If you start seeds indoors about a month or so before planting time, they should flower in June.

Bachelor buttons and shirley poppies and california poppies do not bush out much. However starting them outdoors will not result in early blooms. If the soil temperature is not right for germination the seed will just sit there or rot. Even plants set out too early will not do well. Why don't you look into the winter sowing forum. That way you could start seeds early and set them out when the soil temperature is right. I must warn you that poppies are short lived. Snapdragons, Petunias, annual Phlox and Nicotiana plants will take a few degrees of frost and are good for winter sowing but nothing will grow or germinate if the soil temperature is not warm

Thank you but I don't think this is completely correct. Both bachelor's buttons and Shirley poppies are recommended for direct sowing before last frost right on the seed packets.

Yes, certainly they can be started outdoors by direct sowing. But dowlinggram's point was that this will not give you early flowers.

ah I see the confusion with my question.

I am not trying to speed up and getting them to flower earlier, I'm just trying to find out if they will flower in June and make sure they won't overwhelm young zinnia starts.

Ok Since i am not familiar with your climate or when the soil warms enough for germination Maybe this will give you an idea--both Bachelor buttons and annual poppies will take about 2 months from seeding to flowering if the soil is warm enough for germination. Both are slender plants that will not overwhelm your Zinnias

Calendulas and pansies provide some much needed winter color here! How about some ephemeral perennials, also? Leucojum, Eranthis, Snow drops, Crocuses, Narcissus bulbocodium are all early blooming, with tiny small leaves that allow seeds around them to germinate and get bigger! (Even as I wrote that I realized this is the Annuals forum...oops)

Yes, it’s the annuals forum but restricting oneself to annuals results in dilemmas like Reuben’s. I agree totally that broadening the palette could solve the issue easily. You could have flowers long before June and right through to frost.