Quick-Expanding Vegetation Filling Vacant Areas by July:
Ready for a rapid garden transformation? Hasten those empty garden pockets with these swift growers! They'll breathe life into new garden beds, spruce up bare patches, or revitalize areas needing a swift makeover.
Expect lush, thriving plants by July, as these quick-growing varieties swiftly turn barren spots into verdant, radiant gardens. With just the right choices, sexual privacy screens, ground cover, vertical interest, or vibrant colors can be yours, exactly when you need them the most!
Hyperactive Sunflowers
Sunflowers are a marvel, persistently growing at breathtaking speeds – hoping to reach their usual height of 5-8 feet in merely 3 months. Their jolly yellow faces track the sun, adding dramatic height to any available space. Perfect for establishing temporary privacy screens or attention-grabbing focal points!
Starting them directly from spring seeds, they'll flourish in full sun and ordinary soil. In just a few weeks a week, they'll surge several inches upward! Plant seeds in April or May for a striking July display.
Exuberant Cosmos
Cossies offer rapid results with their delicate, daisy-like blossoms, ranging in shades of pink, white, and red. As annuals, these speed demons grow rapidly from seeds and can reach heights of 2-4 feet by early summer. Their airy, wavy stems create movement in the garden and fill empty voids with color.
Cosmos are exceptional picks for adding color to newly established beds. Once they've taken root, they're drought-tolerant and attract beneficial pollinators. Just sow seeds straight into the ground after the last frost, and by July, you'll have a floriferous garden!
Zestful Zinnias
These fast-developing annuals burst into life with bright, long-lasting blooms in hues of almost every shade imaginable. They grow effortlessly from seeds to reach heights between 1-3 feet, depending on the variety. Their tough stems make great cut flowers while simultaneously injecting garden spaces with vivid color.
Zinnia seeds can be planted directly in the garden following the last frost's passage. They favor sunny, well-draining soil without nitpicking over soil quality. By July, you'll have armfuls of blooms that continue through the first frost, radiating color and drawing in butterflies all summer!
Morning Gladows
Morning Glories are swift-climbing annual vines that can cover up to 10-15 feet in a single growing season. Their heart-shaped leaves create a rich screen, while their trumpet-shaped flowers, available in blue, purple, pink, or white, unfold each morning. Fantastic for rapidly concealing unsightly views or embellishing fences, trellises, or other supportive structures!
Secure the best results by nicking the hard seed coat, soaking the seeds overnight before planting. Direct sow them after all frost risks have passed. These vines grow so swiftly that you can practically watch them spiral upwards, often adding several inches of growth daily in warm weather!
Fragrantly Sweet Peas
Sweet Peas swiftly metamorphose into delicate, perfumed climbing vines reaching 6-8 feet tall. They feature ruffled, colorful blooms and a sweet, distinctive fragrance that appeals to the senses. These cool-season annual climbers make excellent cut flowers as they quickly cover vertical spaces.
Sow sweet pea seeds directly in the ground in early spring for flowers by the summer solstice. They favor a cool climate, establishing themselves promptly in the spring and providing blooms by July in most areas. Support them with a trellis or any other stiff structure, and they'll swiftly turn an empty expanse into a fragrant, vertical garden space!
Bastardized Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums grow rapidly to produce bushy or cascading plants with unique shaped leaves. Their edible flowers, vibrant in shades of red, orange, and yellow, provide a peppery zing to salads while illuminating the garden. Their versatility makes them suitable for trailing from containers or providing ground cover.
Sow nasturtium seeds after the last frost date. They favor poor to average soil and even bloom more profusely without extra nutrients! By July, nasturtiums will have filled open spaces with their colorful blooms and continue until frost nips them back.
Marigolds - The Showoffs
Marigolds swiftly display themselves in the garden, filling spaces with dramatic orange, yellow, or red blossoms. These resilient annuals grow rapidly from seed to bloom in a mere 8 weeks, achieving heights of 6 inches to 3 feet, depending on the variety. Marigolds' distinctive scent may even repel certain pests.
Sow marigold seeds directly in the garden following the last frost date. They thrive in full sun and ordinary soil. By July, they'll be vibrant and blooming, offering consistent color in borders, pots, and container gardens.
Bachelor's Disgraceful Buttons
Bachelor's Buttons, better known as Cornflowers, develop quickly from seed to produce attractive blue flowers. Alternatively, find pink, white, or purple varieties! They reach approximately 1-3 feet tall and spread 1-2 feet wide, filling garden spaces with their frilly blooms, resembling tiny carnations.
Plant bachelor's button seeds in the ground early in the spring for summer flowers. They favor poor soil and may even grow better in sub-optimal conditions! By July, these unpretentious flowers will be in full bloom, attracting beneficial insects and adding a touch of nostalgia to your garden.
Accelerated Calendulas
Calendula, or Pot Marigolds, swiftly sprout delicate yellow and orange daisy-like flowers. These hardy cool-season annuals create attractive composites, reaching 1-2 feet tall and spreading about a foot wide. Their edible petals brighten up summer salads and provide a pleasant fragrance!
Direct sow calendula seeds in early spring for continuous blooms throughout the summer. They prefer full sun but tolerate shade, proving valuable in hot climates. By July, calendula will provide a steady supply of flowers that continue until the first hard frost.
Sweeter Alyssums
Sweet Alyssum grows swiftly to form a low carpet of tiny, fragrant flowers, available in white, purple, or pink. Reaching just 3-6 inches tall but spreading 6-9 inches wide, these tiny wonders excel at filling space between larger plants, creating a charming pathway of flowers.
