Maintaining Summer Color

Ways to keep color in a summer garden.

Gaillardia gandiflora 'Arizona Sun'
Item # 53244 		Gaillardia grandiflora 'Arizona Sun'
Blanket Flower

each $7.99
3 to 6 plants $7.79
7 or more $7.59
Salvia x ‘Black Cherry’ (Black Cherry Hybrid Sage)
Item # 84794 		Salvia 'Black Cherry'
Black Cherry Hybrid Sage

each $7.99
3 to 6 plants $7.79
7 or more plants $7.59
Verbena peruviana 'Red Devil'
Item # 96525 		Verbena peruviana 'Red'
Red Devil Verbena

each $7.99
3 to 6 plants $7.79
7 or more $7.59
Lavandula angustifolia 'Sharon Roberts'
Item # 63113 		Lavandula angustifolia 'Sharon Roberts'
Sharon Roberts English Lavender

each $7.99
3 or more $7.79
Penstemon Sampler Collection
Item # 99521 		Penstemon Sampler
Beardtongue Sampler

Sampler $42.44
  • Topic: Summer Care
  • Keywords: bloom, trim, prune, color, Maintenance
  • Date: August 2002

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Summer is a great time to enjoy your garden because of the large variety of perennials that bloom at this time. Of course, some perennials bloom late spring-early summer and some late summer through fall. But many bloom throughout the summer, given a little deadheading and some supplemental water.

Cutting

I like planting in large broad strokes; many plants of the same variety and color all together. This allows room for cutting plants for vases without destroying the look of your outside garden. Huge drifts of Scabiosa, Lavender, Salvia greggii, and Echinacea, along with Chrysanthemum Alaska or Silver Princess, Delphinium Butterfly Blue, and Penstemon strictus and Elfin Pink will give anyone plenty of blooms to choose from when putting together a vase.

Penstemons

There are many Penstemons that bloom during the summer months, including the Penstemon strictus and Elfin Pink. Others that you’d do well to have in your garden are Penstemon Scarlet Bugler, Penstemon ardinalis, Penstemon pinifolius, Penstemon Mersea Yellow, Penstemon palmeri, and Penstemon seudospectabilis. Plant Penstemons with Tanacetum niveum, Mirabilis multiflora, Callirhoe involucrata, and Zinnia grandiflora for interesting summer color combinations.

A More Native Look

If you want to approximate a more natural landscape that will give color during the summer months, I would suggest plants like Hesperaloe (Texas Red Yucca), Gaillardia (Goblin Flower), Kniphofia (Red-Hot Poker) Gaura lindheimeri “Whirling Butterflies” or Siskiyou Pink and Ratibida (Mexican Hat). Use Perovskia Russian Sage as a backdrop for your perennials, and don’t forget Achillea x Moonshine (Moonshine Yarrow) and Coreopsis as fill in plants.

More Water

There is a whole list of blooming plants that will require more water during the summer, and that fit well into a cottage garden setting. Some excellent performers are Sidalcea x Party Girl, Delphinium grandiflorum “Butterfly Blue”, Solidago rugosa Fireworks” Goldenrod, Saponaria x lempergii (Soapwort), Scabiosa, Monarda, Stachys coccinea (Scarlet Hedgenettle), Verbena Homestead Purple” and Verbena peruviana “Red Devil”.

The Summer of Lavender

No garden should be without Lavender. These sun-loving plants thrive in hot weather and grow well in the west, in a wide range of soils, even compost enriched garden loams, as long as they are well-drained. Heavy, poorly drained clay soils can be fatal. Lavenders come in a different shades, from the white flowered Alba”, to the deep purple flowers of “Grosso”, the light purple of “Provence”, the true blue of “Silver Frost”, to the pink fading-to-white of “Melissa”. There is a lavender for every taste.