5 Flowers That'll Grow Quickly In July

It's the middle of summer and you're spending lots of time out in the yard, enjoying all the beautiful plants that you've so lovingly cultivated. But, you do have a few bare spots which are spoiling the overall aesthetic of an otherwise lush garden. While you might think that this time of the year is not ideal for inserting new plants into your landscape, if you're longing for a bit more vibrancy, there are plenty of flowers that will grow quickly and can actually be planted in July.

When selecting flowers to add to your summer garden, look for ones that don't mind the heat and can be planted at this time of year in your particular region. For even faster results, you might want to visit your local nursery or garden center, and shop for annuals and perennials that are available in pots, as these will be advanced enough to handle the transfer into your yard. More often than not, these plants will already be in bloom and provide an excellent way to pretty-up those bare areas or replace other plants that may have passed their prime. Some excellent varieties to try include pentas, zinnias, scarlet sage, and blanket flower.

A lovely plant that will brighten up your summer garden and flower into the fall is Pentas (Pentas lanceolata). This grows as a perennial in USDA hardiness zones 10 through 11, but is often grown as an annual elsewhere. What you'll love about this flowering plant is that you can get blooms in a variety of colors including pink, yellow, red, white, and purple, with the red flowers being particularly attractive to hummingbirds. Pentas grows to a height and spread of around 2 feet, which means it can quickly fill in one of those empty spots in your yard. 

It's best planted in a sunny spot, although it will handle part shade. Soil type is not an issue as long as it's well-drained. Apart from hummingbirds, the flowers will also attract pollinators and butterflies, and you'll find that Pentas is not often munched on by deer that might visit your garden. This is definitely one summer blooming annual flower that can take the summer heat, as well as being relatively drought-tolerant.  

While zinnias (Zinnia elegans) are commonly grown from seeds sown in spring, you can find potted plants available, which will add some instant and glorious color to your summer garden. These garden favorites love the sun and can be grown anywhere from zones 2 through 11. They're available in an amazing array of colors with single, double, or semi-double blooms. These flowers are perfect for adding to any landscape because you can easily find a colorful bloom variety that will fit in perfectly with what you already have growing. 

When you add some of these beauties to your yard, you can enjoy prolific blooms all summer long. Plus, your choice of flowers will be amply rewarded as you watch the pollinators and butterflies happily buzzing around the blooms in the warm sunshine. Just make sure that you plant your zinnias in well-drained soil. Best of all, you only need to water them when the top 1 to 2 inches of soil are dry, as overwatering can lead to fungal diseases. 

For a stunning pop of red, you might like to add some scarlet sage (Salvia coccinea) to your garden. This outstanding plant can be grown as a perennial in zones 8 through 10, or as an annual in cooler regions. It will provide you with flowers all summer long, which will attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Plant scarlet sage in a sunny spot in fertile, sandy soil, but it can also handle clay soils that are well-drained. A

lthough this plant is reasonably drought-tolerant, it will provide you with many more blooms if you give it a little extra water during dry spells. If you mass plant scarlet sage as a border around your garden beds or beside a path or walkway, you'll be rewarded with an amazing display of rich red blooms and lush green foliage. You'll even find that attracting cardinals is easier when you grow this perennial that they love. 

For a gorgeous flowering plant that really loves the heat, you might like to grow blanket flower (Gaillardia pulchella), which is perennial in zones 5 through 9, but will happily grow and bloom as an annual everywhere else. The bright daisy-like blooms will certainly add a splash of color to your yard, and the butterflies will enjoy the rich nectar. If you let the flowers develop seed heads instead of removing any spent blooms, you'll find that goldfinches might visit your garden to feed on the seeds. 

Blanket flower grows well in full sun and well-drained soil. This plant is especially good for sandy soils and perfect for coastal locations, because it's salt-tolerant. This lovely wildflower only grows to a maximum height of 2 feet and a spread of 1 foot, so it's absolutely perfect for tucking into some of those bare spaces that you might find in your garden during summer.

Another way to add some stunning color to your summer garden is to plant some pretty flowers in pots or hanging baskets. An outstanding species you might want to consider for this is the very pretty wishbone flower (Torenia fournieri), or one of its many cultivars or hybrids. This low-growing annual has the sweetest two-tone flowers in purple, but you'll also find varieties available in pink, white, yellow, and blue. 

You could plant wishbone flower out into your garden, but it's best to choose a more shaded spot, especially if you're going to plant it in July. It does best in moist soils but can really put on a spectacular display in a container or window box, as it's totally heat tolerant. Proven Winners has created an excellent collection of hybrids in their Summer Wave and Catalina series that you might want to look out for. If you've never grown this particular plant before, you might want to find out how to grow and care for beautiful wishbone flowers.