Gardeners Club The Gardeners Club is a free to join online club for everyone with an interest in gardening and gardens.
Related Articles
That dream of every gardener and anyone who enjoys a nice garden: You and your hammock, sunlight touching your skin and a cold drink in your hand. A light breeze carries over the scent of the flowers that dot the garden in all hues and colours.
Here are 12 brilliant summer flowers to add a splash of vibrant colour to your patch of lawn.
Sunflowers
This is the most traditional summer flower. The flower heads follow the sun throughout the day, so should be planted in the sunniest space in your garden. They are best grown at the border of your garden and a fence will support the heavy heads later. Harvest their healthy seeds for use in salads, bread-making or just as a tasty snack on their own!
Foxglove
Foxglove is one of the most beautiful summer flowers with its many dripping blossoms. It used to be well known as a cure for many diseases by herbalists and is still grown for medicinal purposes to this day. However, foxglove can be poisonous and shouldn’t be planted in a garden where small children are around. It prefers a bit of shade and should also be planted around the edge of the garden.
Marguerites
Marguerites (I call them giant daisies!) love the warmth of the summer and will lose their leaves if it gets too cold. Water Marguerites regularly, but be careful to not overwater them. Usually they bloom in dainty white, though there are also pink and yellow varieties which can add more colour to your summer garden. Marguerites might be prone to pests and disease so treat them carefully with organic fertilisers if necessary.
Gaillardia Goblin Blanket flower
Blanket Flower is a tough plant, so a great one to go for if you have poor soil where not much else will grow. It is very popular for containers, flourishes in hot conditions and shows great resistance against urban pollution. Blanket Flower also attracts butterflies and bees to add some more beauty and buzz to your garden!
Marigold
Marigolds should be sown between March and May to brighten up your garden the whole summer. They are easy to plant, which makes them perfect for getting children into gardening. They love the sun but have to be kept moist, and can also be used for your vegetable garden as the petals can be eaten in salads.
“Pink Jewel” Daisy Fleabane
This beauty is very durable and blooms right through the summer. “Pink Jewel” likes the sun but also tolerates light shade. It doesn’t need much maintenance to stay in full bloom and grow again the following year. It’s another one that attracts butterflies and bees too!
Purple Coneflower
Purple Coneflower is the perfect wildflower for your summer garden. It grows best at the border of your garden and sun or a little shade is good for the plant, though in drought conditions it will require more water. This bloom attracts beautiful butterflies and is used in herbal teas that are said to enhance the immune system.
Perennial Hibiscus
Perennial Hibiscus is also known as rose-mallow (it looks just like a soft, pink marshmallow doesn’t it?!) and swamp hibiscus, and was bred from wildflowers. It grows best in full sun but requires lots of care; water the young plant a few times per week and then reduce water after it has grown a good bit. The perennial hibiscus should not be confused with its tropical variety, which dies off in winter.
Purple Wave Petunia
Purple Wave Petunias are perfect for growing in hanging pots to add more colour to a balcony. Newbies to gardening should probably start the plant off indoors in a pot before moving out to the garden. Other than that they are easy to plant as they are used to harsh and hot conditions.
Evergreen Candytuft
Evergreen Candytuft grows best in full sun or ever so slightly shady conditions. This subshrub already starts blooming in late spring and should be attended to during this time. By summer, it’s fine on its own. This fragrant flower attracts butterflies and bees for more colours and life in your garden.
Globe Amaranth
Globe Amaranth is long lasting in the garden and in bouquets. It exists in all sorts of colours, such as white, red, lilac and purple. Full sun to partial shade is perfect to grow the clover-like plant. Water in moderation and it will bloom the whole summer long.
Stella de Oro Daylily
As the name suggests, the blossom of a daylily lasts for one day only. However, no need to fear a loss of beauty in your garden since the stem hosts numerous buds that will bloom on successive days! Low in maintenance, Stella de Oro Daylily grows best in full sun, but also tolerates a little shade.
These are just some of my easy-to-grow favourites that you may vary and combine as you wish. It is always best to get a variety of summer flowers to enjoy the hot months in a garden that’s full of colour!
