Hot Mid-Summer Landscaping
If your annuals are starting to look hot and wilted and your spring bulbs are long gone, you need to perk up your yard for the summer. Check out some hot summer fixes to perk up a hot and tired landscape.
Crape Myrtles
Known for their long bloom time, some varieties offer over 90 days of flowering, Crape Myrtles are the Southern belles of landscaping. Crape myrtles come in all shapes and sizes, from three foot shrubs to full size trees, with five flower colors: red, pink, white, lavender and purple. Many start showing their blooms in mid-summer and last clear through the fall season.
They're drought-tolerant and easy care. All they ask for in return for their showy blooms is full sun and basic care and attention. While once only found in warmer Southern climates, newer cold hardy varieties are making their way up North. As an added bonus, as Crape Myrtles age, they have exfoliating bark, creating Winter interest in landscaping.
Perennials
If your annuals are starting to look a little tired, particularly the pansies, consider adding some summer blooming perennials out there for a cool splash of color in the hot summer sun. Some of the easy care perennials that offer some gorgeous summer blooms are:
- Coreopsis – offering cheerful, yellow blooms from July through September.
- Pincushion flowers - When deadheaded regularly, the pincushion flower, Scabiosa, blooms from late spring to early fall. With a cool blue variety offering some relief from summer heat, the pincushion flower also attracts butterflies.
- Baby’s Breath – A splash of cool white in the garden, Baby’s Breath provides continuous cut flowers all summer, with clouds of small white flowers above densely branched plants blooming from June to September.
- Purple Coneflower – a nice tall cut flower for midsummer cool color.
- Lavender – Lavender not only looks nice in bloom, but its silver foliage gives a cool look to the summer garden, and the smell is out of this world. It can also be cut and dried for year round use.
Fountains
How about a cool fountain for a hot summer day? Just the presence of water on a hot summer day can make the yard seem cooler. With garden fountains becoming much more affordable, it’s a good budget buy for summer landscaping.
If your summer landscaping is looking hot and tired, consider some cool additions to your yard and garden for a splash of summer interest.