Summer Garden - flower varieties

Flower & Garden Magazine, July, 2001 by Lee Mitchell

Sometimes sitting on the porch, summer breeze wafting through, lazy sunshine bringing blessed sleep, the scent of perfume finds me. And often times with eyes still shut, I play a game of guessing--whose fragrance might this be? The lacecap, the rose, the summer magnolia? Sometimes I guess correctly, sometimes I don't, sometimes I just drift back to sleep.

The warmest days of the year are here, bringing a wealth of blooms. As gardeners, we capitalize on this weather, growing vegetables, cut flowers, roses, perennial beds, blooming trees and shrubs. It's also the time of the year when we appreciate a day without chores. And there are certain annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees that seem to complement our lazy days. This is, of course, the summer garden.

Here are some old-time favorites that truly represent the warmest days of the year. Take a look--you may find several you grew up with. And if you're not growing these summer favorites today, why wait? The time to enjoy the summer is now!

* ANNUALS

Impatiens and cleomes are two longtime favorites of the summer garden. Both are easy to grow and found as transplants or seeds in nearby garden centers. Impatiens have the reputation of being America's #1 choice for shady to semi-shady sites. And with little wonder--transplants are available in color choices from white to pink, red to purple and shades of orange.

Cleomes, known as old-fashioned spiderflower, are elegant country plants that can be directly sowed into the ground in the spring. Reaching between three to four feet, the foliage is deeply veined beneath enormous sprays of airy blossoms, available in pink, white and violet. Cleomes love the sun and look spectacular within the summer border.

Zinnias have always been a hot weather flower, but recent additions, such as `Zinnia Profusion,' are making it one of the best choices to directly start from seed. Look for `Cherry' or `Orange Profusion,' winners of the 1999 All-American Selections Gold Medal Flower Awards. These small, bushy plants literally bloom nonstop with an extraordinary abundance of petite flowers. Great for the borders of your beds or within potted arrangements, this summertime annual takes heat, sun and humidity.

Lately I've noticed a generous selection of coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) available in garden centers and being incorporated into public garden desigus. And why not? These annuals are beautiful foliage plants becoming fashionable again. Use in shaded to semi-shaded sites and in well-watered sunlit areas. The foliage ranges from unusual variegation to intense red to a favorite chartreuse-green that can liven up and complement so many garden settings.

* PERENNIALS

There's a legion of favorites here, but limited space permits me to name only a few. I will start with a darling that simply must be included--the lily. From Asiatic to Oriental lilies, from the tiger to the Easter lily, these stately, often perfumed flowers look best planted in abundance and mingled into the garden beds. I always buy the bulbs in bulk and immediately set into the ground during the spring or fall. Choose both early to late blooming varieties, and come summer, these old-timers will bring a lasting elegance to the garden.

Three long-blooming summer perennials--the shasta daisy, purple coneflower and yarrow--are reliable favorites that bring country charm to any setting. Mixed into beds that flow around the borders of the yard, the flat-topped flowers of each species attract butterflies and birds.

The perennial Dianthus (also sold in annual and biennial species) includes a wide army of easily-found choices. Ideal for borders and sunny gardens, these petite flowers ring in the early summer and last until frost. In my own gardens the rosy, spice-scented blooms are planted nearly everywhere, and I was particularly delighted the second year when its blooms presented a rainbow of color tumbling through the large rock garden.

And don't forget to add Liatris, though it's not often found in modern gardens--which is reason to include it. The stalks and flowers are strictly upright, which brings diversity among all the floppy summer flowers. The blooms of Liatris, either an intense purple-pink or glowing white, first open from the top and work their way down for long-lasting interest.

SHRUBS AND TREES

Nothing advertises summer like flowering shrubs and trees. My personal favorites are the many varied hydrangeas, and, of course, the silk tree (Albizia Julibrissin). Hydrangeas are attractive shrubs, with an expanse of foliage. Given good, well-drained soil and regular watering, hydrangeas grow rapidly and can be exposed to sun or shade, depending on the heat index of your zone. The flowers are often big, showy and perfectly summertime. H. macrophylla, maybe the most well-known variety, can sport green or variegated foliage with white, blush, cherry, blue or purple flowers. Nearly all of us can remember a conversation in which these flowering shrubs' color is determined by the chemistry of the soil--acid soil produces the blues, while neutral to alkaline brings the pinks.