Summer Planting Ideas For A Vibrant Season
Summer is the perfect time to get outdoors and make great use of your garden. With the warmer temperatures and longer days, summer allows you to spend quality time with loved ones, bask in the natural beauty around you, and create amazing memories at home.
All of this is only possible if you have an attractive garden. Following the potential months of neglect since the winter, your garden may be looking a little worse for wear. Luckily, there are plenty of ideas to make it vibrant once more and a lot of plants for you to incorporate this season.
As premier landscapers, Urban Landscapes understands the value of a thriving, healthy outdoor space. With our local expertise and design insights, we are sharing some of the best summer planting ideas to make your garden come alive this season, so it will be the ideal backdrop to any occasion.
Summer Flowers That Survive The Heat
These summer planting ideas are centred on adding colour and vibrancy to your outdoor space this season. With the high temperatures and dry conditions ahead of us, you need to consider your options carefully. Not all flowers will thrive this season, but there are plenty of summer planting ideas that will add the colour and appeal you desire.
The best flowers for your summer garden are those which can survive in high temperatures and with little moisture. Flowers such as:
- Geraniums
- Dahlias
- Marigolds
- Petunias
- Coreopsis
- Cosmos
- Zinnias
To prolong the blooms this season and ensure your summer remains bright, these flowers can benefit from deadheading. This means pruning the flower heads as soon as they begin to fade to preserve energy. The more effective you are with deadheading, the more likely it is that these flowers will return to your garden next year for additional blooms.
While these flowers can thrive in drought conditions, it is a good idea to invest in an irrigation system to ensure consistent watering throughout the summer. Alternatively, ensure that you water flower beds during the coolest hours of the day, such as early morning or late evening, for maximum absorption.
Summer Planting Ideas For Containers And Hanging Baskets
No matter the size or shape of your landscape, container planting is a great way to add colour and seasonal interest to the space. Summer is the ideal time to make your garden come alive with colour and scent, with plenty of flowers thriving in containers, hanging baskets and planters.
Added to structures, garden walls, fences or even the side of your home, these summer planting ideas provide unique pops of colour and are certain to thrive all summer long:
- Lobelia
- Calibrachoa
- Begonias
- Fuchsias
- Trailing Verbena
To ensure cohesive garden design and maximum appeal, consider using these summer planting ideas in the thriller, filler, spiller planting method. This relies on using three different plant types to ensure visual interest from all angles:
- Thriller: This is a bold, upright plant that offers height and drama to the container, such as some species of Begonias, like Big Begonias or Non-Stop.
- Filler: A mid-height plant that provides volume and fills out the space, such as Calibrachoa, also known as Million Bells, with its small, petunia-like flowers.
- Spiller: A trailing plant that spills over the edge of the pot or basket, such as Trailing Verbena with its delicate foliage.
Drought-Resistant And Low-Maintenance Summer Plants
To truly enjoy the summer in your garden, you may not want to spend time maintaining your garden or caring for plants. The high temperatures and dry conditions of the season can mean that many plants require additional care during this season, which may eat into the time you want to spend outdoors relaxing or entertaining.
This is why, for many homeowners, some of the best summer planting ideas are drought-resistant plants that do not require frequent watering or care, such as:
- Lavender
- Sedum
- Eryngium
- Salvias
- Ornamental Grasses
These summer plants can thrive in dry conditions and require less frequent watering than many others, making them ideal for a low-maintenance landscape this season. Despite the less frequent watering, they continue to thrive and produce lush foliage and flower heads as the seasons progress.
While less work is needed to take care of these kinds of summer planting ideas, it is a good idea to consider irrigation systems or mulching to provide hydration. With these systems in place, you can further reduce the care needed without compromising the health of your plants.
Summer Herbs And Edible Planting Ideas
One of the biggest garden design trends of the year revolves around edible planting, and summer is a great time to get involved. Whether you choose to create a dedicated herb garden this season, or begin planting vegetables to add something different to your flower beds, there are plenty of edible summer planting ideas for you to consider, such as:
- Basil
- Tomatoes
- Chillies
- Courgettes
- Mint
These herbs and edible plants are relatively easy to grow during the summer and are very accessible, making them ideal for all kinds of outdoor spaces. They can be used in planters or raised planting displays to add depth or fill in the gaps. Herbs such as mint and basil not only produce lush green leaves which can add depth and volume to planting areas, but are also fragrant for a sensory experience when spending time outdoors this season.
Edible planting is a great way to create unique displays in your landscape this season, as well as a fun way to get the whole family involved in landscaping.
Summer Planting Ideas For Foliage And Texture
Ideal for contemporary gardens, summer plants that produce textured leaves or intricate foliage can add depth, interest and appeal to your planting spaces.
Contemporary garden design encourages structural planting and monochromatic colour schemes, which is why these summer planting ideas for modern outdoor spaces are an ideal solution:
- Heuchera
- Hostas
- Ferns
- Cannas
While these kinds of plants are ideal for contemporary gardens, they can be used in all kinds of outdoor spaces as fillers in flower beds, trialling planting displays, or to add interest to pots or containers. Mix leaf shapes and sizes to provide depth to your planters as well as enhance visual interest.
These summer planting ideas can be used across your landscape, in various containers or planting beds for additional appeal throughout the season.
How To Care For Summer Plants: Simple Maintenance Tips To Prolong Appeal
These summer planting ideas can thrive in the various conditions the season presents, but there are some ways you can help them out. Even if you do not have much of a green thumb, with these simple garden maintenance tasks, you can prolong the life and appeal of your summer plants to keep your garden vibrant throughout the season.
The best summer maintenance tasks are:
- Watering: Ensure that plants are watered frequently throughout the summer to keep them hydrated and healthy. Watering should be done in the coolest hours of the day for maximum absorption, such as early morning or late evening.
- Fertilising: Some plants may require additional help as the season progresses, which can come from chemical fertilisers or organic mulch, such as compost or wood chips, which provides essential nutrients to your plants as it decomposes.
- Deadheading: This is a great method to prolong the life of your flowers and ensure they return next year. Deadheading means removing the flower heads as soon as they start to fade to conserve energy, so the plant can recover and thrive again in future.
- Pest Prevention: Summer is the time we all get outdoors, including pests. Protect your plants with organic pesticides or repellants to avoid infection, damage or plant death. Chemical treatments can also be applied, but additional care is needed in gardens with children and pets, which is why organic treatments are often preferred.
Conclusion
Summer is a beautiful season, and you can celebrate it in style with these summer planting ideas. Whether you have a sprawling landscape or a small courtyard, a contemporary haven or a traditional garden design, there are various summer planting ideas for you to consider this season.
To help your garden thrive throughout this season and beyond, work with professional landscape gardeners like Urban Landscapes. We offer a range of services and ongoing support to create your ideal outdoor space and ensure it thrives throughout the year.
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