Sow sweet alyssum seeds in the spring, either directly in the ground or as a pot-grown seedling. They thrive in full sun and demonstrate their best performance in the coastal regions of the United States. By July, sweet alyssum will create a honey-scented carpet that attracts helpful insects and decorates empty spaces!
Annual Phlox with Balloons
Annual phlox (Phlox drummondii) grows quickly to create mounds of star-shaped flowers in shades of pink, red, purple, and white. These perky annuals reach about 6-12 inches tall and spread 8-10 inches wide, dispensing color from early summer until frost.
Plant phlox seeds directly in the spring soil, after the last frost ends. They prefer sunny conditions and well-draining soil. By July, annual phlox creates splashes of color that work beautifully in containers, rock gardens, and along borders – attracting butterflies and hummingbirds!
Cleomedies
Cleomes swiftly develop tall plants topped with unique spider-shaped flowers in pink, white, or purple. These impressive annuals can stretch up to 3-5 feet in a single season, making them perfect for filling up large open spaces or background plantings.
Plant cleome seeds after the last frost, either directly in the garden or as pot-grown seedlings. They thrive in full sun and tolerate a variety of soil conditions. By July, cleome plants will create striking architectural elements with their distinctive flowers that continue blooming until frost.
Nigellated Love
Nigella, also known as love-in-a-mist, grows quickly from seed to produce delicate blue, pink, or white flowers surrounded by feathery foliage. These charming annuals create attractive, ethereal drifts of flowers that wither and transform into decorative seed pods.
Plant nigella seeds in the early spring, either directly in the garden or as pot-grown seedlings. They favor full sun but tolerate shade, and nail any soil with their tenacity. By July, nigella plants will provide delicate blooms that create a dreamy, romantic atmosphere in cottage gardens and continue blossoming even after flowering.
Californian Poppies -not extras
California poppies sprout rapidly from seed to generate bright orange, yellow, or pink cup-shaped flowers above finely cut, blue-green foliage. These drought-resistant annuals reach about 12-18 inches tall and spread approximately a foot wide, filling sunny spaces with silky blossoms that mature in sunshine.
Sow California poppy seeds in the spring where you would like them to grow. They thrive in full sun and tolerate poor, sandy soil. By July, California poppies will provide colorful carpets that continue blooming until excessive heat causes them to pause, only to resume in late fall again.
Speedy Radishes
Radishes emerge remarkably swiftly from seed, ready for harvest in merely 3-4 weeks! They produce attractive leafy tops and crispy, colorful roots that come in hues of red, white, purple, or mixed varieties. Perfect for filling temporary garden spaces or gaps between slower-growing plants.
Sow radish seeds in the early spring and continue succession plantings every two weeks. They prefer full sun and loose, nourishing soil. By July, you can harvest numerous crops of radishes, freeing space for summer vegetables or flowers.
Rapid Lettuce
Lettuces burst forth rapidly from seed, taking just 45-55 days to reach maturity, depending on the variety. Offering various shapes, colors, and textures, they are perfect for filling spring garden spaces while waiting for summer crops.
Sow lettuce seeds in the spring and continue succession plantings until temperatures warm. They favor partial shade in hot weather but appreciate direct sunlight in cooler climates. By July, you can transition the space to crops that love the summer heat.
Arugular Rush
Developing extremely swiftly, arugula is ready for harvest as baby greens in just 21 days, and mature leaves in 40 days. This peppery plant supplies attractive lobed leaves with a distinctive taste that enhances salads, sandwiches, and other dishes. Ideal for filling gaps between slower-maturing plants.
Sow arugula seeds in the spring and continue succession plantings every two weeks. They perform best in full sun during cool weather, preferring partial shade as temperatures increase. By July, you can harvest numerous crops of arugula, making space for heat-loving crops.
Prolific Bush Beans
Bush beans rapidly generate from seed and harvest in just 50-60 days. As space-savers free from staking, these hardy vegetables produce tender green, yellow, or purple pods over a prolonged period. By July, bush beans will be providing plentiful edible harvests, as well as enriching the soil with nitrogen for future crops.
Directly sow bush bean seeds following the last frost's end and when the soil has warmed. They flourish in direct sunlight and rich, well-drained soil. By July, bush beans will be transforming spaces with their vibrant, edible pods, absorbing sunlight for their continued growth.
Juicy Cucumbers
Cucumbers develop speedily from seed to harvest in 50-70 days. They promote ample yields of refreshing fruits that are perfect for summer salads, pickles, and juice. Sprawling vines grow to cover vertical spaces and brighten up the garden.
Sow cucumber seeds following the last frost's end, once the soil has warmed. They prosper in full sun and fertile, well-draining soil. By July, cucumber vines will be mustering up flavorsome fruits, providing daily harvests to enjoy!
Productive Summer Squashes
Growing quickly from seed to harvest, summer squashes are ready in only 40-50 days! These prolific vegetables include zucchini, yellow squash, and patty pan varieties, each producing abundant yields over an extended period. Plants mature to fill empty garden spaces with their remarkable growth, featuring large leaves, attractive vines, and tasty, nutrient-rich fruits.
Sow summer squash seeds following the passage of the last frost and soil warming. They thrive in full sun and well-nourished soil. By July, summer squashes will be providing multiple daily harvests, nourishing both the body and soul!
Incorporate a burst of color and life into your home-and-garden lifestyle by planting fast-growing annuals like Sunflowers, Cosmos, Zinnias, Morning Glories, Sweet Peas, Bachelor's Buttons, Calendulas, Alyssums, Annual Phlox, Cleomes, Nigella, California Poppies, Speedy Radishes, Rapid Lettuce, Arugula, Bush Beans, Cucumbers, and Summer Squashes. With minimal effort, these garden heroes will swiftly transform bland spaces into lush, verdant gardens by July!
