Gardening in the summer brings its own set of challenges and opportunities. High temperatures and intense sunlight can make it seem like it’s too late to start planting. However, several robust and beautiful flowers thrive when sown during the warmer months.
This guide will introduce you to 30 flowers that not only survive but flourish when planted mid-summer, ensuring your garden remains a vibrant and colorful oasis.
Flowers You Can Sow This Summer
1. Marigolds: A Sun-Loving Staple
Marigolds are a garden favorite, known for their vibrant orange, yellow, and red blooms. These hardy annuals thrive in full sun and well-drained soil.
Sowing marigold seeds in the summer can lead to a late bloom, extending the color in your garden into the fall.
2. Zinnias: Vibrant and Easy to Grow
Zinnias are perfect for beginner gardeners due to their ease of growth and the bright splash of color they add to any space.
Planting zinnia seeds now can yield full, lush blooms by late summer, as they typically sprout within a week and flower shortly after.
3. Sunflowers: Giants of the Garden
Sunflowers are not just striking; they’re also incredibly resilient. Sowing sunflower seeds in the summer can still give rise to their iconic towering stems and large, sunny heads before the season ends, especially with quick-growing varieties.
4. Cosmos: Delicate and Drought-Resistant
Cosmos are another flower that can be sown during the summer months. They are particularly drought-resistant and will provide delicate, beautiful blooms even when water is scarce. They’re ideal for adding a whimsical touch to your garden in late summer.
5. Nasturtiums: Edible and Colorful
Known for their edible flowers and leaves, nasturtiums can be directly sown into the soil during summer.
They grow quickly and can provide a peppery zest to salads while adding a burst of orange, yellow, or red to your garden palette.
6. Calendula: The Healing Flower
Calendula, with its soothing and medicinal properties, is another excellent choice for late planting. These flowers prefer cooler conditions but can still be started in summer for a fall harvest of their bright, cheerful blooms.
7. Morning Glory: Fast Climbers
Morning glories are vigorous climbers that can cover fences or trellises rapidly. Planting them now will ensure they establish themselves before the cooler days of fall, with their trumpet-shaped flowers offering a daily spectacle of new blooms.
8. Alyssum: For a Fragrant Garden
Alyssum, with its sweet fragrance and honey-like aroma, is perfect for attracting pollinators. Sowing alyssum in the summer helps establish it for a full autumn bloom, creating a carpet of white, pink, or purple flowers.
9. Bachelor’s Buttons: Old-Fashioned Favorites
Also known as cornflowers, these classic garden staples can be sown in summer for blooms that last until the first frost. Their distinctive blue flowers are a hit with both gardeners and local wildlife.
10. Petunias: Prolific Bloomers
Petunias can handle the heat as long as they are watered adequately. Starting petunias mid-summer will lead to a spectacular display of blooms through fall, ranging from solid hues to striped and speckled patterns.
11. Impatiens: Shade-Loving and Colorful
For those with shaded gardens, impatiens are an ideal choice for adding a splash of color. They can flourish when sown in the summer, filling in any garden gaps with their vibrant and varied colors.
12. Coreopsis: Cheerful and Perennial
Coreopsis seeds can be planted in summer to establish their root systems for a burst of color next spring. These sunny, low-maintenance perennials are perfect for a long-lasting garden display.
13. Cleome: The Spider Flower
Known for their unique, spider-like flowers, cleomes are a dramatic addition to any garden. Sowing them in the summer helps them settle in before cooler weather, enhancing their chances for a robust bloom cycle.
14. Black-eyed Susan: A Tough Perennial
Black-eyed Susans are native perennials that are especially resilient. Planting them now will prepare them for a spectacular showing in the following year, with their golden-yellow blooms attracting a variety of pollinators.
15. Portulaca: Perfect for Hot Areas
Portulaca thrives in the heat and can handle drought conditions, making it ideal for hot, dry summers. Their colorful, succulent-like blooms can be enjoyed even when planted late in the season.
16. Snapdragons: A Touch of Drama
While snapdragons prefer cooler weather, starting them late can still result in a striking floral display. They bring height and a range of colors to the garden, from soft pastels to vibrant hues.
17. Lupines: For Vertical Interest
Lupines are not only majestic but also ideal for adding vertical interest to your garden. Planting their seeds now will prepare them for a stunning display next spring.
