Summer Flowers

I am having so much fun in the yard. I frequently read tips on how to plan your garden so that there was always something in bloom, but I didn’t focus on that tip when I designed and planted my yard. I had a good plan, but then things change because a plant is not happy where you put it and needs to be moved or dies. And there was a lot of that going on for the first two years of my gardening at the new house. But this third year has been rewarding. I am getting to see a new bloom every day!

When I pick plants, I pick them because I like the color or shape. I’m definitely drawn to blues and reds. And I love purples. But I throw in some whites and yellows so that I am balanced. Some flowers bloom quickly and some linger. And it is really confusing when the plant label tells you it blooms in the “summer.” What part of summer? Early? Middle? Late? Spring flowers are easy. Spring is short (here in Alabama). We jump right into Summer. I shared the flowers in the yard that boomed in Spring. What bloomed after that post I will categorize as “Early Summer” and I will share in this post.

Early Summer

Stella d’Oro blooms in late Spring/early summer. It is one of the first daylilies to bloom. It disappears in the Winter, so you don’t want it to be the only thing in the flowerbed, unless you’re okay with a bare flowerbed for Winter.

Frost Proof Gardenia has a strong smell. I wrongly assumed that they needed shade and I had some water issues with their location and lost 2 of the four, and I think their issues affected their blooms this year. The bushes weren’t covered in white flowers like they usually are. And they actually rebloomed this year in late summer. Mine are just messed up right now, because I don't see anyone else's gardenias blooming. Frost Proof Gardenias won't die in the Winter like other gardenias, but they like the sun, so plant them accordingly.

Butterfly Bushes bloom in Spring and Summer. I have a darker blue one that I love the color on and it blooms earlier than my pink ones.

Mid Summer

Nikko Blue Hydrangea is a plant I want to love. The first two years, they bloomed pink. I worked to amend the soil and this year, they were more blue! Yay! One out of the 3 stayed pink, so I still have to work on it. I used the acidifier, and even put nails in the ground! But then I found Black Kow Manure. I put it on late in the season, but it was so beneficial for the hydrangeas! I cut off their blooms and a lot of green leaves sprouted. It was the most growth I've seen on the hydrangeas! I plan to put the manure on them three times next year and also cover them for the entire Winter. They only bloom on old growth and the Winter can kill them and then we start all over from the ground and lose the progress from the year before.

I call it my special coneflower, because it was an expensive coneflower! I had six, but I messed with them and only four came back and then I transplanted them closer to the front door so they could be seen. They have been blooming non-stop.

Coneflower comes in many colors, and I have the one that is the “normal” or “common” one to find that is cheap.

I do have another type of coneflower called “Pow Wow – Berry.” It, too, was in a different spot and I loved it so it could be seen. It is a nice pop of color by the side porch.

Black-eyed Susans bring that yellow color in where you need it. They are a perennial that disappears in the Winter and spreads. I took some babies from the larger plants and spread them out so that I could cover more area. The bunnies love my baby plants and eat them each time I transplant them.

BabyMoon Café Daylily is a larger daylily that blooms later than the Stella. It was given to me by a neighbor when he got it off the clearance rack at Lowes. I had it where my special coneflower was, but because it got so tall and blocked the plants behind it from view, I needed to move it. I moved it out near the utility boxes to give the neighbors something pretty to look at. It has a beautiful bloom and performs nicely.

Did you know that Hostas bloom? I have several different varieties and they all have white flowers.

Late Summer

Limelight hydrangeas are my favorite hydrangea because of their ease to care for. I cut them back in the winter and don’t have to worry about protecting them if they start coming back and we are expecting a frost. They bloom heavily and the blooms last into Winter. I leave the blooms on until Christmas and then I cut them off.

Crepe Myrtles love heat. I had several at the old house, but chose to only have one at the new house. I train them into trees with the trimming, but once they are good, I stop trimming them and let them be. Each tree has a different shape. I liked the shape of this one and the pink color. It goes with the butterfly bushes near it. (I never took a picture of the Crepe Myrtle blooming this year.)

Summer is a hard time period to make your yard look good. There’s a struggle to keep things watered. Spring is gorgeous with all the new blooms, but you cant forget that there are some pretty awesome plants that can keep the color alive through the summer.

Good luck!