When it comes to gardening in Minnesota, June is one of the most rewarding months. With the threat of frost a mere memory and the weather heating up by the day, it’s the ideal time to get planting. Whether you want to refresh your landscape, add some color to your porch, or create a luscious garden ideal for wildlife, knowing what to plant in June in Minnesota can help you make the most of your outside space. For gardeners across Linden Hills, Fulton, Armatage, Tangletown, Edina, and neighborhoods surrounding the Chain of Lakes, the warmer soil and longer days create ideal conditions for establishing colorful annuals, hardy perennials, and thriving vegetable gardens.
If you’re unsure which plants are best for your yard, visiting a trusted garden center can make all the difference. Local garden experts understand Minnesota’s unique climate and can recommend flowers, shrubs, trees, vegetables, and fertilizers suited to your specific growing conditions, plus you can take the inspiration you’ve garnered from this article to pick out the plants for your outside space! Keep reading to find out more about what you should plant and why this month is ideal.
Why June is a Great Time to Plant in Minnesota
Minnesota’s growing season is relatively short compared to many other parts of the country, making June an ideal month to get plants established. The soil has warmed significantly, encouraging strong root development and faster growth. Many flowers, vegetables, herbs, and shrubs thrive when planted in early summer, especially if they receive regular watering during the first few weeks after planting.
Best Summer Annuals for Minneapolis Gardens
If you’re wanting instant color, summer annuals Minneapolis gardeners rely on are a fantastic choice. Annuals bloom continuously throughout the season, creating vibrant displays until the first fall frost.
Some of the best options include:
- Petunias
- Calibrachoa (Million Bells)
- Geraniums
- Begonias
- Marigolds
- Zinnias
- Salvia
- Angelonia
- Coleus
- Impatiens (for shady locations)
These flowers perform exceptionally well in flower beds, borders, hanging baskets, and patio containers. Deadheading spent blooms and feeding with a balanced fertilizer every few weeks will encourage even more flowers throughout the summer.
How to Create Beautiful Container Gardens
One of the easiest ways to brighten any outdoor space is through container gardening – something many Minneapolis homeowners love. Containers allow you to experiment with color combinations while adding flexibility to patios, decks, balconies, and entryways. When designing containers, there’s a classic formula you can follow. Generally you have ‘thrillers, fillers and spillers’. With a thriller you want a tall focal plant such as Canna, Cordyline, or Purple Fountain Grass. For a filler you want medium-height flowers such as Petunias or Geraniums, and for a spillers you want traditional plants such as Sweet Potato Vine, Bacopa or Calibrachoa.
Containers dry out faster than garden beds, so they often require daily watering during hot summer weather. Adding slow-release fertilizer at planting time helps keep plants healthy and blooming.
Perennials You Can Still Plant
Although many gardeners plant perennials earlier in spring, June remains an excellent time to establish many varieties. Popular choices include coneflowers, black-eyed susans, shasta daisies, coreopsis, daylilies, russian sage and bee balm. These are all types of plants that return year after year, providing excellent and valuable nectar for butterflies, bees and hummingbirds, so it has extra benefits there.
Vegetables to Plant in June
If you’re growing food, or if this is something you are looking to do, June offers plenty of opportunities to get planting. Some of the vegetables that will work the best include cucumbers, summer squash, pumpkins, sweetcorn, carrots and swiss chard. Fast-growing vegetables can often be planted in succession every few weeks for an extended harvest throughout the season.
Think Beyond the Flower Pot
While colorful containers make an immediate impact, June is also the perfect time to plan larger outdoor improvements. Whether you’re redesigning foundation beds, adding pollinator gardens, refreshing walkways, or creating a complete outdoor living space, professional landscape design can completely transform your property.
Sunnyside Gardens also offers fine gardening services to keep landscapes looking their best all summer long, giving homeowners a beautiful “vacation-at-home” garden without the ongoing maintenance.
Visit Your Local Garden Center
Whether you’re gardening in Linden Hills, Fulton, Armatage, Tangletown, Edina, or anywhere around southwest Minneapolis, visiting a trusted garden center Minneapolis MN gives you access to plants selected specifically for Minnesota’s growing conditions.
The knowledgeable team at Sunnyside Gardens can recommend the best flowers, shrubs, trees, vegetables, soil amendments, and fertilizers to help your garden thrive throughout the season.
Plant Your Best Summer Yet
If you’re in Minneapolis and wondering how to improve your garden and get planting, these tips should have you well on your way. As already mentioned, June offers one of the biggest opportunities to create a colorful, healthy landscape that lasts through fall. Whether you’re planting vibrant annuals, refreshing containers, growing fresh vegetables, or planning a complete landscape makeover, now is the time to take advantage of Minnesota’s prime growing season.
Plant your best summer yet. Visit Sunnyside Gardens at 44th & France for expert advice, beautiful June-ready plants, and everything you need to make your Minneapolis garden thrive.
