Summer is just around the corner and all around the country homeowners are working hard to brighten their properties with the splashes of color and life that a gorgeously maintained landscape and garden provide. However, for homeowners who weren't lucky enough to be born with a green thumb, finding the perfect combination of plants to fit the soil, amount of light, convenient water schedule, and transplant timing can quickly become overwhelming. Fortunately, with a bit of guidance and planning anyone can create a beautiful garden design which will keep their home looking its best all summer-long! As you’re dusting off your gardening gear and putting on your endlessly fashionable sun-hat, consider these summer and sun loving flowers to make sure that are best suited to the hot days to come.
Hydrangea
Hydrangeas thrive happily in just about any kind of soil and just about any level of lighting and are renowned for their ability to bloom into huge blossoms of light blues, pinks, and whites. As a result of these flowers easy care needs, long-lasting blooms, and immediately visible and appreciable beauty, homeowners have come to embrace hydrangea planting as a cornerstone of any summer gardening project.
Lily
There are a wide variety of species which fall under the common name of lily making it an optimal inclusion in just about any landscaping and gardening design. Homeowners planning on planting in the coming weeks can choose from a breathtaking array of colors and sizes of lilies to best accent their home’s unique garden. In these early days of summer lily species including Asiatic, Oriental, Pineapple, and Gloriosa are perfectly suited to planting and can provide an immediate fragrance and elegance to the overall style of your home’s garden.
Sunflower
One of the most immediately recognizable and most beloved summer flowers, sunflowers represent a major amount of energy consumption but feature just as major a return for the work. With some species of sunflowers growing to be 9 or 10 feet tall with a flower which is as large as a dinner plate, these flowers require high levels of nutrients in their soil as well as a fairly frequent watering schedule. That said, with regular care on these points and a highly dependable amount of sunlight, sunflowers can prove to be one of the most attractive and iconic parts of your summer garden in both the year of initial planting and many years to follow.
Petunia
Multiflora petunias are an old standby for homeowners planning summer gardening projects due largely to the ease of care, the abundance of color and style availability, and the long-standing tradition which these simple, charming buds lend to a landscape. That said, certain species of petunias tend to attract a number of undesirable insect breeds to residential areas and so it’s often wise to consider having a local pest control professional on contact when you’re planting them for the first time. In either case, the short, charming petunia blooms which you transplant this season can provide a stunning ground layer of color on which to build vertical flower beds off of.
Rhododendron
Another major energy consumer, rhododendron bushes can grow to immense sizes and feature stunning blossoms of pink, white, and red. These dynamic growers are very hearty and some of the many different species included in their family are famous for returning year after year with gorgeous blooms and dependable growth. However, it’s worth noting that many species of rhododendron are very popular with pests including bees and hornets. This, along with their quick, sizable growth, give some homeowners reservations about their inclusion in the home garden. But, there’s no denying that the annual return of spectacular color and vibrancy is a major plus for those planning a garden project with size and scale as their primary focus.
