10 Easy Flowers to Grow If You’re Just Starting Your Garden
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Warmer weather and longer days call for spending more time outside, and one of our favorite ways to get a proper Vitamin D fix is to grow a garden. If you’ve never pursued this hobby before, let this be the year that you go from swooning over the neighbors’ landscaping to showing off your own! If you’re a beginner, you’ll want to plant some easy flowers to grow to get the hang of it. Luckily, you have loads of appealing options to choose from that don’t require much, if any, prior horticulture experience.
That’s why we put together a list to get you started. Rest assured, you can easily grow these flowers from seed in no time. Even if your thumb is far from green, the blooms below are simple to care for, and don’t require much attention to thrive. Whether you’re drawn to eye-catching blue cornflowers, delicate cosmos, healing calendula, or any of the other hearty varieties on the list below, your outdoor space will look like a plant lover’s paradise in no time.
Editor’s Note: The photos below are images of the actual flowers. Press “Shop Now” to get the seed packets and get growing!
01
Marigolds
Amazon
$5.49
Marigolds sprout quickly and develop bountiful orange and yellow blooms without much intervention at all. Plus, unwanted insects and wildlife don’t favor marigolds, so if you’re cultivating a vegetable garden, they make perfect companion plants.
02
Cosmos
Amazon
$12.99
With their wispy weeds and delicate petals, cosmos are gorgeous in the garden, as an impromptu dinner centerpiece, or as part of a bouquet for someone special. They grow well outside after the last frost, and they keep their daisy-like flowers into the fall.
03
Red Flanders Poppies
Walmart
$10.95
Pollinators from bees to butterflies love California poppies. They take several weeks to fully flower from the time you plant them, but they’ll keep their rich, colorful blooms for months.
04
Sunflower Variety
Amazon
$11.89
Sunflowers thrive in a wide range of soil types, and they yield a bountiful harvest with very little maintenance. Certain varieties can grow up to 12 feet tall, but you can opt for dwarf versions if they work better for your garden.
05
Sweet Peas
Amazon
$6.99
If you want to brighten someone’s day, then sweet peas are perfect for elegant cut-flower bouquets. The pink and purple blooms smell fantastic, so plant them near an outdoor sitting area if you can!
06
Nasturtiums
Amazon
$8.99
Nasturtiums have it all—they’re stunning to look at, easy to grow, and even completely edible. Plant them in the spring, and you can enjoy their deep orange blooms and lily pad-like leaves all summer long.
07
Morning Glories
Amazon
$9.99
As their name implies, morning glories are showiest in the early hours of the day. Their height also makes them a great choice to plant next to a trellis or entryway.
08
Zinnias
Amazon
$12.99
With varieties in virtually every color of the rainbow, zinnias make every garden eye-catching. Plant them in full sun, and they’ll begin sprouting in about a week.
09
Bachelor Buttons
Amazon
$4.99
Also known as bachelor’s button, cornflowers are traditionally blue, though you can find alternatives in white, pink, and red. They’re edible, pollinator-friendly, and make a memorable addition to cut-flower arrangements.
10
Calendulas
Amazon
$9.99
These heat-loving frilly flowers are very easy to grow. And because they’re edible, you can even use the orange petals as a bright garnish for salads, omelets, and more. Calendula is celebrated for its medicinal benefits too, including its ability to fight inflammation throughout the body.
