5 Easy-To-Grow Flowers For Summer

If you're looking for flowers you can grow with minimal effort this summer, these five, bright varieties will do you proud. Any combination will bring a riot of color to your backyard, and with very little assistance.

Provided you're in a reasonably sunny, warm climate, and have some crumbly, moist soil available, you can pop the seeds or seedlings in, then put your feet up.

You may need to give them the odd splash of water or shoo away the occasional pest, but you'll find all these plants pretty resilient to adverse conditions.

1. Sunflowers

The bright, smiling face of a sunflower can lift the lowest spirit, so the more you plant, the more cheering your display will be. Sow the seeds outside in late spring, when the climate and soil have warmed up. Spread them spaciously over the ground about two feet apart to enable maximum growth, and cover them with a thin layer of soil. You can also grow them in pots with plenty of root space and drainage holes.

2. Geraniums

These pretty flowers are not fussy about where they grow, provided they get a few hours' sunlight most days and also moist, well-drained soil to feed on. Coloring tends to be pinkish or violet, but can also be red, deep purple or a light, delicate indigo, so check the range available before buying. Geraniums look pretty in pots as well as in the ground and require minimal care beyond watering in dry weather.

3. Californian poppies

Californian poppies are very easy and rewarding to grow. With their papery petals of glowing orange or red, they can turn a dull backyard into a swathe of colour or provide a merry backdrop to smaller plants in front.

You can either sow them in under cover in trays during the spring, planting them outside at seedling stage, or scatter the seeds straight onto the soil towards summertime, brushing a thin layer of soil over the top. For best results, water them well and space them out as they grow, but these tough plants will probably thrive anyway.

4. Marigolds

These bright, orange or yellow flowers add a wonderfully warm glow to a garden. You can either grow them from seed, starting them off in pots under cover, or buy them as bedding plants in late spring and put them straight into your prepared ground.

They'll withstand most weathers and soils and require minimal care. However, slugs are partial to marigolds, too, so if you spot any in the area, spread some slug repellent or salt around your seedlings. With your safeguard in place, the plants will light up your backyard all summer long.

5. Nigella - or "Love-in-a-mist"

These fragile-looking flowers are tougher than you'd think and can thrive in various terrains, especially with well-drained soil and some sunshine. In fact, wherever you plant yours, they'll probably venture out across the path or around the corner.

The more you have, the more of a fine, blue mist their petals will make, but if you don't want them spreading you can easily pull up any you don't want.

You can sow the seeds anytime from early spring, popping them just below the surface of the soil. Just one word of warning about these little flowers: they may wilt in a heatwave.

You'll find more easy-to-grow flowers in the online catalogs, and by fine-tuning your search, you can pick out plants to suit every climate, terrain, and season. But if you don't want the bother of all that, you'll do fine with this tough bunch, especially with regular watering. For further growing tips, check out the gardening guidance sites.

Plan your summer garden well ahead to make sure you have everything ready. Then, when the time is right, set a morning aside for planting, and the job will be done. After that, you can sit back in your deckchair and await your summer bloom.