Choosing The Right Plants For Your Summer Flower Garden

If flowers are your thing or if you plan to include some flowers in your summer garden then you should take a moment to learn about those flowers or flowering plants that are best suited to summer months and what those plants like by way of sunlight and shade. Not all flowers are created equal when it comes to withstanding the heat of the summer sun and some require a little more care than others. Keep all of these things in mind when planning your summer garden and choose wisely according to the type of care you wish to provide.

Summer Garden (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is a general guide to the various types of plants that are well suited for a summer garden and not necessarily those that are well suited to be planted together. Study the flowers you decide you would like to include in your summer garden in order to insure you keep those that love water and dislike sun away from those that thrive with little water and copious amounts of sun. In other words you will need to conduct a more thorough study of the flowers you decide to include in your summer garden in order to determine the proper placement of these flowers for the most color, effect, and the best possible life for the flowers you choose.

The following are some fun sun-loving flowers you may wish to include in your summer garden. Geraniums are bright little splashes of color that are ideally suited for a summer garden. They happen to work well for creating borders or simply providing a highlight of color in a bed of green and do quite well in pots on their own or mixed with other colorful summer flowers. The Hibiscus is a beautiful spot of color that will lend a tropical feel to your summer garden. A welcome addition to many gardens, they may grow quite tall so keep them to the back of the summer garden to allow the full array of color from all summer plants to capture the eyes of visitors. Marigolds are another popular addition to most summer gardens. With a wide array of colors from which to choose, and the ability to keep pesky bugs at bay, it is no small wonder that these flowers remain a popular favorite for sunny patches within the summer garden.

A Hibiscus flower. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Shade-loving flowers also abound for summer gardens everywhere. Most gardeners find heavily shaded spots within their lawns or gardens to be a particular challenge. Perhaps some of these suggestions will help. Impatiens are widely popular choices for shady spaces and provide a wide range of bright colors perfect for creating fun and bright borders. The viola is another great brightly colored flower that is well suited for borders or potted arrangements, whichever suits your particular summer garden needs. Mimulus is another excellent choice for color in your summer garden and may tolerate partial sun quite well if you're looking for a nice border plant. If you prefer more dramatic coloring in your summer garden you might be interested in including Lobelia or ageratum, which both have beautiful blue hues and provide a lovely backdrop for other colors.

Of course this is only a small sampling of the many bright and beautiful summer flowers that can make a real splash in your summer garden. Be sure to check out the color offerings of each and specific care instructions to make sure that they are a genuine match not only for your personal tastes but also the landscape and terrain of your garden and the other plants that will be included in your summer garden. The planning stage is often the hardest work that many people put into their summer gardens but the pay off for all this proper planning is quite often rich and beautiful - especially when it comes to the flower garden.

Video - Growing Vegetables In The Shade

In this helpful video, John explores some vegetables that grow well in the shade. Shade can be quite a challenge for gardeners, particularly if you are limited in your garden space and don't have many options for where to place your garden. But all is not lost! Remember that fruiting plants (e.g. tomatoes, peppers, etc.) generally need more than 6 hours of full sun per day, which may be doable in the middle of summer for many, but if not, roots, tubers, and leafy vegetables often do quite well in partial shade - some even better than in full sun. This video explains why this is, and what are some good vegetables to choose for your shady spaces. Some of them are unique and interesting vegetables that you may not have considered, so you may even find a new gem for your garden that you just love! (My parents grew many of these when I was growing up, so I have fond memories of Jerusalem artichokes and chufas!)

Growing Vegetables in the Shade - What Can I grow?
John of www.growingyourgreens.com shares with you his experiences in growing vegetables and other food crops in the shade. Watch this video to learn which vegetables tend to grow better in the shade, and find out what happens when something is labeled...

Gardening In the Shade

Now that all the trees are fully leafed out, I am faced once again with my other yearly gardening battle (besides the squirrels) - how to grow vegetables in the shade. About half of my small garden space gets a couple of hours of sun per day. The rest gets more - probably 6 or 7 - in mid-summer, and 4-5 depending on the season the rest of the time. My sister sent me a link to this excellent article on what vegetables grow well in the shade - actually most of these are the kinds of things I grow already, so I guess I figured a lot of it out by trial and error.

Anyway, I thought some of you other sustainable gardeners might be facing the same challenge, so here are some helpful resources for gardening in the shade - whether you grow vegetables, or more of an ornamental type of garden.

The one my sister sent me - there is an article attached to it, but here is the list of shade-tolerant veggies, which I found very helpful: http://www.motherearthnews.com/shade-tolerant-vegetables-zm0z11zsto.aspx

Some other good articles to check out:

Cover of The Complete Shade Gardener

Connecticut NOFA: Gardening in the Shade
When CT NOFA tables at farmers markets and other environmental events, a lot of people drop by the table and ask questions about gardening. The complaint we hear so often is about gardening in the shade. At-home food ...
Publish Date: 05/18/2012 10:09
http://ctnofa1982.blogspot.com/2012/05/gardening-in-shade.html

That Bloomin' Garden: Planting Vegetables in the Shade
When growing vegetables in partial shade to full shade let them have a bit more room as in low light they will tend to sprawl a bit. What I like about growing leafy vegetables in the shade is that they don't bolt as quickly and the ...
Publish Date: 04/23/2012 12:33
http://thatbloomingarden.blogspot.com/2012/04/planting-vegetables-in-shade.html

The best plants for shade
Having a shady yard doesn't mean that you have to give up on your garden all together; you just have to know what to plant!
Publish Date: 05/18/2012 12:35
http://www.sheknows.com/home-and-gardening/articles/960009/the-best-plants-for-shade

Year-round Beauty in a Shade Garden - BLOGS - The Morning Call
“Almost universally, gardeners think of shade as a problem.” (George Schenk, The Complete Shade Gardener, 1st Edition) In reality, shade in the ornamental garden is more an opportunity than a problem. Pick the right plants ...
Publish Date: 04/23/2012 13:41
http://blogs.mcall.com/master_gardeners/2012/04/year-round-beauty-in-a-shade-garden.html

Little Homestead in Boise: Ten Vegetables You Can Grow in Shade ...
Ten Vegetables You Can Grow in Shade- I found this today, great timing since we've been building our new raised bed, which is part shade- 10 Veggies for Shade Good to know! New Raised Bed- Dave and I finally got the ...
Publish Date: 05/06/2012 20:15
http://littlehomesteadinboise.blogspot.com/2012/05/ten-vegetables-you-can-grow-in-shade.html

Best Container Vegetables to Grow in the Shade | Urban Organic ...
You've scoped out your garden space… …and determined how much direct sunlight it gets. Your garden gets less than 6 hours and you feel hopeless. Sorry to break it to you, but that means you can't grow tomatoes.
Publish Date: 03/26/2012 4:37
http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/2012/03/best-container-vegetables-to-grow-in-the-shade/

Here are a few more resources you may want to look at. And check back Friday for a helpful video on this topic as well.