3 min readSpring may already be here, but there’s still plenty of time to get your garden ready for summer. Many flowers planted in spring can bring vibrant color to your yard while boosting your home’s curb appeal. To help you choose the right ones, we spoke with gardening experts about which varieties truly last, and they highlighted five flowers that will keep blooming all season long.
One of the biggest benefits of planting long-lasting flowers is being able to enjoy them through the seasons. Consider setting up your outdoor space early—you could invest in a piece of outdoor furniture early on so you can take in the view as your garden flourishes. While not every plant will bloom as long as these five, you can strategically mix them throughout your garden to maintain color and interest even as shorter-lived flowers fade.
These vibrant flowers to plant in the spring can thrive in many USDA Hardiness Zones, making them a great option no matter where you live. Keep reading to learn all about the five flowers that will carry your garden through late spring and well into summer.
Additional copy by Meghan Shouse.
Nasturtiums
Plant expert, author, and social media creator Huw Richards recommends planting “cottage garden-style plants” like nasturtiums. These beautiful flowers will add a delightful pop of color to any outside space, and they're best suited to spring and summer climates and specifically USDA Hardiness Zones 2–11. Nasturtiums prefer well-drained soil and thrive in full sun.
Starflowers
Richards also suggested planting borage flowers, also known as starflowers, now, so you will get the full effect of these gorgeous blooms come summer. Also known as starflowers, borage prefers moist, well-drained soil, but will also thrive in drier conditions. So if you forget to water them, it's not a big deal to leave them be for a while. They’re known for being very easy to take care of, and they thrive in USDA Hardiness Zones 2–11.
Zinnias
Florist and owner of Florist Empire, Gloria Sims, said that the Zinnia elegans flower, or simply the zinnia flower, is great for planting in the springtime. “They come in nearly every color imaginable—from deep magenta to buttery yellows. Keep them deadheaded (which means just removing the spent blooms), and they will repay you with a continual crop of flowers throughout summer to the first frost of fall,” Sims explains. “They do especially well in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 10, with well-drained soil.”
African Marigolds
Tagetes erecta, more commonly known as the African marigold, is a wonderful spring flower. “I plant them in the full sun from April to May, spacing them around 10 to 12 inches. They bloom profusely, they repel such pests as aphids and nematodes, and they are a great companion plant to vegetables or other flowers,” explains Sims. “These warm orange-golden blooms shine next to some cool colors, such as blue salvia or purple petunia.” Know that these flowers do best in USDA Hardiness Zones 2–11, if you want to plant them in your garden.
Coneflowers
Sims says that coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) are best planted in the spring as they benefit from plenty of sunshine. When planting, leave them 18 to 24 inches apart so they have enough space to fully bloom from late spring through the end of summer, when they begin to dehead as fall creeps in. Sims notes, "They will survive drought on their own, attracting butterflies and bees, and weigh in with seedheads for birds at summer's end." They’ll bloom best in USDA Hardiness Zones 3–9.
