Flowers That Do Best in the Summertime

The spring is full of life, bursting into bloom all around us. The summer can feel a little oppressive sometimes; the heat lingers, and things seem to wilt under the sun. You can change the feel of your landscaping, though, by incorporating plants that actually thrive in summer! Here’s a list of beautiful bloomers to brighten your summer garden.

• Lantana is prolific and low-maintenance. The flowers come in a wide range of colors, so whether you like red, yellow, orange, pink, or purple, you’ll find a variety to suit you. They bloom all summer, are extremely drought tolerant, repel mosquitos and attract pollinators.
• Verbena is a perennial that loves to spread out. It’s perfect for places where you want it to cascade, like flower boxes, pots, and along retaining walls.
• Hibiscus is a tropical beauty. These flowers can grow quite large, and they produce beautiful blooms that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Make sure your hibiscus has plenty of space and plenty of water.
• Daisies are beautiful in their simplicity. Don’t let their innocent look fool you: daisies are hard workers. They produce mounds of tall stems that bloom for several months and then return again the following spring.
• Coreopsis is another hardy beauty. It’s also known as “tickweed” but don’t hold that against this cheery-looking plant. Native to the United States, coreopsis comes in traditional yellow, bright pink, red, and bicolor varieties.
• Irises also come in a wider spectrum of colors. It’s fitting that these stately but delicate flowers are named after the Greek goddess of rainbows. They come back every year, and every few years you can divide the bulb-like rhizomes to spread the love across your landscape. Doing so will reinvigorate flowering, bringing you even more beautiful blossoms.
• Lavender attracts birds and butterflies. This fragrant herb appreciates full sun and well-drained soil. Other than that, it’s not picky, and will grow even in rocky landscapes. If you’d like to harvest it, it’s easy to dry and makes for a lovely potpourri. For best results, harvest lavender stems, leaving them as long as possible, when about half the flower buds have opened. Hang them to dry in someplace cool and dark, with good air circulation, and after a few weeks you can shake the fully dried flowers gently into a lidded jar.

If you’re looking for the perfect flowers to make your garden glow all year long, head to Moon Valley Nurseries. Moon Valley Nurseries started as a small neighborhood nursery, and now has locations all across the West. We deliver and plant anything in our massive inventory, and because we grow our plants ourselves, we can give our customers the lowest prices in town, guaranteed. Contact us through our website, call us at (602) 388-1529, or stop by to check out all we have to offer.