For planting the seeds of some easy growing summer flowers, late spring is the ideal time. The soil is adequately warm for germination to happen and the spring rains promote early growth of the seedlings. Some summer flowers which bloom annually are Zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos, petunias, bachelor buttons, balsam, alyssum, marigolds, vinca, poertuluca, lobelia.
For a healthy and prosperous growth of summer flowers you have to ensure that they get full sunlight for at least a quarter of a day. For Southwest and desert climate zones, afternoon shade is recommended. Dig the soil for about six inches and use a shovel to turn it over. This is part of the soil preparation process. Get some compost, some rotten manure and some fertilizer and mix them according to the instructions for use mentioned in the package and then turn over the soil again with this mixture. In case the flower bed is against a wall or fence, then follow a pattern of planning with tallest plants at the back and shortest and spreading flowers in front. The tall flowers then lean against the wall behind and would not put any shade over the small plants.
In case the flower bed is situated in the center of the yard, the pattern to be followed is the taller plants in the center followed by middle height plants. This should then be followed by the smaller plants which form the outermost ring. Let your imagination run wild when it is a matter of colors. To make it look like a meadow, plant several colors at once or use coordinated colors. Pastels look gorgeous. Colors like orange and purple with lots of cream and white interspersing or red and blue with some white thrown in the middle. There are various colors all belonging to the blue family. Pick them up and throw in a bit of yellow randomly.
Planting seeds need to be done much more closely than the package suggests. This gives you extra seedlings as you lose some to the birds and bugs. This is followed by covering the seeds as directed and putting a layer of mulch on top. Water your seeds well. Do not water your plants as a routine but only when it is dry. Excess water is as bad as no water at all. Once the seeds have sprouted, do not start your thinning for spacing immediately. Wait till at least 4 leaves have sprouted. The ideal distance between the plants should be 6, 12 and 18 inches for shorter, medium and taller flowers.
The more you pick them for bouquets, the more they flower and this is the most amazing part of summer flowers. From the point of view of the plant, the purpose of flowering is to spread seeds. As soon as this is over, the plants ceases to bloom so if you remove the flowers the plant does not stop blooming. The plant can be made to bloom the second time if after the first bloom you cut down the flowers by half. The flowers this time may not be as wonderful as they were the first time, but they would be lovely still. Expect a mind-boggling display all summer if you plant the seeds of the summer flowers late spring. And, if you have asthma you should be beware of the asthma allergy. Asthma is a chronic disease that affects your airways, which are the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs.