I need suggestions for some flowers that will grow fairly quickly...

[lucysmam]

In planters. Something that doesn't need too much attention but that will make a big impact.

Fast growing definitely though, so we see quick results.

Tia :)

Quick bump

Anyone at all...please?

That's a really difficult question to answer, because most plants aren't fast growing in February. Spring bulbs would be your best bet, I'm sure some garden centres will have some that have been started off in autumn. Maybe some winter flowering pansies to cover the soil/compost? They're usually available in a variety of lovely colours. I think your best bet though is to go to look at what's actually available at the moment.

It's a bit early for traditional container/basket plants, they won't be available until April, but you might find some winter flowering shrubs like Sweet Box (Sarcococca) or Daphne which would be a good backbone plant, but it depends on the size of your planters. They're not particularly fast growing, but they would be in flower at this time of year and could be planted on in time afterwards if they do outgrow their containers.

Thanks @TheNoodlesIncident, it's for some planters at work (school) in the nursery playground area. They're mostly long & thin (probably about 6 inches x 3 feet ish), with a couple of round ones at the doors.

Might we be better with something we could start off inside then move to those as it warms up?

(I am clueless, as is my colleague who agreed we need to do something with them)

There seem to be a lot of polyanthus around at the moment which are in flower. I was at the market this morning and the plant stall had loads. They seem to be perennials in my garden as well.
For plants later on, I have always had success with plug plants from Aldi, if I buy them as soon as they arrive in store, and repot in larger pots as soon as I get them home and then grow them on. Their petunias and lobelias have been really good for the last couple of years.
For next year, get some daffodil and crocus bulbs in September or October, and some winter pansies and plant when the petunias and lobelias die off.

Polyanthus is a good shout, I forgot about those! Some of those with pots of daffodils would be a good show. I think supermarkets and shops like Wilko will have plants like pansies, polyanthus and pre-started bulb pots.

(I'd still be tempted to put sweet box, daphne or similar in the round pots, as often there are mild days in winter when bees come out looking for nectar. It's helpful to have winter flowering plants for them and they do smell lovely too, which is a nice bonus!)

You can sow from seed Cosmos and they are just amazing and will flower and flower from mid to late summer. Very quick to germinate too so good to grow with kids.

(Obvs need to be grown inside first like you suggest as an option but will be a much cheaper way of doing it).

Thanks all, I'll do some googling (daffodils are the only name I recognise 🤦‍♀️) and have a proper look at the planters tomorrow afternoon, after work. We were hoping to pick something up this weekend, but maybe over half term is more realistic?

A wild card, but, for something very different, fast growing from seed, long flowering season and very popular with pollinating insects, how about Honeywort (Cerinthe major)?

How about growing some edible plants? Strawberry plants grow well in containers and have a red or white flower and berries from June. Chives are easy to grow and have a purple flower in May. If you have any large pots mini pumpkins could be grown for Halloween celebrations. Dwarf sunflowers are also good and can be used to harvest seed and/or feed the birds when finished flowering.

Csmos are really easy to grow, and self seed prolifically but they grow very tall, often about 3 feet high and ought to be staked or they will flop. I think there are dwarf varieties which would be a better bet for pots.

It’s still too early to plant but I’d go for

nasturtiums (edible and beautiful leaves and flowers) can be trailing or cover the ground

snapdragons (come in different colours and kids can play with flowers) some are quite tall

Pansies and violas - different colours and beautiful faces

Winter pansy's put on a colourful display and keep flowering for months. They are cheap and quite hardy. They also self seed or you can save seed heads for next year. They will also blend in with doing planting. They won't die if we get a frost.

@Bumblebeefriend I like those ideas!

Could we fill them with something already flowering for now? Presumably the edible plants would need time to germinate indoors?

lucysmam As pp have posted daffodils are already blooming so you can fill pots with them now but what will you do when their flowering season is over??

Daffs, crocus' and Snowdrops will flower very soon. You should get winter pansies and primrose in flower now @lucysmam

@sunshinesupermum that's why I wondered about germinating...something...after half term to replace them with.

I'm just not sure what & need an "Idiots Guide To Planting Nursery Planters" 🤣

so, you are not going to get something that is flowering now, that will still be flowering say in summer and that will grow fast!
You either need to go for something that is flowering now for an isntatnt display (eg winter pansies) and then replace later in the spring/summer, or wait and start something off from seed now to plant out after all chance of frost has passed (usually mid may depending where you are)
The only other alternative would be to plant up with shrubs - you could get everygreen ones, but not sure any would be flowering now (except maybe viburnum which would be way too big )
In around April though garden centres will all be full of relatively cheap colourful bedding plants that would be ideal for planters, but again you need to wait until all chance of frost has passed before planting out.
I do like the idea though of starting off seeds with the children now indoors though ready to plant out later. Agree with other suggesitons of cosmos - very easy to grow, sunflowers, snapdragons also good from seed, as are Asters.

you can plant things like runner beans indoors in march on a window sill and in a few weeks you'll see them grow little leaves. then move them outdoors and give them bits of bamboo to grow up. By the end of the summer term they should be taller than the kids like Jack&the Beanstalk.

also, primroses are good for some instant colour & you can probably get them in a supermarket or garden centre now.

Morrisons have £1 pots containing 2 or 3 mini daff bulbs that could be planted out now and would come into flower soon .

But as said ,it's not the time to plant young plants and watch them grow quickly .I think you'll have to buy established plants .Hebes are like little bushes and are evergreen.

Have a look here www.finegardening.com/article/10-plants-for-year-round-containers

Ask over in gardening section www.mumsnet.com/Talk/gardening

and don't forget that you will need a good compost and drainage .

Any parents who are gardeners who could help ?

Another for getting the little pots of mini daffodils that are selling in grocery stores, at least here. Just tip the out of the their pot to plant, or just immerse the pot.

I had hundreds of daffodil plats in my garden by doing this. They are very hardy.

Sunflowers! Grow fast and hard

The previous owner of our house left a pot filled with viola. Our son was very sick and so we totally neglected them - 2 years later they are still and seem to flower almost all year round . Other than water them when it’s very dry we do nothing to them and the have withstood summers, winters, storms. You can buy little plug plants from the garden centre - they are not expensive.