Fast-growing Spring Flowers

Spring is in the air! If you're anything like us, that means you're eager to get outside to dig in the dirt and add a little color to the yard after a long, dreary winter. If you didn't plan ahead last fall by planting spring-blooming bulbs for a colorful garden, then you may be casting around for ideas to give your yard a quick hit of early season color.

If you're looking for instant gratification, you can run to the nearest store and likely find pansies (Viola × wittrockiana), violets (Viola), and hellebore (Helleborus orientalis) ready to go in the ground. These cold-hardy plants will bring color to the landscape when most plants are just getting started. However, if you're looking for flowers to grow from seed to give you a blast of color and continue on throughout the season, there are plenty of options. From plants that only need a few weeks to mature to others that start blooming in spring and last all summer long, you can mix and match options to keep your garden looking its best throughout the growing season.

Snapdragons

If it is color you want, snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus) have got it! Not only do they boast dozens of flowers on one stem, but they come in a wide variety of colors and sizes. The plants can bloom from April until frost if deadheaded regularly depending on your growing zone. Start these from seed indoors eight to ten weeks before your last frost date. Snapdragons prefer rich soil that is well-drained but moist and can do well in containers or in the ground.

Borage

Borage (Borago officinalis) is a Mediterranean herb that can handle poor soil and thrives in full sun. With star-shaped blue or white flowers, it can also start blooming in June and run right through August. Not only is it edible, but bees love it. If you planted it in your garden last year, there's a good chance borage will pop up again despite being an annual — it tends to reseed itself. If you're growing it for the first time, it needs just 50 days to mature.