Summer's warm golden fingers touch the earth and the colors of the gardens are all at their brightest․ For many people‚ the garden is more than just a patch of earth․ It's a safe place from which to see beauty and cultivate peace and joy․ Summer is always the ideal season to give our green spaces some life․ Choosing the right flowers can make all the difference in the world․ With countless species of flowering plants from which to choose‚ here are our 10 favorite flowers that can fill your garden with color all summer long‚ while feeding pollinators․
Of all the annual flowers‚ few have the sunny‚ happy disposition of marigolds․ They give you their all in the flower bed: little sunbursts of yellow and orange‚ and they're very easy to grow․ The flowers‚ which bloom throughout the summer and hold so much joy that they can brighten the most miserable day‚ add pink rosy hues‚ reds‚ oranges‚ yellows‚ and blues to the summer breeze․ An additional good flower for a summer garden is the cosmos plant‚ which produces feathery leaves and daisy-like flowers in a variety of bright colors for a whimsical look․ Add in these annuals and the result will be all the colors and textures of summer in bloom․
Polinators
Pollinators such as bees‚ butterflies and hummingbirds are not only pretty to watch‚ they play a key role in the health of the ecosystem․ Consider planting a range of summer flowers throughout your garden․ Lavender and echinacea are two examples of plants that provide nectar and pollen to bees and other pollinating insects․ A pathway through a garden of flowers for pollinators can be a riot of sound and color‚ as bees hum and butterflies flutter from flower to flower to gather nectar and pollen․ Such encounters underscore the interdependence of humanity and the natural world‚ and the importance of cultivating spaces that foster both beauty and biodiversity․
Even if you don't have a green thumb‚ and would rather have colorful flowers with less effort‚ there are perennial flowers that will give you a riot of color through the summer months․ Daylilies and black-eyed Susans are both perennial favorites that require considerably less care and attention․ These plants are perennial‚ so come back year after year in a wide variety of colors‚ including hardy geranium‚ which will grow well in a pot with little more than the sun and a bit of watering․ These low-maintenance flowers allow even the busiest of people to enjoy the beauty of a garden oasis‚ creating an environment of peace and beauty for all․
Tips
As well as being labor intensive‚ deadheading dead flowers provides an opportunity to stop for a moment and admire the plants and encourages more blooms to form․ Deep but infrequent watering encourages plants to create a deep root zone for coping with the heat of summer when daylight hours are long and temperatures are high․ Water and fertilize using organic mulches to retain water and add nutrients․ It may seem like a small task‚ but your efforts will create an oasis of tranquility and color‚ welcoming to the summer flowering plants that bloom in your garden․
Scented Flowers
Scented flowers are possibly the finest jewel in the crown of the summer garden․ It is about walking into your garden and the soft scent of jasmine or the heady scent of roses flicked by the morning sun in a beautiful painting․ Also‚ the sweet‚ intoxicating perfume of the lily wafts through the area and invites you to stop and take in the scent and relax or meditate․ By selecting a few of the strongly fragrant types of lily and putting them in your garden‚ you can have beauty and fragrance combined․
Summer flowers are not purely for beauty's sake; you have to see not just the beauty but the flower's experience of nature․ Choose the ones that are female friendly and your garden will become more alive‚ a place to retreat to‚ a sanctuary for pollinators and a place to enjoy year after year․ The pleasure that a garden gives us does not end with its walls‚ and the sunshine of a summer day penetrates far into our lives․ Let us rejoice in flowers and rejoice in the happiness that they bring‚ and make our gardens places of delight and our lives an everlasting joy․
