Want Fall Color? Sow Flowers Now

Once the summer solstice has come and gone you can still sow flowers that will bloom this summer. Flowers sown in late June will be at their peak in late August and September.

Growing tip: Keep the seed bed moist until germination occurs. This is especially crucial if a warm, dry spell occurs, when the seeds might need a misting twice a day.

Below are 10 popular flowers that can be sown now. The flowers of some of these, like calendula and nasturtium, can add color and zing when sprinkled atop late summer salads.

• Borage (Borago officinalis)
• Butterfly flower (Schizanthus x wisetonensis)
• Calendula (Calendula officinalis)
• Creeping Zinnia (Sanvitalia procumbens)
• Lace Flower (Trachymene coerulea)
• Nasturtium (Tropaeolum)
• Slipper Flower (Calceolaria chelidonioides)
• Spider Flower (Cleome spinosa)
• Sunflower (Helianthus annus)
• Zinnia (spp. Zinnia angustifolia)