Plants To Grow This Summer

August 11, 2011

Summer flowers seem to cheer everyone up, but what kind will do the best in the hot months? What do you plant if you have lots of shade? When your yard is mostly shade, it becomes a challenge to find attractive plants. I have found that Hostas are the answer. They come in many varieties and sizes. In fact, there is now a mini variety. Bridgewood Gardens has a site on the internet that you can look at the many varieties of hostas including the mini hostas. The library also carries some helpful books on hostas such as The Book of Little Hostas: 200 Small, Very Small and Mini Varieties by Kathy Guest Shadrack and The Gardener's Guide to Growing Hostas by Diana Grenfell.

Here is some information I found on the internet that was very helpful. According to the Dallasnews.com, here are 10 flowers that do well in hot weather. They can all handle the full, hot sun.

•  BLACK-EYED SUSAN (Rudbeckia): The daisylike flowers of this native plant are not only beautiful outside, they are great for cutting to bring indoors too. Black-Eyed Susans get their name from their prominent dark centers. The flowers are most often a golden yellow, but some types have flowers in shades of orange and red. Butterflies like them all.
•  PINCUSHION FLOWER (Scabiosa): Frilly purple, lavender, pink or white flowers resembling full pincushions attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Scabiosa varieties grow to about 18 or 24 inches tall. These durable plants are a good choice in rock gardens or perennial borders.
•  AUTUMN SAGE (Salvia greggii): Despite its name, this plant is in bloom now, and will keep on offering up red, purple, lavender, fuchsia or white blooms throughout the summer and deep into the fall. It also draws butterflies and hummingbirds.
•  VICTORIA BLUE SAGE, MEALY-CUP SAGE (Salvia farinacea 'Victoria'): The species is an easy-to-grow Texas native; Kim says the Victoria cultivar is especially well-suited to the Southlake- Colleyville area. It has striking deep blue flowers and grows to 1 or 2 feet tall. Also Online
•  HOMESTEAD VERBENA (Verbena canadensis 'Homestead purple'): Vivid purple, 2-inch flower clusters on trailing, dark-green foliage can make this verbena a beautiful carpet within your landscape bed. It grows 6 to 10 inches tall and spreads to about 3 feet.
•  STELLA DE ORO DAYLILY (Hemerocallis x 'Stella de Oro'): The golden-yellow flowers are smaller than standard daylilies, but they bloom in profusion into early fall. The foot-high foliage is evergreen; the plants can be used in borders, beds and containers.
•  PINK SKULLCAP (Scutellaria suffrutescens): The rosy red flowers look a bit like snapdragons and are plentiful from now to fall. The plant only grows to about 8 inches tall, but cut it back occasionally to keep the foliage full.
•  BLACKFOOT DAISY ( Melampodium leucanthum): Another tough Texas native, the blackfoot daisy has small white flowers with yellow centers. It grows to no more than about a foot tall and is a good choice for rock gardens or to mix into a perennial bed. It needs well-draining soil.
•  NEW GOLD LANTANA (Lantana x 'New Gold'): There are oodles of pretty lantana color choices, but Kim says that New Gold Lantana is the most reliable performer in this area. Its clusters of brilliant golden-yellow flowers will just keep going and going from spring to fall.
•  DWARF MEXICAN PETUNIA (Ruellia brittoniana): Large lavender petunia like flowers grow on clumps of dark-green foliage. Mexican petunia likes full sun, but will grow in part sun, especially with a little afternoon shade. However, the more shade the plant has, the fewer flowers it typically produces.

Hopefully this information will be useful to you in your green thumb endeavors.

Dorothy S.
Smithville Branch