Excited about summer….about getting to your local nursery to buy some flowers…..in a hurry to add some texture and color to your yard?
Well, Spring is here and Summer is just around the corner, so now is the time to pick out some flowers to plant around your home (in your garden or in a container for the patio or porch.)
Perennials, the flowers to love for sure. The ones that keep coming back for us year after year with very little if any upkeep.
Below, I have listed just a few of my favorites for you.
1.) Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
The coneflower…can’t say enough about this beautiful flower.
It is a tough North American native. One that the pollinators and birds love to line up for and not to mention it makes a great cut flower.
As part of the daisy family, the Coneflower is a Herbaceous plant and has 10 different species to choose from (echinacea purpurea being the most common.) But if the color purple is not for you…don’t worry, there are many other colors to choose from.
Once established the coneflower is very drought tolerant. It does not require deadheading….in fact leaving the seed heads through winter will supply a particular Goldfinch with food (and who doesn’t want those beautiful yellow Goldfinches visiting.)
While coneflowers will grow in average soil and in part sun…they do best in rich, loamy, well-drained soil especially if you have them in full sun. And once established they reseed wonderfully…so very soon, you’ll have even more.
Go plant these beauties in a sunny spot somewhere and prepare to be more than satisfied.
- Zone: 3-9
- Exposure: Full sun to part-shade
- Size: 2′-4′ H
- Soil type: Sand, loam or clay – (well-drained)
- Moisture: Medium to dry
- Bloom period: Summer to Fall
- Maintenance: Very low (maybe a little deadheading if you choose)
2.) Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia subtomentos)
This herbaceous perennial, commonly known as “sweet Black-eyed Susan” or “sweet coneflower” belongs to the asteraceae (aster) family and is actually a cousin to the true Black-Eyed Susan.
I always keep this flower in my garden…for a multitude of reasons, one being it’s great for cutting…and I just love anything that resembles a daisy.
I can be pretty tough on my flowers, so this goes to show this is a pretty tough plant. In growing Susan’s over the years, they can tolerate some drought and can handle medium-dry average soil even but will perform much better if the soil is rich and deep, especially if in a raised bed.
If you have hot summers…a little shade is a good idea.
This perennial is also super low maintenance. You can deadhead if you like….I sometimes do in the beginning but leave most blooms for the pollinators….from the bees to the butterflies.
- Zone: 3 – 9
- Exposure: Full sun – part shade
- Size: 3′-6′ H
- Soil type: Sand, loam, clay – well-drained
- Moisture level: Med-wet – med-dry
- Bloom Period: Late summer into fall
- Maintenance: Low
3.) Shasta Daisy ( leucanthemum x superbum)
Looking for a daisy? A simple little flower that will bring a smile to your face?
Then this is the flower for you!
I love my shasta’s….I have moved mine around over the years from garden to garden. I planted one bunch of my shastas this past year in some soil that was just “ok”, not great and on top of that I didn’t have the bed built up enough, it was quite shallow and combined with the hot summers of the southeast, the flowers needed watering daily sometimes multiple times.
Shastas can tolerate average soil as long as it is well-drained, but they prefer the well-drained fertile soil and if your summers are super hot a tiny bit of shade won’t hurt.
I often leave the spent flowers and stalks through winter…..come spring you know right where your Shasta’s will be coming up.
These daisies also attract butterflies and make for great cut flowers.
- Zone: 5-9
- Exposure: Full sun
- Size: 2′- 4′ H / 1′ – 2′ W
- Soil type: Fertile, well-drained soil
- Moisture: Medium to moist (not wet)
- Bloom period: Summer and Fall
- Maintenance: Low
4.) English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
Looking for a plant that not only comes back every year and keeps its foliage year-round, smells great when you brush up against it and attracts pollinators….well then this is a good pick for you.
Lavandula angustifolia…..aka, English lavender, Common lavender, and True lavender, is a tough evergreen that you can plant almost anywhere. It will live in almost any type of soil as long as it has good drainage.
If you have a sunny spot somewhere in your yard that you can’t seem to get anything to grow in….try some lavender. Make sure…though that it has good drainage. And if it doesn’t, then add-in some amendments to improve the structure to allow for better drainage.
