Set the Stage for Summer! - The Best Annuals & Perennials to Plant NOW!
- 7 hours ago
- 4 min read
The weather is warming up, and Bountiful Gardens is bursting with the most gorgeous blooms of the season. It’s time to set the stage for Summer, and we’ve got everything you need and more. Let’s dive into the best blooms of the week, starting with Geraniums!
Geraniums have hairy leaves, making them unattractive to deer, so if you want a deer-resistant annual in your yard, look no further. This year, we’ve got more incredible varieties than ever before.
We have the eye-catching Brocade Geranium, which is grown for its colorful, whimsical foliage. We’ve got ‘Willhelm Langguth’, ‘Vancouver Centennial’, and Ike’s favorite, ‘Mrs. Pollock’.
Of course, we also have our huge selection of classic Zonal Geraniums in every hue you can imagine.
Another classic deer-resistant bloom is Vinca. These work best when planted in groups to cover a large area of a planting bed, and they flower continuously throughout the Summer.
This next flower is bananas: it’s Monkey Flower (Mimulus)! They come in some crazy colors with some really interesting patterns, and they’ll thrive in a sunny annual bed with good drainage.
Another deer-resistant fan favorite is the Zinnia. These blooms are going to last all the way through October, so if you want full saturation in the garden all Summer long, get them in the ground now!
Up next is Argyranthemum, or Marguerite Daisy. This is another annual that will keep blooming all Summer long, and they come in a variety of colors and textures. Perfect for the cottage garden!
We also have some amazing Dahlias in stock right now, like ‘Starsister Scarlet & Yellow’, with its jaw-dropping firework-like blooms that’ll keep popping all Summer.
If mom has been asking for a new bag, we’ve just gotten in our customer favorite Calceolaria, otherwise known as the Pocketbook Plant or Slipperwort. These plants have pillowy, pouch-shaped flowers that are sure to grab attention.
If you have more of a shaded garden, our flowering Begonias have just arrived! These classics are beloved for their lush, dark foliage and dazzling blooms that come in a wide array of shapes and colors.
For a more foliage-focused annual bed, we can’t recommend Coleus highly enough! We have a vast variety of incredibly colorful Coleus in any shade or shape you can imagine.
Another fantastic foliage plant is the Polka Dot Plant, or Hypoestes. They grow best in a shaded area, and they can bush out as they grow, making them a fantastic “filler” plant.
For a slice of the tropics in your own backyard, you can plant Colocasia, also known as Elephant’s Ear. If you start planting them now, their leaves can be absolutely massive by the end of the Summer!
We’ve covered plenty of perennials for their attractive foliage, but it’s always better when you get a bloom, and that’s where Heuchera comes in with its brilliant leaf coloration and graceful spikes of puffy flowers.
Our huge assortment of deer-resistant Dianthus is finally starting to bloom, allowing us to appreciate their Carnation-like flowers. They come in almost any color you can imagine, and they’re perfect for bud vases and arrangements.
Another great deer-resistant perennial for cut flower arrangements is Avens, or Geum. Their delicate blooms dance above lush, green foliage, and they flower through the entire Summer.
If you want a shade of blue that looks almost unreal, you should check out our Lithodora. It’s a sun-loving creeping ground cover that’s naturally deer-resistant and makes a perfect companion plant for Moss Phlox, Sedum and more.
The next deer-resistant perennial is named just as cutely as it looks: Bergenia, or Pigsqueak. This is a really hardy perennial that works best as a ground cover in part shade, and it’s named because the leathery leaves produce a squeaky sound when you rub them between your fingers.
One of Ike’s favorite deer-resistant perennials is the Iris, with its overwhelming and lightly fragrant blooms. They work beautifully in cut flower arrangements, and grow best in full sun.
This is also the time of year when Azaleas explode with color! We have a full spectrum of colors for you to choose from—they’re sure to be a variety you’ll love.
Our Aronia is blooming! Also known as Chokeberry, this native shrub produces berries that are crucial for our migrating birds!
Finally, ornamental trees like Flowering Dogwoods and Redbuds are blooming up a storm right now. We even have some near-neon varieties like ‘Hearts A Fire’ and ‘Rising Sun’ that are leafing out alongside their flowers.
Believe it or not, there’s even more to come! Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can always stay fully informed on the best plants for your garden!
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