There are always gaps in the garden.
A plant that didn’t make it. Bolted lettuce that needs to come out. Or maybe a wave of one-hit wonders were just harvested, leaving empty space behind.
I used to feel disappointed by empty spots in the garden.
Until one year, my want-to-grow list was greater than the number of spots available in my garden.
That’s when I realized empty spots aren’t failures, they’re opportunities.
Potential for a new plant to grow in that space. Especially experimental ones that I hadn’t grown before or favorites I wished I had more of.
And with this list of fast-growing flowers, you’ll be able to tuck in something new and have it blooming in less than a couple months.
These flowers will fill in empty corners and awkward gaps in the garden, and they’ll do it quickly!
What Counts as “Fast-Growing”?
Okay, I get that “fast” in the gardening world is relative. While these plants won’t be winning the Indy 500 anytime ever, they will hopefully be winning over your heart when they fill up empty garden spots.
A fast-growing flower goes from seed to bloom in about 50-70 days.
This is important info to know if you’re planning successions or trying to squeeze in a final harvest before the end of the season.
Or if you happen to be hosting an al fresco dinner party in two months and you want your garden to look its best.
These flowers aren’t just filler, either. Every flower on this list helps pollinators or beneficial insects, adds color to the garden, and can be cut for the vase.
And if you’re wondering why to grow flowers in the vegetable garden, take a look at this post on why I grow flowers with vegetables. It’s not just for beauty, flowers serve a practical function in the veggie patch, too.
My 7 Favorite Fast-Growing Flowers for Garden Gaps
Calendula | 50-60 days to bloom
Calendula is my go-to gap-filler for spring planting. Direct sow the funky-looking seeds into any bare patch of soil in the spring and it will grow quickly.
It’s cheerful blooms are long-lasting in the vase, and the plants will bloom continuously throughout the season as long you keep it deadheaded.
Calendula is edible and medicinal as well. I use dried calendula to make a salve for eczema.
Favorite Varieties: Oktoberfest, Strawberry Blonde, Ivory Princess
Nasturtiums | 55-65 days to bloom
Nasturtium flowers are my favorite plants to tuck into corners of my raised beds. I love how its trailing habit softens the edges of the beds and brightens up the garden in shades from scarlet to buttery yellow.
Nasturtiums are also edible. Toss the flowers or leaves into a salad or use them as a garnish.
Choose a trailing type for hanging baskets, trellises, or ground cover. Use bush nasturtiums if you need something compact and tidy.
Favorite Varieties: Alaska, Empress of India, Yeti
Zinnias | 60-70 days to bloom
If you only have one spot left to grow flowers, make it zinnias. They are prolific, low-maintenence, and bloom the more they’re cut.
With so many colors, sizes, and different forms to choose from, you could grow only zinnias and never get bored.
Learn to grow these flowers in my post on growing zinnias from seed.
Favorite Varieties: Queeny Lime Red, Oklahoma Salmon, Benary’s Giant Salmon Rose
Nigella (Love-in-a-Mist) | 50-65 days to bloom
Nigella is a unique cut flower. It has starry-shaped flowers surrounded by ferny foliage that looks like green mist from a distance.
After blooming, nigella forms papery seed pods that look like little hot air balloons floating around in the garden.
I love adding these seed pods to arrangements. They’re long lasting, interesting to look at, and they dry well, too.
Allow nigella to self-sow if you want to have more plants in the garden next year!
Favorite Varieties: Miss Jekyll, Delft Blue, Albion Green Pod
Sweet Alyssum | 50-60 days to bloom
Sweet alyssum grows quickly and can cover space efficiently with its tiny, honey-scented blooms.
For me it blooms from spring to frost, sometimes surviving a couple frosts in the fall before finally succumbing to the cold.
Once it grows long enough, you can harvest these for the vase as well!
Favorite varieties: Royal Carpet, Carpet of Snow
Sunflowers | 55-70 days to bloom
Skip the giant mammoth types if you’re trying to grow flowers fast. Branching and mid- to small-sized sunflower varieties are much quicker to grow and easier to tuck into the garden.
There are so many more kinds than the typical yellow and brown.
Try deep red, cream, rust, multicolored, or even fluffy double sunflowers. Branching types are especially good for filling in gaps and being able to cut flowers continuously. Learn more about growing different types of sunflowers and harvesting them for the vase in this post.
Whichever kind you choose to plant will be a beautiful gap-filler in your vegetable garden!
Favorite varieties: Teddy Bear, Ruby Eclipse, Vanilla Ice
Amaranth | 60-70 days to bloom
If your garden is looking flat, add amaranth.
Amaranth brings all the height and drama you could wish for.
I love growing all kinds of flowering amaranth from the trailing to the plume types. It’s worth growing even once just to see how it changes your garden.
Amaranth seeds and leaves are also edible.
Favorite varieties: Hot Biscuits, Red Spike, Love Lies Bleeding
Your Turn to Grow
Empty spaces in the garden aren’t a failure; they’re an opportunity to plant something new and exciting.
Any one of these flowers would be a perfect candidate to fill in gaps in your beds while also adding color and movement.
And if you’d like more ideas for quick-growing edible gap fillers, read my post on my favorite fast-growing vegetables next.