Succession Planting Flowers – Get Blooms All Summer Long!

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How to Plant a Succession of Summer Flowers

Are you plotting your summer flower garden in the cold of winter or has spring sprung and it’s time to get planting? If you want a garden that will bloom all summer long, you need to learn the art of succession planting flowers.

Succession planting is a simple gardening technique that involves planting new flowers in intervals so that there is always something in bloom.

(many equate this method with cut flower farming or veggie gardening but you can incorporate the principles in your garden too)

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Why You Should Be Succession Planting

Succession planting has so many benefits for the long-haul gardener. (ones that aren’t ready to quit by August)

Succession planting keeps you well supplied with fresh new plants when the early bloomers are giving up the ghost.

It also allows you to extend the growing season of certain plants. Let’s say you started some early zinnias. (there are many I just picked Zinnias for example)

In many areas, they can start to succumb to mildew or go to seed during a particularly hot spell but if you seeded some 2 weeks after the first batch then they will be at their prime as the first start to look less than their best.

Roses, larkspur, poppies, lupines, and more come into their first big flush of blooms and take our breath away.

But what happens when those early summer blooms start to fade? You can end up with bare spots.

That’s where succession planting comes in.

By planting fresh plants every few weeks, you can extend your blooming season and have a beautiful garden from early Spring all the way through late Fall.

Not only does this give you more bang for your buck, but it also ensures that your garden is always looking its best.

Note: this is different than planting a garden that blooms at different times. For more on that see this post.

How to Succession Plant Flowers

Now that I’ve sold you on the benefits of succession planting, let’s talk about how to actually do it.

One way is to start early and plan ahead. You’ll need to map out your garden and decide which flowers you want to plant and when. (a free garden planner is linked below)

Or you can wing it like I enjoy doing from time to time. This is as much fun as planning.

If your budget allows, you can enjoy stopping at various garden centers to pick up what is blooming away when you start to see a spot in the garden where the flowers are fading for the season.

Do your research, some plants will rebloom with deadheading! So you may not need to be in a hurry to plant new blooms for more flowering.

Once you have a plan, it’s time to start sowing or planting. One thing you need to know is your first and last frost date.

If you don’t know how to find that then go ahead and visit my post where I help you with getting started gardening and you will find some great easy tips and tricks for beginners.

Many garden centers carry plants on through the summer and you can enjoy plants that are already growing…

Or you can start from seed (much more economical but does take some time).

When planning your garden, start with the earliest blooming flowers and work your way toward the end of summer.

Reading seed packets or online information about different flowers will help you to learn what is expected to bloom and when.

There are flowers that do well in high heat and others that prefer the cool temps of spring and fall.

That way, you’ll always have something in bloom. Just be sure to keep an eye on your plants and adjust your watering schedule accordingly.

Note: some flowers and plants are more drought-tolerant than others. It is recommended to plant flowers together that prefer the same conditions.

With a little bit of planning, you’ll have a gorgeous summer garden that will make all your neighbors jealous!

Succession planting is a great way to extend your flowering season and get more use out of your garden.

By starting early and planning ahead, you can have a beautiful summer garden that blooms from early Spring all the way through late Fall.

I love flowers that readily reseed themselves, they help fill a garden with little effort. You can read about my favorites here!

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start planting!

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