If you had visions of borders filled with gently swaying flowers but have failed to get started on planting, panic not. June is the perfect time to sow seeds into the ground, says gardening expert Dan Cooper; both air and soil temperatures are high at this time of year, which will give plants a good start. Another advantage to early summer sowing is that flowers will bloom into August and September, meaning your garden will be flourishing rather than finished when you return from summer holidays.
‘Plants you sow now will be starting to bloom when you come back and will take you right through the back half of summer,’ says Dan. ‘The days are really long and plants have a huge period in which they can grow; the sun starts to come up at 4am and it doesn’t get dark until 9pm. Plus, it’s warmer!
‘British gardeners always put themselves under intense pressure. Everything has to be planted out at certain times. But in fact, it’s not too late at all to have a beautiful summer garden full of lovely flowers. Late spring and early summer conditions can be absolutely perfect for planting – it’s so far away from being game over!’
Flowers to plant now
Here are Dan’s top recommendations:
Cosmos
This is such a pretty, meadowy and romantic flower (see main image). It’s great for cutting and looks lovely in bouquets and flower arrangements. Cosmos is a plant that likes slightly cooler weather and so is really fantastic to get into the ground quite late. If you sow it in March and April, it’s over very quickly. But if you sow it any time between now and Midsummer’s Day, it germinates and grows much faster, then hits its stride as the weather is cooling off in September and flowers all the way through to the November frosts.
Dahlias
It’s really not too late for dahlias! The flowering is encouraged by the day getting shorter, which is why you very rarely see a dahlia bloom before midsummer’s day. If you plant now, they’ll be blooming in the shorter days of late summer. The variety Christopher Taylor is a favourite of mine.
Lilies
Lilies bloom about three months after they’re planted. So, if you plant the beginning of June, they’ll flower at the end of August or beginning of September, which is lovely if you have summer holidays booked; you’ll have some plants to look forward to on your return. Night Flyer and Lady Alice are both gorgeous varieties.
Cornflowers and nasturtiums
Cornflowers and nasturtiums are lovely. They flower really quickly and make a nice cut flower. Plus, you can dry them and they’re edible; cornflowers look beautiful scattered on cakes and have a sweet, spicy flavour. Nasturtiums are great to add to savoury dishes as they have a totally unique, peppery flavour. Picked small and young, they are superb scattered through leafy salads.
Wildflower seed mixes
A wildflower seed mix can be scattered on to an empty patch of ground and flowers will appear within six weeks of sowing. Make sure the patch of soil is cleared of weeds and grasses and levelled off, then scatter the seeds and lightly tread them in. Keep well watered and you’ll be rewarded.
And one you'll have to be quick about...
Nerinas
Nerinas are beautiful. They flower in October sometimes through to early December. But they take their time. First, they come into leaf, then the leaves die down, then the flowers come up. Plant them now so that they can produce leaves, photosynthesize, die down and then produce their gorgeous flowers.
