Anne Jaeger
R-e-s-p-e-c-t: Summer Flowering Plants
The best summer flowering plants in my book are a tough crowd. In fairness, if you ask me the same question tomorrow you might get a slightly different list. And no doubt, I’d supply countless suggestions given more time and space for my every garden whim. But to make my hit list, beauty is not enough.
My criteria is really quite selfish. Basically, to get my respect a flowering plant must survive on its own without intervention from yours truly. These summer flowering plants; must have showy flowers, bloom for a long time, require no chemical sprays to combat diseases or pests and are literally care free. And since it is planting season, perhaps a few of these old reliable, dependable standbys will come in handy for you too.
Summer Flowering Perennials (Plants that last for years.):
Flowers for the back of garden bed.
Phlox “David”
White 3-4 ft tall.
Foxglove Any “Excelsior Hybrids Mixed”
Pinks, white, cream, purple. 5 ft tall.
Flowers for the middle of the garden bed.
Gaura “Siskiyou Pink” or “Corrie’s Gold”
White or pink. 3 feet tall.
Penstemon
“Huskers Red” White flowers, red leaves. 3 feet tall.
“Stapleford Gem” Reddish purple 3 feet tall
“Thorn” White with pink tips 3 feet tall
Daylily “Frankly Scarlet”
Red with yellow inside 2 feet tall.
“Plum Perfect”
Purple with yellow inside 2 feet tall.
“Pomp and Circumstance”
Fiery red, lime inside 2 feet tall.
Flowers for the front of the garden bed.
Calendula (Any)
Yellows, oranges, creamy whites, blush pink. 2 feet tall.
Geum ”Mrs. Bradshaw”
Red with a hint of orange. *feet tall
Rock Rose (Helianthemum)
Pinks, orange, red. 9 inches tall.
Shrubby Perennials:
Cape Fuchsia (Phygelius)
“Moonraker” Greenish White 3 feet tall
“Winchester Fanfare” Pinkish red with yellow inside. 5ft tall.
Hardy Fuchsia “Aunt Pricilla” “Checkerboard”
White, purple, pink. 4 ft tall.
Magellanica: “Alba” or “Grandma’s”
Hydrangea ‘Endless Summer’
Pink or Blue 3-5 feet tall.
Summer Flowering Annuals (plants die in fall and don’t come back):
Angelonia “Angelface Blue” “Angelface White”
Blue, white or both together (other varieties are purple, pink, ) 2 ft tall.
Cleome
“Sparkler Blush”
Pink and white 3-4 feet tall.
“Queen Mix”
Rose, violet and white 5 feet tall.
Godetia grandiflora “Precious Gems Mixed”
Pinks, lavender, orange, salmon, coral. 10 inches tall.
(Scatter seeds outside now for summer bloom)
Heliotrope “Marine”
Purple 14-18” tall
Nasturium (Any)
Crimson-scarlet, golden-yellow, orange, salmon pink and bright carmine.
6” to 15” tall
(Scatter seeds outside now for summer)
Nicotiana (Any)
White, red, pink, cream, pale green and brown. 1-3 ft tall
Pentas “Butterfly” “Pink Profusion”
Blush (light pink to white), Cherry Red, Deep pink, Light Lavender, and Red 15” tall.
Zinnia “Zowie! Yellow Flame”
Each flower has scarlet/rose centers with yellow tips on petals. 2 ft tall.
Zinnia F1 ‘Zowie! Yellow Flame’