18. Dahlias: Stately and Stunning
While typically planted in the spring, dahlias can also be started in the summer from tubers for a late bloom. These luxurious flowers offer a variety of forms and colors, making them garden centerpieces.
19. Sweet Peas: Fragrantly Nostalgic
Sweet peas are known for their delightful fragrance. Planting them in the summer can ensure a continuation of their scent and color into the cooler months, ideal for cutting and enjoying indoors.
20. Verbena: Ground Cover and Beyond
Verbena is a versatile plant that provides excellent ground cover and vibrant blooms. It adapts well to summer sowing, quickly covering large areas with its colorful flowers, perfect for filling any bare spots in your garden.
21. Phlox: Star-Shaped Beauty
Phlox can be sown in summer for a full bloom in the upcoming seasons. These star-shaped flowers prefer well-drained soil and full sun, adding a vibrant display to your garden with their prolonged flowering period.
22. Gazania: Bright and Bold
Known for their dazzling colors and sun-loving nature, Gazanias can be sown directly into the ground during summer. Their tolerance for dry conditions makes them a perfect choice for sunny, hot spots in the garden.
23. Gomphrena: Globes of Color
Gomphrena, or globe amaranth, provides round, clover-like blooms that last all summer. Planting these in the heat helps them establish quickly, providing long-lasting color and an ideal choice for dried floral arrangements.
24. Geraniums: Hardy and Versatile
Geraniums are popular for their durability and vibrant colors. Sowing them in summer allows them to settle and bloom into late fall, offering a continuous display of flowers that can withstand variable temperatures.
25. Begonias: Continuous Color
Begonias are excellent for summer planting, especially in shaded areas where few other blooms may flourish.
They provide continuous color with minimal care, thriving in cooler spots shielded from direct sunlight.
26. Pansies: Cool Weather Ready
While often associated with spring, pansies can also be sown in late summer for fall and early winter blooms.
Their cheerful faces and variety of colors brighten up any garden space as the temperature starts to drop.
27. Salvia: Easy and Attractive
Salvia seeds can be planted in the summer to establish their intense blue or purple spikes for autumn. This plant attracts pollinators like bees and butterflies, enhancing the biodiversity of your garden.
28. Vinca: Heat-Loving and Prolific
Vinca, or periwinkle, is known for its resilience in hot climates. Sowing vinca seeds now can produce a robust display of blooms that are both heat and drought tolerant, ideal for a low-maintenance garden.
29. Lavatera: Cottage Garden Charm
Lavatera, or mallow, grows quickly from seed even when started in summer, producing large, hibiscus-like flowers. It’s perfect for adding a touch of cottage garden charm and attracts a host of pollinators.
30. Dianthus: Dense and Dainty
Dianthus offers a range of colors and a sweet scent. Planting these flowers during the summer months ensures that their dense, colorful tufts of flowers enliven your garden into the fall.
Tips for Success When Sowing Flowers in Summer
Successfully growing flowers from seeds in summer involves understanding a few key gardening principles. Ensure your soil is well-amended with organic matter to retain moisture and provide nutrients.
Regular watering is crucial, especially as the seeds germinate and during dry spells, to keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy.
Additionally, providing some shade during the hottest part of the day can help protect young seedlings from excessive heat stress.
Why Summer Sowing?
Summer sowing has distinct advantages. It allows gardeners to fill gaps in the landscape left by spring-blooming plants, extending the garden’s interest into fall and winter.
Additionally, some plants sown in summer will be better established by the next growing season, offering a stronger start compared to spring-planted specimens.
Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them
The main challenges of summer sowing include intense heat, rapid soil drying, and increased pest activity.
Overcome these by choosing heat-tolerant plant varieties, mulching to conserve moisture and regulate soil temperature, and being vigilant about pests.
Regular checks and natural pest control measures can prevent infestations before they become severe.
Experimenting with late sowing offers the chance to enjoy your garden for longer and to see a different side of the plants you grow.
Whether you’re filling in gaps, replacing spent blooms, or planning ahead for next year, these 30 flowers provide diverse options suitable for a range of garden designs and conditions.
By choosing the right plants and following the provided tips, your garden can remain a lush, blooming haven well into the cooler months.