25 Summer Flowers That Can Boost Your Curb Appeal
Nothing says “home sweet home” like planters overflowing with gorgeous summer flowers. Whether you’re putting your house on the market or just want to make your entryway more welcoming, flowers add instant impact—plus, they attract and support pollinator populations such as butterflies and hummingbirds. From marigolds to lilies to begonias, you can plant flowers in beds or along walkways to the front door, or add a charming cottage feel with window boxes or hanging baskets. Planters that flank your doorway lend a more traditional flair.
When choosing which flowers to plant, pay attention to the amount of sunlight the area gets so you can pick blooms best suited to your conditions. Full sun means at least six hours of direct sunlight per day, while full shade means no direct sunlight or only a teeny bit of morning sun. And when it comes to containers, make sure they have drainage holes because no plant likes to stay soggy. Also, containers made from porous materials, such as terra cotta or ceramic, allow water to evaporate more quickly than materials such as plastic. Regardless of the type of container you choose, you’ll want to check pots daily during the hottest days of summer. One more thing: Containers, window boxes, and baskets should be fertilized regularly because regular watering causes nutrients to leach out.
Got it? Great, now check out our favorite summer flowers to boost your home’s curb appeal.
RELATED: Annuals versus Perennials: What’s the Difference Anyway?
1. Marigold
These sturdy old-fashioned annuals have been popular for generations for a reason: You (almost) can’t kill them! Their bright flowers in shades of cream, orange and yellow really pop against other plantings. Marigolds like full sun.
2. Verbena
What kind of sunlight it needs: Full sun
Why we love it: Tall, airy blooms for back of borders
Verbena has been a cottage garden favorite for generations. Plant this tall annual at the back of borders, or look for smaller varieties for pots. It also makes a long-lasting cut flower.
3. Shrub Rose
What kind of sunlight it needs: Full sun
Why we love it: Continuous blooms all season long
Shrub roses are some of the easiest types to grow, and they come in a wide range of varieties from groundcovers to upright shrubs. Plant several for maximum impact in the landscape, or display in a pot on your patio.
4. Coneflower
What kind of sunlight it needs: Full sun
Why we love it: Colorful, long-blooming, drought-tolerant
Coneflower is just about perfect for any garden! Its bright blooms last for weeks, and because it’s perennial, you’ll enjoy it for many years in your garden. Butterflies and bees love it!
5. Day Lily
What kind of sunlight it needs: Full sun
Why we love it: Low-maintenance, loads of bright flowers in midsummer
If you only grow one perennial, it should be day lilies. They’re so easy! These plants are available in a profusion of colors and add gorgeous, saturated color to the summer landscape. But avoid planting these if deer are frequent garden grazers.
6. New Guinea Impatiens
What kind of sunlight it needs: Part shade to shade
Why we love it: Better disease resistance, bright colors
New Guinea impatiens bloom all summer in saturated shades of pink, red, salmon and white. They’re less susceptible to diseases than other types of impatiens, which are sometimes susceptible to downy mildew. Keep them watered when it’s super-hot.
7. Canna Lily
What kind of sunlight it needs: Full sun
Why we love it: Drama and tropical beauty
If you’re looking for drama, it’s hard to beat these striking flowers, which are grown from tubers planted in spring. In cold climates, dig them up in fall to save for next year. Canna lilies have striking leaves and bold blooms which hummingbirds adore.
8. Calibrachoa
What kind of sunlight it needs: Full sun
Why we love it: Available in every color, blooms until frost
These sturdy annuals come in every color of the rainbow with single or double petals. Calibrachoa look amazing tumbling out of planters, window boxes or hanging baskets, and they’ll even take a light frost.
9. Nemesia
What kind of sunlight it needs: Part to full sun
Why we love it: Adds upright form and drama to planters and beds
These darling flowers look like tiny snapdragons. They bloom all summer without deadheading (removing spent flowers). They can get a little finicky if nighttime temps stay above 70 degrees, but just trim them back and they’ll revive with cooler weather.
10. COLEUS
What kind of sunlight it needs: Part to full sun
Why we love it: Interesting foliage in bright colors
Coleus are grown for their stunning red, burgundy, chartreuse or yellow foliage that contrasts nicely with the rest of your garden. There are so many varieties—tall, short, frilly or not—that it won’t be hard to find one you absolutely love. Most types need afternoon shade in hot climates.
11. Begonia
What kind of sunlight it needs: Part to full sun, depending on the variety
Why we love it: Low-maintenance flowers all season long
As far as easy-care flowers go, it doesn’t get much better than begonias. Begonias come in an astonishing array of sizes, flower types and colors. The “winged” varieties are especially enchanting. Some take mostly shade, while others tolerate some sun, so be sure to read the plant tag before buying.
