As soon as the winter weather ends, we gardeners get to work bringing the garden back to life and making it bloom again. Naturally, we want things to grow and bloom right away, but as Audrey Hepburn said, “To plant a garden is to dream of tomorrow.” ”.
Why wait when you can enjoy something today? While you wait for the pretty perennial plants in your garden to re-grow their stores and return to their former glory, there are many fast-growing annual flowering plants that can grow and bloom quickly from seeds, filling in the gaps left by winter’s icy death.
By planting these expeditious annuals, you can regain your garden’s lush abundance in short order. Here are 15 of our favorite annuals that grow quickly and will make your garden look great again in no time.
Any gardener who’s ever stared expectantly at a barren flower bed, waiting impatiently for their carefully planted seeds to sprout, knows the frustration of slow germination. When you want to see some rapid results, it pays to choose quick-blooming flowers that will burst into bloom in a hurry.
The right fast-growing flower seeds can produce wave after wave of colorful blossoms just weeks after planting Best of all, speedy flowers typically keep blooming prolifically all season long with simple care. Read on for a list of the top fast-growing flowers from seed.
Annual Flowers for Quick Growth
Many of the fastest-growing flowers are hardy or half-hardy annuals that complete their entire life cycle in one season Here are some top performer to try
Zinnias
Few flowers can match the explosive growth of zinnias. These heat-loving annuals germinate in 5-7 days and begin blooming in just 8-10 weeks. The daisy-like flowers come in vivid shades of red, pink, orange, yellow, white and more on plants ranging from 6 inches to over 3 feet tall.
Marigolds
Another fast starter, marigolds sprout within just a few days in warm soil. The cheerful flowers start unfurling their sunny blooms around 50 days after sowing. Compact French marigolds and tall African marigolds both grow speedily.
Cosmos
This cottage garden favorite produces lacy, daisy-like blooms on long stems in as little as 10 weeks. Cosmos thrives in heat and doesn’t mind dry soil once established. Stake tall plants.
Petunias
Available in both mounded and trailing types, petunias start flowering about 8 weeks after sowing and continue nonstop all summer. Multiflora hybrids are the fastest.
Sweet Peas
Known for their sweet fragrance, sweet peas vine quickly and bloom 10-12 weeks after planting. Soak seeds to speed germination. Provide support for the rampant vines.
Nasturtiums
With their rounded leaves and trumpet-shaped blooms, nasturtiums add a punch of tropical flavor to gardens. They’ll start flowering around 50 days after sowing. Plant in cooler spring weather.
Morning Glories
This classic vine produces hundreds of trumpet-shaped blooms all season long. Soak the large seeds before planting to quicken sprouting. Provide a trellis for the fast-growing vines.
Sunflowers
While giant sunflower varieties take time, dwarf types like ‘Sunspot’ bloom in as little as 50 days from seeding. Plant in rich soil and provide afternoon shade.
Bachelor’s Buttons
Also called cornflowers, these quick-blooming annuals produce mounds of vibrant flowers in blue, purple, white, pink and more on wispy foliage. Excellent as an edging plant.
Fast-Growing Perennials
Perennials take a bit longer to establish but provide years of flowers. Try:
Daylilies
These summer favorites produce abundant blooms in an array of colors starting about 90 days after sowing seeds. Grow quickly from tubers as well.
Salvia
The Salvia family includes sages, clary sage and perennial salvia. Most grow speedily, bloom the first year, and fill garden beds with spiky color.
Lavender
This Mediterranean herb grows rapidly in warm climates like the South. It takes about 4 months from seed to first bloom but grows faster from young plants.
Verbena
Tough, drought-tolerant verbena starts flowering 3 months after sowing and continues nonstop all season. Grow quickly from cuttings too.
Coreopsis
Tickseeds produce bright daisy-like blooms in yellows and reds on slender stems starting about 12 weeks after seeds are sown. Blooms all summer.
Gaillardia
Also called blanket flowers, Gaillardia blooms enthusiastically, producing daisy flowers nonstop once established. Start seeds early for quickest growth.
Growing Tips for Fast Flowers
Follow these tips to spur your flowers to rapid growth and earliest blossoms:
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Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last frost for a head start. Use a seed starting mix.
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Provide heat from below in the form of a heat mat set at 70-75°F to encourage fast germination.
