It’s Not Too Late! 7 Cutting Garden Flowers You Can Still Sow in June for Summer Bouquets
Get these seeds in the ground now and you'll have armfuls of colorful flowers for vases and posies by September.
If you’re dreaming of vases of homegrown blooms and posies of pretty petals on your bedside table, there’s still plenty of time to sow cutting garden flowers in June. I always do a second sowing of flowers in June, once the poppies and their enormous leaves are over, to fill the gaps in my cutting garden that they leave. And the wonder of sowing in June is twofold: stable temperatures mean seeds germinate incredibly quickly; and the later sowing brings armfuls of blooms in late summer when most other plants are running out of steam.
When you’re choosing to what to sow in June, there are a few secrets to success. For a start, you need plants that speed from seed to flower within weeks. That means they need to be annuals, as perennials typically have a far more leisurely lifecycle. Next, look for seeds that can be direct-sown in the soil where they’re to grow – frankly, June is no time to be faffing about with seed trays and transplanting trowels. Seeds need to germinate fast, too – not just because of the timescale you’re working with but because slow starters will quickly be smothered by speedier plants at this time of year.
You also need plants that naturally love the heat, as conditions in June are far harsher for seedlings than in April or May. Sow plants that prefer cooler temperatures, like snapdragons, in June and they won’t get past the seedling stage.
All these fabulous blooms fit those criteria, and then some, and I sow these cutting flowers every year. Get the seeds in the soil soonest, and your dream of bountiful flowers to fill vases will come true in September, and last right up to the first frost.
1. Cosmos
Queen of the fast-growing annuals, some Cosmos varieties flower in as little as 50 days when sown in June. Sow now, and you could have flowers by the end of August! Cosmos need a little light to germinate well, so cover with a very fine dusting of soil (use your kitchen sieve) and you can expect to see them sprouting in a week or so.
At this time of the year, it’s best to sow single-bloomed varieties but don’t worry, there are all sorts of glorious colors to choose from, including elegant white ‘Purity’, white and deep pink striped ‘Red Stripe’, buttery yellow ‘Xanthos’ and peachy ‘Apricot Lemonade’, all available from Eden Brothers. Or if you can’t decide, then a seed blend such as this Cosmos Crazy Blend from Amazon with 10+ varieties is a fun way to discover your favorites.
2. Zinnia
Next on the speedy list of flowers to sow now is zinnias, germinating in 4-7 days and producing blooms in as few as 60 days. Zinnia seed is best sown ¼ to ½ inch deep and I find the best way to achieve that is to rake the soil beforehand to break up any lumps, then simply rake the seed into the soil. I have a mini Fiskars Hand Rake, available from Amazon, that’s great for these small-scale tasks.
There are so many varieties to choose from, including zinnias that could double as dahlias. In June, I stick to Zinnia elegans varieties as they’re naturally fairly bushy plants so produce plenty of blooms. For a lovely range of colors, choose a cut-and-come-again mix like this zinnia seed blend from Burpee, or a blend that’s designed for fast results like this Zinnia Elegans Seeds Mix from Amazon.
3. Sunflowers
If you haven’t explored the world of sunflower varieties for cutting, then now’s a great time to start, because not all cultivars are big and yellow! There’s a huge range of pinks and deep reds, many with beautifully vintage tones, and they last for up to 2 weeks in a vase, especially if you bother to cut a half-inch from the base of the stems every other day.
Germinating in a week or two and typically taking around 70-90 days to flower, sunflowers are a little slower to grow. But choose varieties in the fast-flowering ProCut series, bred for the cut flower industry, and you’ll have blooms in as few as 55 days. These are available in light tones such as ProCut White Lite, antique hues such as ProCut Plum, and deep burgundies like ProCut Red, all available from Amazon. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, sow a seed blend such as this stylish Groundi Mix of 15+ varieties from Amazon, and discover what best suits your bouquet vibe.
