What if you could bring a patch of plain dirt to life in color without paying too much, or waiting two or three years for flowers? For thrifty gardeners, planting annuals from seed is the shortcut of shortcuts: a few bucks, some elbow grease, and you’re basking in months of gorgeous, pollinator-friendly flowers. But the good news is here: with some tricks in your back pocket, you can keep your garden blooming spring, summer, and fall no green thumb needed.
From old-fashioned marigolds to succession sowing magic, learn the simplest, most rewarding annuals to sow today (yes, it’s not too late!) and the pro tips that’ll have neighbors asking how long you can sustain those flowers. Ready to get digging? Let’s get your garden blazing quickly, easily, and jaw-droppingly budget-friendly.
1. Marigold: The Low-Maintenance Superstar Flower
Marigolds are the thrifty gardener’s MVPs. They’re cheerful, sunny flowers that just happen to love sun and gold, orange, and red colors and they’re almost impossible to kill to grow from seed. Just plant them in the garden after the final frost and wait for sprouts in seven days. Marigolds prefer sun and dry soil and will flower midsummer to frost.
Why are marigolds so worthwhile? Not only are they sightly-to-look-at but also forerunner pest-repellents and edibles. As flower gardener Lisa Ziegler puts it: “Marigolds are valued for rapid growth from seed to flowering plant and their capacity to produce large quantities of flowers relatively quickly” (Southern Living). Pinch off faded flowers to ensure the display continues, and harvest seeds from aged flowers to plant anew next spring such a welcome surprise!
2. Zinnia: The Last Cut-and-Come-Again Bloomer
For filling bouquets and vases with armloads of blooms, zinnias are the way to go. Annuals produce all the colors of the rainbow and bloom in record time two months at the most from seed. The more they are cut, the more they flower, which makes them ideal for continuous color throughout the summer. Zinnias are “neglect-proof and very low maintenance,” says gardening expert Lisa Ziegler (Southern Living).
Direct seed out after last frost, or start indoors for a head start. For continuous bloom, try succession planting: sow a new bunch every 2–3 weeks until mid-summer. This will provide an ongoing show of fresh flowers, and your garden will never look tired. Zinnias love heat and direct sun, and they are also deer-resistant an enormous plus for most gardeners.
3. Sunflower: Fast-Growing, Pollinator-Pleasing, and Statement-Making
There is nothing that screams summer as loudly as a sunflower. These no-fuss flowers are simple to cultivate from seed and range from 2 to 10 feet tall, and from traditional yellow to attention-grabbing burgundy. Sunflowers are also pollinator magnets, drawing bees and birds all summer long.
To rebloom sunflowers, sow seeds 10–14 days in spring and on through mid-summer. Employ varieties to flower quickly such as ‘ProCut’ or ‘Vincent’ for the quickest come-back several of these ones produce flowers in 50–60 days (Southern Living). Bouquet-gorgeous single-stemmed varieties and clump varieties keep the garden going for weeks in succession. As flower grower Erin Benzakein puts it, “I plant a new wave of seeds every 2 to 3 weeks until mid-summer” (Floret Flowers).
4. Nasturtium: The Foodie Beauty Who Wouldn’t Care if She Were Ignored
Nasturtiums are the epitome of go with it. Their bright red, orange, and yellow blooms, edible flowers and leaves, provide zest and excitement to your garden and plate. Sow them thus: seed after last frost merely soak them in water overnight first to quicken germination.
They will also accept poor soil and slight memory loss. In fact, too much fertilizer will prevent them from flowering, so use a little bit. As a supposed catch phrase, nasturtiums are also a natural pest repellent and can be planted as a “trap crop” to guard your vegetables (Sierra Flower Farm). They spill over, so they’re gorgeous in pots, raised beds, or spilling over garden edges.
5. Cosmos: Weeks on End of Low-Maintenance Blooms
Cosmos are the crowning glory of low-maintenance, high-dividend bloom. They bear light, feathery daisy-like blooms in pink, white, and magenta and are grown in poor soil and full sun. Sow seeds shortly after last frost, and enjoy flowers from summer through to frost.
Cosmos are “cut-and-come-again” workhorses that is, the more you cut back, the more flowers they will produce. Erin Benzakein suggests, “New plants are started every 3 to 4 weeks until mid-summer” (Floret Flowers). This provides you with a continuous crop of flowers to add to bouquets and maintains the beds in full bloom throughout the summer.