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Give seedlings plenty of full sun, at least 6 hours per day, plus strong light from grow lights if started indoors.
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Transplant outdoors after any danger of frost has passed, taking care not to disturb roots.
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Prepare soil with compost and nutrients to fuel growth. Side dress growing plants with balanced fertilizer.
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Water young plants frequently to keep soil consistently moist but not soggy. Established plants are more drought tolerant.
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Pinch back tips to promote bushy growth and more flower production. Deadhead spent blooms.
Choose a selection of fast-growing flowers suited to your climate and growing conditions for waves of blossoms all season long. With proper care and ideal conditions, many popular annuals and perennials will reward your patience quickly with their rapid growth and spectacular floral displays.
‘My Navy’ Sweet Pea
| botanical name Lathyrus odoratus ‘My Navy’ |
| sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| height 8’ |
Not only do sweet peas grow quickly from seeds, they also add nitrogen to the soil so that next year’s plants will be able to grow. “My Navy” is a beautiful variety that grows quickly and has big, fragrant, deep blue flowers on long stems that are great for cutting.
Sweet peas need something to climb on because they grow in groups. They look beautiful in the garden on a trellis or arbor. These are great producers that bloom from late spring through the summer in mild climates. Very hot weather can make them turn a bit shy.
Direct sow these annual seeds in a spot where the vines will get morning sun and afternoon shade. This combination keeps them blooming as the weather heats up. Protection from the hot afternoon sun makes these plants happiest. Their preferred soil conditions are rich, loamy, and moist, but well-draining.
| botanical name Tropaeolum minus ‘Black Velvet’ |
| sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| height 10”-12” |
Nasturtiums have bright, happy flowers that you can eat and leaves that look like lilypads. One great variety is “Black Velvet,” which has deep oxblood flowers and bright green leaves with lots of veins.
Nasturtiums do best when they don’t get too much afternoon sun, but the sun in the morning will make the leaves and flowers bright and full. They are not technically considered frost-tolerant, but they do surprisingly well in cooler temperatures. Plant these seeds in early spring or late summer, and the flowers will appear in as little as one month, but more often than not in 45 days.
Black Magic Bachelor’s Button
| botanical name Centaurea cyanus ‘Black Magic’ |
| sun requirements Full sun |
| height 20”-24” |
Bachelor’s Button has seeds that grow on their own, so even though it’s an annual, it’s likely to come back every year after you plant the seeds. Most of the time, these flowers are cornflower blue, but my favorite is “Black Magic.” It’s a must-have if you like the dark and moody goth garden look.
You can direct-sow these seeds in the fall in milder climates or the spring in cooler climates. The flowers will start to show off in early summer and last until the first frost. They can handle drought and are good for pollinators. In the fall, the seed heads are a great food source for birds.
7 Easy & Fast Flowers To Grow From Seed. Beginner Friendly Annual Flowers!
FAQ
Which seed grows fast in 3 days?
What seeds germinate quickly and grow fast?
What is a fast growing seed?
Fast-growing seeds are seeds that germinate quickly and produce flowers in a short time after planting. The seed’s rapid growth makes the fast-blooming flowers ideal for early spring flowers, short growing seasons, or impatient or inexperienced gardeners. Many annuals produce flowers from seed relatively rapidly.
What flowers grow fast from seed?
The seed’s rapid growth makes the fast-blooming flowers ideal for early spring flowers, short growing seasons, or impatient or inexperienced gardeners. Many annuals produce flowers from seed relatively rapidly. Some of the fastest-growing flower seeds are poppies, petunias, cornflower, sunflowers, and annual phlox.
What flowers can you grow from seed?
Marigolds, zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos, nasturtiums, morning glories, poppies, and bachelor’s buttons are among the easiest and fastest flowers to grow from seed. They offer a burst of color and beauty in gardens. Plant them directly in the soil or in containers, and with proper care, they’ll quickly reward you with vibrant blooms.
When should I plant seeds that grow fast?
The time to plant seeds that grow rapidly depends on the flower type. Here is a quick guide to sowing and growing fast-blooming plants: Hardy seeds: Sow the seeds directly in the ground, or sow indoors eight to ten weeks before the last frost date. Then, transplant the seedlings to the ground four weeks after any frost risk has passed.