Calling all shady people! This is a good choice for your garden if you don't get a lot of sun but want a lot of color. These waxy-leafed plants mound really nicely and are great in borders or mixed in your containers. They're pretty low maintenance, too, since you don't have to deadhead spent blooms to keep them showing off all summer.
Summer is blooming
These Queens of Flowering Vines like at least six hours of sun, although you can find varieties that are adapted to more shade. These perennials love to climb up an arbor or trellis or even cover a fence or column with proper support. To promote reflowering, you can cut the vine back by half for another late-season blooming.
One of the foremost flowers of summer, dahlias have one of the biggest variety range in size and color of almost any other flower. Their strong stems make them excellent in arrangements and a showstopper planted en masse. Here's a pro tip for bringing them inside: Place freshly cut stems in hot water (160º) and let the water cool to room temperature to extend the life of your bloom.
This friendliest flower is a carefree showstopper in your garden. The white Marguerite Daisy (shown here) or more common Shasta Daisy has pure white flowers that come in full speed ahead with summer's heat. Plants can be cut back after flowering to encourage new growth and more blooms.
Hydrangea are the it flower of summer. There are many different varieties of the ball-shaped perennial, but this variety is a surefire winner. It can tolerate sun to part shade and you can coax it to bloom blue in more acidic soils or pink in more alkaline soils. Or you can just throw caution to the wind and see what nature gives you.
Oh the colors! The distinct scent of the leaves! The pinks and corals and reds and whites! A classic summer staple, geraniums are great in hanging baskets, container gardens, planted right into your garden beds, and even tabletop displays. A rule of thumb: The smaller the vessel, the more water the plant needs to keep the soil moist. Remove spent stems to encourage new growth and enjoy the fireworks of flowers all season long.
Prepare yourself for the best scent on earth, in this writer's opinion. The stately iris can bring a formality to your garden border, or look casual as naturalized pools tucked into your established garden. The first flowering of the reblooming variety of these perennial lovelies is in June. Reflowering can happen from July through September, but the rhizomes are a bit fickle. They like a little boost of fertilizer and water to coax them into showing you their frilly petals one last time.
If you want a fool-proof rose, this is the one for you. They're fairly resistant to troublesome problems like blackspot and mildew that are common in traditional roses. These bushy bombshells bloom profusely from early summer through early fall and don't need to be deadheaded to encourage reblooming. You can find them in single- or double-petal varieties in a range of colors from white to pink to deep burgundy.
This pistachio-colored variety of hydrangea gets its own entry! Found in petite- ("Little Limes") and full-sized varieties, this cone-shaped hydrangea is a total knockout planted as a hedge or dotted into your garden bed. When your annuals start to look a little lackluster mid-summer, out comes this woody bush to revive your beds with a shock of bright green. They're extremely cold hardy and make excellent cut branches. The only pruning needed is the old flowering stems at the end of the season and any dead branches.
Large and small, this trumpet-shaped sun-lover works as ground cover or the "spiller" in your containers and window boxes. The color choices area almost endless, which make these annuals a tried-and-true summer favorite.
Purple and red are the most common colors of salvia, which you may have heard referred to as "Mexican Sage." These maintenance-free annuals love full sun and are another great pollinator in your garden. They love the heat and will keep blooming all summer long, drought or not.
If these stalky flowers could talk... but wait! They can! squeeze the sides of the bloom and the "mouth" of the flower pops open to surprise and delight even the oldest of children. These annuals need full sun to partial shade and bloom in early spring/summer and again in late summer/early fall with even watering.
Sunflowers are one of the taller summer plants, so if you want to add them to your garden, pick a spot in the back of your bed or cluster them all together in one spot. They're pretty hardy, easy to grow blooms that peak in the middle of summer through early fall. The only thing you really have to worry about is the birds and pesky squirrels stealing their prized seeds!
Sewn from seeds thrown directly into your soil or purchased in blister packs from your garden center, these annuals are a favorite for cut arrangements during the summer. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds love their cheery colors. If you'd like to use them primarily for cut flowers, you can cut the center flower first, which will encourage more stems as it continues to grow and flower.
Light up your summer garden with our diverse, colorful range of summer blooming bulbs! Choose from a vast selection, including Asiatic lilies, Dinner plate dahlias, Calla lilies, Dutch Irises, Gladiolus, and many more. We carry summer bulb flowers with a dizzying array of hues, sizes, and forms, including plenty of both early and late-season varieties. When to Plant Summer FloweringMost summer flowering bulbs can be planted in spring once the chance of frost has passed, which gives you plenty of time to pick the best matches for your creative goals and garden conditions. You might wonder why summer bulbs go into the ground in spring, while fall bulbs go into the ground in fall. The difference is in the structure of the bulb itself.Plants like cannas and lily-of-the-valley are not actually bulbs in the same way that tulips and daffodils are bulbs. These plants grow from rhizomes or tubers. For that reason, they generally don't need a cold period in the same way that bulbous plants do, and they need more energy to protect themselves over the cold winter.Wait until after your region's last frost date to plant your bulbs. Most summer bulbs should go in the ground after all threat of frost has passed. For Zones 3 and 4, you should plant summer bulbs in June. Hardiness Zone 5 allows for planting around Memorial Day, while Zone 6's final frost date is around Mother's Day. Hardiness Zone 7 gardeners can plant in late April. Gardeners in very warm climates, including Zones 8, 9, and 10, should plant as early as mid-March.How to Arrange Summer Blooming BulbsYou can use an assortment of summer bulb flowers to create stunning mixed beds, emphasize your favorite color by mass planting a single cultivar, combine early and late blooming varieties for endless summer color - the possibilities are endless and promise a lot of fun and a spectacular summer garden! Here are some of our favorite ways to use summer-blooming flowers:Plant tall flowers, like canna lilies and calla lilies, at the back of the border and allow them to shine above shorter plants. Use low-growing begonias and mini dahlias up front!