6. Sweet Alyssum: Fragrant Groundcover for Cool and Warm Weather
Alyssum is a small but mighty plant. Close-scented white or purple flowers in masses form a mat that is insect-attracting and tolerates light frosts. Thinly sow the seeds as early in spring as the soil can be prepared, or make a late sowing in summer and have flowers in fall (The Spruce).
Alyssum prefers full sun to partial shade and is perfect for edge-beds, gaps, or forcing into containers. Cut it back during hot summer weather to promote a second flowering in autumn a light cut will be excellent.
7. Moss Rose: Drought-Tolerant Color for Sunny Spots
For those tricky hot, dry spots, moss rose (portulaca) is your new best friend. This succulent annual forms a low mat of needle-like foliage and bursts with neon blooms in red, yellow, pink, and white. Sow seeds directly after the last frost, and you’ll enjoy blooms from summer to frost (The Spruce).
Moss rose is deer-resistant, hardly bothered by insects, and requires hardly any care once you’ve planted it. It’s ideal for a rock garden, a pot, or wherever you want splashes of bright color with no trouble.
8. Morning Glory: Quick Vines for Fences and Trellises
Morning glories create a wow-factor maxima with purple, blue, and pink trumpet flowers and twining vine. Sow indoors or direct seed after last frost, soaking seeds overnight to promote germination. Then they’ll self-seed for a couple of years (The Spruce).
These are wonderful to plant near screening fences, arbors, or ugly corners. Be aware that a few of them are invasive reseeders deadhead if you don’t want them to take over.
9. Bachelor’s Button: Old Fashioned Blue for Fresh Cut Arrangements and Pollinators
Cornflower (bachelor’s button) blue, ruffled-flowered cottage perennial bee and butterfly attractor. Plant seeds directly after final spring frost for flower in summer, or early spring indoors to get a head start on the season (Better Homes & Gardens).
Annuals can be cut and dry flowers and will self-sow again next year. Cut and gather seed pods in autumn to have blue year after year.
10. Calendula: Edible Petals and All-Season Cheer
Calendula, or pot marigold, brings sunny yellow and orange blooms that are both beautiful and edible. Sow seeds directly before or after the last frost, and you’ll enjoy blooms from spring through fall (The Spruce).
Calendulas paint salads and rice with color. Deadhead regularly to keep the blooms going, and let a few go to seed for next year’s garden easy, sunny, and endlessly convenient.
11. Larkspur: Cottage Garden Flick. and Early Flowers
Larkspur is a cool-season annual, having blue, pink, or purple flowering spikes open earlier than most annuals. Plant in late winter or early spring for optimal display (Southern Living).
Larkspur will also self-seed, so you will be able to look forward to seeing it return nearly by itself in subsequent years. It can be employed to produce early bouquets and add texture and height to any bed.
12. Succession Planting: The Secret to Constant Blooms
Here’s the trick no one knows: succession planting. Rather than planting seeds all at the same time, seed small amounts every 2–3 weeks. It’s a simple trick that keeps your garden in bloom for months and prevents the “feast or famine” syndrome (Floret Flowers).
Begin with the fast-bloomers such as sunflowers, cosmos, and zinnias. Refer to your packets of seed for “days to bloom” and then count back from your earliest fall frost date to determine how late you may plant. As Erin Benzakein recommends, “I sow a fresh wave of seeds every 2 to 3 weeks until mid-summer.” This is a simple way for small space and hectic lifestyle, so you’ll have fresh flowers (and less upkeep) all summer long.
13. Hybrid Sowing with Transplants for Greatest Impact
To get the best of both, couple direct sowing with indoor seed starting. Begin some seeds indoors early to get a head start on a few, and then supplement with direct sowing as temperatures warm up. This approach lengthens your blooming season and maximizes your garden’s production (Sierra Flower Farm).
Transplant warm-lovers like sunflowers and zinnias, and direct sow quick-growers like cosmos and marigolds into the soil. This match-and-pair strategy has the effect of always having something new growing and maximizing every square inch of your garden.
Gardening doesn’t have to be costly or time-consuming to create a lively, flowering garden. Succession sowing and easy-breezy annuals can make it accessible even to the pauper gardener such as myself to have a kaleidoscope of satisfying color all year around. A little forethought and two packets of seed, and your garden is the green-eyed monster of the neighborhood thick, packed with color, and continuously flowering. So unearth your trowel, plant some seeds, and let the flower festival begin!