12. Caladium
How much sunlight it needs: Full sun
Why we love it: Beautiful heart-shaped leaves, bright colors
Caladium is another plant grown for its incredibly eye-catching foliage. With pretty heart-shaped leaves in pinks, reds and various shades of green, these plants look incredible in planters or in ground. In hot climates, they benefit from some afternoon shade. You also can bring them indoors and place in a sunny window for the winter in cold climates.
13. Fuchsia
How much sunlight it needs: Full shade
Why we love it: Stunning flowers that hummingbirds love
Fuchsia has exotic-looking blooms in purple, red or pink that drape dramatically from hanging baskets and planters. It’s a must-have for shade gardens.
14. Sweet Alyssum
How much sunlight it needs: Full sun
Why we love it: Season-long color, sweet fragrance, attracts pollinators
This charming annual boasts a gorgeous texture and sweetly-scented blooms that keep going and going all the way to a freeze. They look great in mixed planters but also shine on their own in window boxes, where they gracefully drape over the edges. Sweet alyssum will tolerate a little shade.
15. Fan Flower
How much sunlight it needs: Full sun
Why we love it: Season-long color, great in containers
Fan flower, also called scaevola, have pretty fans of pink, purple or white flowers that bloom all season long without deadheading. These beautiful blooms look best spilling over walkways or out of planters alongside more upright flowers.
16. Lavender
How much sunlight it needs: Full sun
Why we love it: Romantic scent, perennial so it comes back for many years
This perennial is a favorite for its lovely silver foliage and purple spikes that appear for weeks in mid-summer. Lavender does well in pots and beds, but read the tag to make sure it’s a variety that will survive winters in your USDA Hardiness zone (find yours here).
17. Angelonia
What kind of sunlight it needs: Full sun
Why we love it: Blooms all summer long, many different colors
Sometimes called summer snapdragon, this annual comes in several different heights and both upright and trailing forms. It blooms until a hard frost without deadheading, and it looks great by itself or as part of a mixed container.
18. Petunia
What kind of sunlight it needs: Full sun
Why we love it: Long-time favorite, works in any garden style
These old-fashioned favorites are charming spilling out of containers or beds. Look for newer hybrid types which don’t require deadheading to keep blooming.
19. Bacopa
How much sunlight it needs: Part to full sun
Why we love it: Great trailing habit for planters, long bloom time
Tons of tiny flowers adorn this pretty trailing annual plant, which makes it ideal for containers. Bacopa comes in white, pink, lavender and purple, so it’s perfect to mingle with other plants in a mixed container.
20. Blanket Flower
What kind of sunlight it needs: Full sun
Why we love it: Heat-tolerant, pollinator favorite
Heat, humidity and even drought are no match for blanket flower once it gets established. This pretty annual comes in vibrant shades of orange and yellow and pollinators such as bees and butterflies love it. Give it full sun.
21. Mandevilla
What kind of sunlight it needs: Full sun
Why we love it: Attractive vining habit
Large pink, red or white blossoms cover this this vigorous plant all summer long. Give it a trellis to climb in full sun. Mandevilla is treated as an annual in most climates but is evergreen in warmer parts of the country, but give it afternoon shade in hot climates. You can bring it indoors for the winter and place it in a bright window, though it tends to drop leaves in lower light levels.
22. Argyranthemum
What kind of sunlight it needs: Full sun
Why we love it: Cheery blooms all season long
Argyranthemum, also called marguerite daisy, offers cheery blooms all season long until the first frost. They tend to do better if you cut off spent blooms.
23. Star Flower
What kind of sunlight it needs: Full sun
Why we love it: Great filler plant for containers
Yes, this plant does have graceful, starry flowers that bloom all season long until a frost. They come in shades of pink and purple and are a great low-maintenance flower for containers.
24. Lantana
What kind of sunlight it needs: Full sun
Why we love it: Drought tolerant, continuous blooms
If you have an area that gets baked by the afternoon sun, lantana is right at home. This low-maintenance flower comes in gorgeous colors including hot pink, yellow, white and multi-color, and pollinators love it. It’s treated as an annual in most of the country, but in warm climates, lantana may become a low-growing flowering shrub.
25. Cosmos
What kind of sunlight it needs: Full sun
Why we love it: Long-season color, pollinator friendly
This pretty annual has lacey foliage and delicate blooms that are beautiful in mixed containers or beds for a cottage garden effect. Cosmos also is easy to grow from seed.
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