuming, so I want to save you this trouble and show you some of my favorite flowers to plant in spring (you’ll thank me when you spot the first blossoms).
1. Zinnias For A Captivating Color Palette
When I embarked on my gardening journey, the one thing I told myself was: I’ll never plant any zinnias. I mean, everyone had them in their gardens and I didn’t want to be like everyone else.
And look at me now, four flower beds and each one with dozens of zinnias. You must be wondering what changed my mind. Probably the yellow, orange, red, and pink blossoms that start emerging in late spring until the first frost.
Here in Florida, I managed to grow a few zinnia varieties as perennials, but if you live in cooler zones, I strongly recommend growing them as annuals.
Start your zinnia seeds indoors in March or April and transplant them into the ground as soon as the soil temperature rises!
2. Sweet Peas: The Sweetest Of Them All
The name says it all! Cute little sweet pea blossoms will brighten your garden during June and July.
I plant my sweet peas somewhere in the middle of March, but if you live in Wisconsin, Michigan, or other cooler zones, do it a bit later; May is perfect!
Sweet peas aren’t really a heat-loving plant, so plant them in a shady spot and water more often if you’re afraid the harsh sun rays will scorch them.
3. Sedums To Rule Them All
Well, sedum is nothing like the Lord of the Rings, but if you could make the best movie with a flower, this would be it. They’re drought-resistant, heat-tolerant perennials, and attract hummingbirds and butterflies. It’s a true gardener’s dream!
Nothing can stop these beauties when they start blooming; with literally zero effort, you can enjoy the flower display well into the fall.
A rule of thumb is to plant sedums in spring, but I was lazy last year and did it once the summer began. Luckily, they weren’t stressed by it and produced flowers pretty quickly.
4. Gardener’s Favorite: Beebalm
If the things I list below are also your preferences, Beebalm is the perfect plant for you.
✔️ Native plant
✔️ Super easy to grow
✔️ Attracts pollinators
✔️ Creates a privacy screen
Yes, these are all the features of the stunning Beebalm. It’s a true showstopper and nothing beats the red, purple, lavender, and white Beebalm blooms!
I’ve tried a few methods for starting Beebalm but there’s one that guarantees success. I sow the seeds indoors in mid-March, check the forecast, and if the danger of frost has passed, I transplant them outdoors.
5. Coneflowers: A Must-Have For Beginners
Coneflower is a plant for lazy gardeners. The reason is pretty obvious, you just plant them and forget about maintenance. Yet, you still get an abundance of blossoms and an amazing display, too!
Heat doesn’t bother coneflowers. And the same applies to drought! The only thing that actually bothers them is pollinators, but that’s what we all want.
Many aren’t sure if coneflowers are perennials and if they’ll come back the next your. If this is your goal, then you should get strictly perennial varieties, such as purple coneflower.
6. Wildflower Mix For A Meadow-Like Display
You know that calming feeling when you’re looking at a meadow filled with numerous cute blooms? Well, why not have it right there in your garden!
Wildflower mixes are readily available in garden centers and they were on sale at Home Depot last week, so guess what I’m planting this year?
I actually have one part of my garden filled with wildflowers but I want to expand it because of the benefits it offers. They provide sanctuary for pollinators, don’t need maintenance, and bloom between May and September.
Ready, Set, Plant!
Some may say it’s early but I say this is the perfect time to start planting flowers that will adorn your summer and fall garden.
Now that you know which long bloomers you can plant, and I hope you’ll choose more than one, go buy the seeds, put on your gloves, and start sowing! Good luck!