Garden Guy: More plants for summer color
I wrote some weeks ago about four good plants that give summer color, two of which give a tropical flare. I have also written about the need to assess your gardens at different times for needed changes or improvements which I have been doing recently. As we move from spring to summer, it can be difficult to maintain colorful gardens, and the hot days of summer can be difficult for color unless relying on annuals. Following are a few more perennials and shrubs that are already producing color, most of which can bloom all summer long.
One excellent choice is the daylily. Daylilies (Hemerocallis spp.) can be found that bloom every month during warm weather … some are early bloomers, some late, and some in between. They are also great for our climate and soil, come in many sizes and colors, and generally require little maintenance.
Jupiter’s beard (Centranthus rubra) blooms from spring through fall. After each flush of bloom, shear it back and it will rebloom almost as vigorously as before. Deadheading is important because it is a prolific self-seeder.
Tall verbena (Verbena bonariensis) is also in bloom at this point and will remain so throughout summer. This is a “see through” plant that can be placed from the front to the back of a border. Butterflies love it! Like Jupiter’s beard, this is also a self-seeder, although not as aggressive so I find that a good attribute.
Butterfly bush (Buddleia spp.) and chaste tree (Vitex spp.) are blooming now. Chaste tree will not bloom repeatedly and is listed as an invasive plant for Texas. However, if you mulch your gardens, you will not have a problem with it. It may come up in bare spots and/or along sidewalks or driveways, but it is easily pulled and controlled.
Butterfly bushes will bloom until frost. They come in many sizes and colors thus they will fit in any size garden. There are some that are adaptable for container growing. And, as the name indicates, they are magnets for pollinators, including butterflies.
Among my favorite reliable, colorful plants are roses, which I write about often. The key to reliable, trouble-free, and nearly maintenance-free roses is proper selection. With hundreds, if not thousands, to choose from, research is required to find those fitting these attributes. Coming in sizes from a few inches to many feet tall and in more colors and flower shapes than you can imagine, there is a rose for most situations in most gardens. They can bloom from early spring until hard frosts.
Pincushion Flower (Scabiosa columbaria) produces flowers from spring through fall. It will even bloom in January if enough warm days occur simultaneously.
Last is one of my go-to plants. Mealycup sage (Salvia Farinacea) which is a Texas native plant. There are several good cultivars to choose from. They self-seed (again I like this trait), but can be easily controlled, and bloom from late spring until frost. Shearing them after bloom will speed rebloom, but is not necessary.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Garden Guy: More plants for summer color
