Written by
Chrystèle
Description
Partial sun
Moderate
Flowering
Attracts pollinators
Directly to
With the huge selection of summer flowers available, you can make your garden, patio or balcony a season-long festival of colour. With a little forward planning, you can have flowers on show all the way through from March to October but May is a key time where a little effort is amply repaid. So this year, have fun with flowers and let your garden follow the latest trends.
Tips
- Summer flowering perennials can become like summer friends, re-appearing right on queue year after year. Many perennials including delphiniums and, geraniums, will spread and ‘clump up’ in time, so make sure to space them sufficiently to allow room for them to grow.
- Many of the prairie and meadow flowers can also bring enjoyment inside the home them as cut flowers. Experiment with your favourite combinations of flowers and arrange them in vases. This will mean that even when you’re in the house you can still enjoy the garden!
A list of top-performers
Multicolored snapdragons, salvia, Rudbeckia, the evergreen African lily, lupins, yellow and purple coneflower (Echinacea) love sun and drier soil. The flowering Phlox is at home almost anywhere. Summer flowering plants that love shade and moisture include Spirea, foxgloves and Heuchera.
Most flowering plants are happiest now when the risk of frost is past. Wait until mid-May (late spring) before planting out more tender varieties. Summer-flowering bulbs are an excellent path to beautiful flowers and most are easy to work with. Plant them in spring (end of April/beginning of May isn’t too late) in well-worked soil. Choose a spot where they will look good, give them some food and they’ll do the rest. Your reward will be wonderful blooms.
A welcome for all
Is the insect hotel in your garden ready for visitors? Beneficial insects are the lifeblood of the garden. Without insects, your flowers would’t bloom, plants could not bear fruit and birds would go very hungry, so make sure there are places for them to live and breed, from piles of logs to specially built insect habitats.
Suggestion for an easy summer makeover?
Plant some summer bulbs like Gladiolus, Freesia, Allium or Crocosmia in a pot or container and put it wherever you want color. Doing this can help to make your ‘outside room’ in an instant summer oasis.