Great spots to grow this fragrant perennial would be along a pathway or in a planter on your porch…anywhere you frequent really…as to enjoy the fragrance as you graze it walking by or simply rub it between your fingers (which is what I do.)
And another plus for this fragrant evergreen, is that it attracts butterflies and makes for a great cut flower.
There are 45 different species of lavender and 450 different varieties….so quite a few to choose from.
- Zone: 5-9
- Exposure: Full sun
- Size: 1′-3′ H
- Soil type: Well-drained – chalk, loam, sand (a mixture of these is best)
- Moisture: Dry to medium
- Bloom period: Summer
- Maintenance: Low
5.) Beebalm/Bergamot ( Monarda fistulosa)
Who wants to attract some pollinators?
Beebalm….aka, wild bergamot, will attract all kinds of bees, like our precious honey bee, they love this flower as well as the hummingbird and butterflies.
As part of the mint family, this perennial can handle poor soils and some drought, but be sure to water appropriately until it gets established.
I’ve always found the blooms of bergamot to be very unique…kind of strange-looking, but beautiful at the same time.
They make for a great cut flower…lasting 4-6 days.
- Zone: 3-9
- Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Size: 2′-5′ H
- Soil type: Loam, sand, clay – well-drained
- Moisture: Dry to medium
- Bloom period: Mid to late summer
- Maintenance: Low
6.) Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum virginicum)
Looking for a perennial that is very striking when in bloom….a flower that will add a unique touch to your vase of cut flowers…you should give this one a try.
As part of the plantain family (Plantaginaceae), Culver’s Root…aka…Bitter Root, False Veronica, handles wet soil very well, especially in hot summers. So, be sure and don’t let this one dry out.
I remember when I first discovered Culver’s root, it was in one of my stepmom’s perennial beds….I absolutely loved the look of it. But My first attempt was the wrong location and soil….the raised bed I had mine in was too shallow and too dry, so it did not thrive.
Reaching a height of 3′-6′ makes it a great back-drop flower for the garden and the fact that it can thrive in part-shade opens up one’s options in where to plant.
- Zone: 3-8
- Exposure: Full sun to part-shade
- Size: 4′ – 7‘ H
- Soil type: Loamy (can tolerate poor to average soils)
- Moisture: Medium – moist
- Bloom period: Mid-summer to late summer
HOW TO PLANT
(Below I have listed a few good rules of thumb when planting)
- Don’t plant in the heat of the day (early morning or evening are best)
- Always make sure to dig the hole twice the size of the root ball. I’ve made a list here of the basic gardening tools needed.
- Make the bottom of the hole flat…not like a V, where water could puddle and rot the roots.
- It’s a good idea to add some loose rich soil in the hole before placing the plant in (see, roots have to grow and break thru the soil/earth all around it, so it’s a good idea to give it a little help and providing that loosened soil underneath makes it not have to work so hard. And for the sides, well that’s why you dug the hole twice the size).
- If you purchase a plant and it is very root bound, try and loosen up the roots a little without damaging them.
A COUPLE TIPS and OFF TO THE NUSERY
So, you’ve looked through the flowers and hopefully a few jumped out at you. Next step…. find or go to the place you love to buy your flowers….and make sure they are healthy.
BE SURE…and pick a plant that is not yet in bloom if you can (about to bloom is fine) and make sure to look at the base, to make sure it’s thick and strong with a lot of growth. Also, check the foliage, stems, and base to make sure there are no diseases or infestations.
Most importantly make sure any plant you purchase was not grown in or sprayed with “Neonicotinoids” (should be labeled if so, but not always.) Neonicotinoids are an insecticide.
This insecticide will kill any pollinator that visits said flower and feeds……and given how very important our pollinators are please be aware and careful when purchasing plants for your garden or anywhere. And it’s also a wonderful idea to not spray your own flowering plants and trees with any type of pesticide or insecticide for this very reason.…let’s take care of our pollinators!
OK…now happy shopping and planting!
Sources: Taming Wildflowers by Miriam Goldberger
www.Alamanac.com