4. Annual Phlox
These fragrant flowers are useful fillers for a vase or bouquet, adding sweet scent and a romantic vibe. Annual phlox is fast to flower, too, and you can expect blooms in 60 days, though it can be a little slow to germinate, taking 10-20 days. Do make sure you buy annual phlox (Phlox drummondii) and not perennial phlox which takes far longer to bloom.
Eden Brothers has a great selection, with everything from tiny bi-colored Twinkle Mix that's adorable in small posies to a Tall Mix that gives better-length stems for bouquets.
Annual phlox seeds need darkness to germinate so sow ⅛ inch deep in the soil. Water well but gently through germination as these are tiny seeds so easily washed away.
5. Cornflowers
Bachelors Buttons take a week or two to germinate then flower in another 60-70 days so if you sow them now you’ll have blooms in September. Like zinnias, you’ll get best germination with cornflowers by lightly raking the seed into prepared soil.
A Centaurea cyanus seed blend such as this Tall Mix from Amazon brings abundant flowers on long stems in a range white, pink, red and blue petals.
6. Love-in-a-Mist
Nigella damascena is a wonderful addition to a cutting garden as it not only gives you pretty flowers but also artful seedpods that bring texture to any arrangement. The Miss Jekyll Blend from Botanical Interests gives a beautiful mix of shades from light to deep blue that look so airy in a bouquet. Another of my favorites is Delft Blue, also available from Botanical Interests, which has painterly blue and white petals and, even better, stunning burgundy seedpods.
Love-in-a-Mist germinates quickly in a week or two and takes 60 or so days to flower. Seeds need light to germinate so simply rake the soil first and press onto the surface.
7. Celosia
Every arrangement needs texture as well as color, and Celosia is such another fabulous way to achieve it. Fowers easily last a week in a vase and practically forever in the ground! This annual is a real heat-lover so it’s very happy to be sown in June, too. At this time of year it’s best to stick to the plume-type (Celosia plumosa) which take 60-80 days to flower, rather than crested, cockscomb types (Celosia argenta cristata) which take far longer to bloom.
Celosia needs light to germinate so simply press seed into finely raked, moist soil. Eden Brothers has some super seed blends for cutting flowers, including Mixed Pampas Plume in striking yellow, orange, pink and red hues. Or stick to one, rich tone that works with any other flower color – Forest Fire, also available from Eden Brothers, delivers a deep crimson with its foliage as well as its flowers.
Secrets to a Successful June Sowing
These tips will help you get the best results when sowing these seeds in June.
- When you sow in June, you want fast germination so plants get to the pretty bit as fast as possible. Some seeds need darkness to germinate, but there are lots of annual seeds that need light to germinate so you can simply scatter them on the soil surface. Do read the seed packet so you know!
- Weather conditions are typically drier than in April or May, so your first priority is to keep seeds moist while seeds germinate and then while the seedlings grow a root system big enough to get more moisture from the soil. Wet the soil thoroughly before you sow, then water daily through these vulnerable stages, using a fine rose on your watering can or a gentle spray on your hose nozzle so you don’t wash seeds away.
- While pinching off the main growing stem is a good idea to force a plant to grow more flowers, it does delay blooming by a couple of weeks. When sowing in June, especially if you live in a colder zone, skip this step with at least half of your plants to speed flowering – snipping stems for vases will naturally make those plants bushier later on.
- Stick to simpler, smaller flowers at this time of the year. Because these plants are annuals, it’s a relatively quick process to breed new cultivars, and they tend to be ever-bigger and more elaborate. By all means sow a double-bloomed variety that will take a few more weeks to grow, but sow a simpler cultivar too so you get flowers, fast.
- Do thin seedlings out, so they don’t have to compete for moisture.
- Watch out for slugs and snails who will be very happy to find a juicy soft seedling to snack on at a time of year when most stems and foliage are tougher. I deal with slugs by using cucumber slices as bait, then rehome the slimy critters.
