Each time I take a breath this week my lungs are filled with the sweet scent of honey locusts and freshly cut grass. Ants are tickling the peony buds looking for nectar and I even saw some tight bright rose buds waiting to unfurl. The proverb "April showers, bring May flowers” surely is correct. This is an exciting time in gardening because the last frost has either happened or is about to. We can finally let loose and get to planting all of those plants we have babied for the past couple of months.

Today we will look at five flowers you can sow directly into the garden in May. Just in case you forgot to start things in the greenhouse. It is not too late to grow beautiful blooms this year!

1. Nasturtium are a whimsical annual flower that can be grown prostrate or allowed to trellis. I love to plant some at the end of my tomato trellis for a nice companion plant. The beaked flowers are edible. So are the the round sand dollar like leaves and the seed pods. You can even brine the seed pods for a facsimile to capers. Soak your seeds before planting for best results!

2. Amaranth achieves two goals at once if you choose a variety like Golden Giant. This variety is a really fun filler flower for ornamental bouquets but also produces around 1 pound of amaranth seeds per plant. Amaranth is a tasty grain that can be eaten in similar ways to buckwheat or oats. Direct sow amaranth lightly into the soil surface as it needs some light to germinate. Press the seeds into a furrow for best results. You can thin the plants to grow large seed heads or leave some close together if you want more manageable plants for bouquets.

3. Sunflowers are a garden staple and so fun and easy to grow. The seeds are big too which makes planting them directly into the garden a lot simpler. Sometimes I plant sunflowers in rows but a lot of the time I just tuck sunflower seeds all over the garden randomly wherever I might want a flower to grow. My favorite part of sunflowers is leaving the seed heads up through the winter for the birds to eat and disperse. Next spring you will surely have sunflowers popping up in unusual places.

4. Cosmos, the flirty dainty flower of my dreams! I love growing these wild and chaotic flowers in my garden. Cosmos do great when direct sown, simply scatter the seeds into the soil and gently cover. They  will germinate after about 10 days. You can thin your seedlings down to 16” after they have grown a bit. Once they have developed at least 3 sets of true leaves, pinch the top of the plant back to promote lateral branching.
5. Celosia plants really brighten up the garden with their vibrant velvety blooms. I completely forgot to start some inside this year so I will definitely be planting them outdoors. Like amaranth, celosia needs some light to germinate. Once your last frost date passes make a furrow and gently scatter the seeds into it. Tamp the seeds into the furrow but do not cover with soil. Sometimes I will scatter a little pumice where I planted just to help them out a bit. Mark the place where you planted your seeds. Celosia will germinate in about 10 days.

Happy Planting!