Expand your garden enjoyment with blooms from June to October!

When I first started flower farming, my knowledge of flowers was limited to what I could buy from the garden centers during the spring planting frenzy. They were basically flowers for container gardening - or warm season annuals like Petunias and Impatience.

Beyond Tulips and Daffodils, I had no idea that I could grow flowers in the early spring - because it's still REALLY cold here in Wisconsin. These plants are called Cool Flowers or Cold Hardy Annuals. They can be planted outdoors in April (zone 4), and will bloom in June. So cool!!

I also learned that a few flowers thrive on the cooler temps of late summer. These flowers are planted once the risk of frost is done (in zone 4 that is mid May) but they have a longer growing season, so they don't bloom until August/September.

Learning this opened up a whole new opportunity for growing more varieties, and extending the season both early and late. But it also meant a lot of investigating to understand what seeds to plant inside or outside, on what date, and when they will bloom.

So if you are interested in expanding your garden to enjoy blooms from June through October, and feel overwhelmed - I get it! I'm here to help you!

Below is my schedule for planting seeds based on what month they bloom. Let's start with June blooming flowers...

Here are my favorite June bloomers.

I sow these seeds in March in my basement under grow lights and on heat mats. They are transplanted outdoors in April and will bloom in June.

• Snapdragons 
• Statice 
• Yarrow 
• Forget-Me-Not 
• Feverfew 

I direct sow the following seeds in April for blooming in June. 

• Bachelor Button
• Poppy
• Queen Anne's Lace
• Ammi

Some of my favorite June bloomers are perennials! These need to be planted in spring, usually after risk of frost and can take 2-3 years to grow before they bloom.

• Peony
• Baptisia
• Daisy

Snapdragons

Poppies

Peony

Here are my favorite July-August blooms.

For blooms in July, I sow the following seeds inside in April, and put the transplants in the garden on Memorial weekend. 

• Zinnia
• Basil
• Marigold
• Sunflower

On Memorial weekend, I sow these seeds directly into the soil:

• Cosmos
• Borage
• Dill
• More sunflowers (I find that the direct sowed catch quickly up to the transplants but this assures me I have plenty)

Sunflower and Zinnia

Here are my favorite August-October blooms. 

I plant these flowers in April just like above, but they have a longer growing season so they don't bloom until late August/early September. 

• Celosia
• Ageratum
• Amaranth
• Gomphrena
• Cosmos
• Statice

And for the most stunning flowers August - October, Dahlias are a must!

I plant Dahlia tubers in the ground in May but I like to pre-sprout them in my house starting in April to give them some time to get a few shoots before they go in the ground.

I hope this breakdown of my planting and blooming schedule offers a little guidance so you can enjoy flowers from June to October!

For more information on growing cool flowers, check out my blog A Guide to Growing Cool Flowers. I plant most seeds in soil blocks which I talk about in my blog 7 Essential Tips for Using Soil Blocks.