Choose a large planter to fill with lush summer-flowering plants, and make it a statement piece for your porch or patio
Mix different bloom times. Use bushier summer-blooming plants to fill in around fading spring bulbs.
Consider color. Bold colors pair nicely with pastels and whites. Or, try a monochrome look, with multiple species of summer-flowering bulbs blooming in shades of pink, orange, yellow, or your favorite color!
Don't want to commit time to lifting bulbs in spring? Keep your non-hardy plants, like dahlias and gladiolus, in containers and fill in the garden with hardier perennials like iris and daylilies.
Summer blooming bulbs are a true mixed bag. By combining color and form, your summer display can steal the show-and keep your garden lush with flowers even after a bloom-heavy spring!How to Plant Summer Blooming BulbsPlanting methodology for summer-blooming bulbs differs greatly by species and by bulb type. Planting lily rhizomes may look a bit different than planting gladiolus corms. However, there are a few major rules to abide by while planting summer bulbs.Summer bulbs require warm weather and warm soil. While fall-planted bulbs need a cool period to burst into bloom in spring, many summer bulbs are not hardy, and almost all should go into the ground after the last frost.
Don't plant during a heavily rainy week. Allowing your bulbs to sit in the ground during ongoing downpours can lead to rot.
Wait until after your region's last frost date to plant your bulbs. Most summer bulbs should go in the ground after all threat of frost has passed.
Some summer-blooming bulbs are actually not able to survive over winter while in the ground, and should be lifted and stored, or stored in pots, over winter. Consider the potential for moving or lifting bulbs when selecting a planting location.
Consider the height and potential width of grown plants while setting your flower bulbs. All varieties will have their own instructions for how much space they'll require.
Most bulbs should be planted at about three times as deep as the bulb is tall.
Planting is one of the easiest parts of gardening, but sometimes the most intimidating. If your tubers or bulbs have roots, be sure to spread them, facing down, in the soil. Water your summer bulbs in well after planting.How to Care for Summer Bulbs during SummerBecause summer bulbs do most of their growing during the hot season, they have somewhat needy watering requirements. Allow the soil to dry out between waterings, but do water your summertime bulbs regularly, and soon after the soil goes dry.Some bulbs do not require much fertilization, but summer bulbs tend to have large leaves and heavy flowers that can use a bit of a boost. Most of these flowers come from tropical locales with rich soil. Fertilize monthly with a balanced fertilizer for maximum blooming.Keep an eye out for pests and slugs, which are known to eat the leaves of tender summer plants. Slug bait can keep slimy slugs and snails away, and neem oil is a wonderful, all-natural insect repellent.How to Care for Summer Bulbs over WinterMost summer bulbs, including tender gladiolus, dahlia, elephant ears, and tuberose, need to be lifted in the winter. They won't survive in freezing ground, or in temperatures below a certain threshold. Check your zone and your plant's heat requirements, and decide whether it makes sense to lift your bulbs in winter. Summer bulbs can be kept indoors in their containers, using a heated greenhouse or a non-freezing garage. Or, lift the bulbs themselves from the ground, and allow them to cure on sheets of brown paper for a few days before storing them in breathable material, and cool-but-not-freezing temperatures, for the winter.Summer Bulb VarietiesEvery summer is different-and so if every summer flower. From delicate and dainty to stunning and splashy, summer bulbs are available for any need or style. Here are a few of our favorite summer bulb varieties.Gladiolus: Tall, glamorous spathes of flowers make Gladiolus a beautiful symbol of summer. Great for vertical gardening.Lilies: Whether Asiatic or Oriental, lilies are the quintessential summertime bulb. Lilies are known for flowery flowers and enchanting scents.Ranunculus: The perfect border flower, ranunculus are small but bold, in bright and shiny shades of yellows, reds, and pinks.Calla Lilies: A favorite for brides and elegant stylings, calla lilies offer pretty, trumpet shaped flowers in shades from neons to near-blacks.Canna Lilies: Cannas are among our favorite of the tropical summer bulbs. Large leaves and stunning flowers make it clear that summer has arrived.Dahlias: From dinnerplate varieties to miniature dahlias, these fluffy masterpieces are all about form and size. Mix and match varieties for a garden you won't want to look away from.Iris: Tall bearded iris is certainly a centerpiece, and lots of beardless irises have made their way to the United States in recent years. 2ff7e9595c
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