Complete Gardening
Who says it’s too late to have a stunning garden? Some flowers grow so quickly that you can start them right now and still enjoy a full, colorful bloom before the season ends.
Whether you have a big backyard or just a few pots on a balcony, these fast-growing beauties will reward your effort in no time. Get ready to plant, water, and watch your garden come to life faster than you ever thought possible.
Sunflowers
Nothing says summer like a sunflower stretching tall toward the sky. These iconic blooms can go from seed to flower in as little as 60 days, making them one of the fastest rewarding plants you can grow.
Even kids love planting them because the results are so dramatic and quick.
Plant seeds directly in the ground in a sunny spot, water regularly, and watch them shoot up almost daily. Sunflowers thrive in warm soil and need very little fuss to flourish beautifully.
Zinnias
Zinnias are the overachievers of the flower world, bursting into bold color in just 45 to 60 days from seed. Their cheerful, pompom-like heads come in nearly every shade imaginable, from hot pink to deep orange to creamy white.
Gardeners of all skill levels swear by them for instant color payoff.
Sow seeds directly in well-drained soil with full sun, and avoid overwatering. Zinnias actually prefer a little drought, which makes them surprisingly low-maintenance and beginner-friendly.
Marigolds
Marigolds have earned their legendary status in gardens worldwide for good reason. These tough little flowers bloom in roughly 45 to 50 days and keep producing color all season long without much help from you.
Bonus: their strong scent naturally repels pests, making them a smart companion plant for vegetables too.
Press seeds into warm soil, give them full sun, and water at the base to avoid mildew. Deadhead spent blooms regularly to encourage even more flowers to pop open throughout the season.
Nasturtiums
Here is a fun fact: nasturtiums are completely edible, flowers and all, with a peppery flavor that surprises most people. They sprout within a week of planting and bloom in about 35 to 50 days, making them one of the absolute fastest options available.
Their trailing habit looks gorgeous spilling over pots, raised beds, or garden walls.
Plant seeds in poor-to-average soil, since rich soil actually produces more leaves than flowers. Full sun to partial shade works well, and they need very little watering once established.
Bachelor’s Button (Cornflower)
Bachelor’s buttons bring a wildflower charm that feels effortlessly romantic and free-spirited. These cool-toned blue beauties bloom in about 60 to 70 days and self-seed generously, meaning they may come back on their own next year as a pleasant surprise.
They have been a garden staple for centuries across Europe and America alike.
Scatter seeds directly onto loosened soil and barely cover them, since they need light to germinate. They tolerate light frost well, making them a solid choice even when temperatures dip unexpectedly.
Cosmos
Cosmos flowers have an airy, dreamy quality that makes any garden feel like a painting. They grow incredibly fast, often reaching full bloom in 50 to 60 days, and they keep flowering right up until the first frost.
Their feathery foliage adds texture even before the blooms open, so the plant earns its space from day one.
Sow seeds directly in average soil under full sun, and resist the urge to fertilize heavily. Too much nitrogen pushes leafy growth at the expense of those gorgeous, papery flowers you are waiting for.
Poppies
Few flowers match the theatrical impact of a poppy opening its crinkled, tissue-thin petals for the first time. Annual varieties like California poppies and Shirley poppies can bloom in as little as 60 days from sowing.
Their vivid shades of red, orange, and coral create an almost painterly effect in any garden space.
Direct sow in cool soil, as poppies dislike being transplanted. Thin seedlings to about six inches apart to give each plant enough room to develop strong stems and generous blooms throughout the season.
Sweet Alyssum
Sweet alyssum is the quiet overperformer that experienced gardeners always keep in their back pocket. It blooms in as little as 45 days, forms a fragrant carpet of tiny flowers, and fills the air with a honey-like scent that draws beneficial insects by the dozens.
It works beautifully as a ground cover, border plant, or spiller in hanging baskets.
Sprinkle seeds lightly over moist soil and press them down gently without covering. They prefer cooler temperatures and actually slow down in peak summer heat, then bounce back gloriously as temperatures ease up.
Calendula
Calendula, sometimes called pot marigold, has been grown in gardens for over 200 years for both its beauty and its medicinal uses. It blooms in about 45 to 60 days and thrives in cooler weather, which makes it a smart pick when other flowers might struggle with shifting temperatures.
The cheerful orange and yellow blooms practically glow in morning light.
Sow seeds directly or start in trays and transplant carefully. Deadheading spent flowers extends the blooming season significantly, keeping your garden looking fresh and full of color week after week.
Morning Glory
Morning glories are the sprinters of the climbing flower world, racing up trellises, fences, and mailboxes with wild enthusiasm. They can bloom in about 60 to 70 days and open fresh flowers every single morning before closing by afternoon, which feels like a little daily gift from your garden.
Their rich purple, blue, and pink trumpets are genuinely breathtaking up close.
Soak seeds overnight before planting to speed up germination. Give them a structure to climb, full sun, and moderate water, and they will practically take care of the rest themselves with minimal intervention needed.
Portulaca (Moss Rose)
Portulaca thrives where other flowers give up, making it the ultimate survivor in hot, dry conditions. Also called moss rose, this low-growing gem blooms in about 50 to 60 days and produces jewel-toned flowers in shades of magenta, yellow, coral, and white.
Its succulent-like leaves store water efficiently, so it practically waters itself between rainstorms.
Scatter seeds over sandy or rocky soil in a spot that gets blasting full sun all day long. Portulaca actually suffers in rich, wet soil, so lean conditions are genuinely its happy place for thriving and blooming.
Larkspur
Larkspur brings a vertical elegance to garden beds that very few other fast-growing annuals can match. Its tall spikes of densely packed flowers in violet, blue, pink, and white can reach three feet high and bloom in roughly 60 to 70 days from direct sowing.
Cottage garden lovers absolutely adore its old-fashioned, romantic character.
Sow seeds directly in the garden, since larkspur strongly dislikes being transplanted. It prefers cooler weather to get established, so planting now while temperatures are still mild gives it the best possible start for a spectacular display.