The summer heat can seem to drain the life out of the best of us. A splash of color, though, can bring life back to your landscape. Though they only last a season, summer annuals provide a refreshing pop of color.
Lush containers, spilling over with blossoms, make the perfect welcoming statement for your guests. Create the ultimate wildlife garden offering your guest a place to sit, relax, and enjoy the beauties of nature.
Whether adding interest around your signage, enhancing your entryway, or providing ambiance for a quiet seating area, these hardy plants guarantee you will be greeted with lush color and an enticing fragrance.
Not All Summer Annuals are Created Equal
It's easy to get spellbound by all the colors. But don't let their vibrancy color your choices. It is important to understand their preferred growing environment. While some annuals will thrive in the heat of the summer, even in full sun, others will need a respite from the sun's intense rays.
Here are just a few of our favorites:
Attract hummingbirds will beautiful snapdragon annuals.Alyssum - Though they look like snow, they prefer full sun but can tolerate partial shade. They are ideal between walkway stones and as filler between taller plants. Make sure you let them drink lots of water.
Cleome - Are a favorite of southern gardeners. Their delicate pink, rose, purple, and white spider-like flowers will bloom till frost. Preferring full sun but tolerating partial shade, they would be a perfect addition to a destination garden as they attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbird while deterring deer. The older varieties make strong background plantings as they will reach heights of 5 feet with up to a 2-foot spread.
Cosmos- Are a versatile, easy-to-grow addition to any flower bed. Growing to heights up to 24 inches, these clouds of color attract bees, butterflies, and birds throughout the summer. While they prefer full sun they will tolerate a bit of shade.
Euphorbia - Particularly the Diamond Frost variety, is one of the most award-winning annuals. Their white flowers bloom non-stop making them a dream for containers and flowerbeds alike. They too prefer full sun with a hint of shade.
Geranium - Considered by some as THE classic choice for containers these beauties will not disappoint. Keeping their color throughout the summer, they prefer full sun to some shade and will grow up to 16" tall 24" wide. As a bonus, they are deer resistant.
Lantana - Are another perfect choice for your wildlife garden as they attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. They are low maintenance growing up to 16" tall and wide in full sun. Their continuous color makes them an ideal addition for either containers or flower beds.
Latanas are low maintenance and their continuous color makes them ideal addition for containers or flower beds.Marigold - Bring the sunshine into your garden with these long-lasting, sun-loving bold shades of gold, orange, and red blooms. They will continue to brighten your garden throughout the summer into the early fall. While they are deer resistant they attract butterflies, bees, and ladybugs.
Petunias - With literally hundreds of varieties to choose from, you can enjoy an explosion of color, and fragrance, from spring to early frost. Whether you choose a variety more suited for a entryway container or to spread throughout your garden, make sure you allow them to get plenty of direct sun.
Snapdragon - Beautiful white, pink, purple, rose, red flowers clustered on spikes will bloom throughout the summer and into the fall with a little attention. When the blooms fade in the heat of the summer, clip them back one-third to one-half and they will bloom again when the temperatures cool down. While they do need a little extra attention, it will be worth the effort to enjoy the hummingbirds they attract.
Verbena - Ideal for rock gardens, container walls, ground cover, containers, and even hanging baskets because of their cascading blooms. Described as pillow-y, the blooms will continue well into autumn. Enjoying the full sun these pillows of color can, depending on the variety, reach heights from 1 foot to 5 feet and spreads from less than a foot to 5 feet.
Zinnia - Exploding in shades of gold, red, burgundy, orange, pink, and white, zinnias come in hundreds of different varieties. One of the most popular and easiest to grow annuals, they are ideal for both containers as well as ground cover in flower beds. Do consider them for your wildlife garden as they are a favorite of butterflies and hummingbirds. As a bonus, their daisy-like flowers and stiff stems make them perfect for cutting flowers.
Weed your containers and flower beds to reduce the competition for water.
Check the moisture level of your containers and give them a good drink morning and night. Flower beds should have a thorough watering 1-2x per week depending on weather and plant conditions. But be careful not to overwater. Here are some signs you may be overwatering
Pinch off spent flowers (aka deadhead) and prune back stems when they get leggy to help encourage new growth.
Ask Your BrightView Professionals
Your commercial landscape team of professionals at BrightView has the experience and knowledge to help you select the perfect selection of annuals to enhance your landscape and create that welcoming statement for your guests.
