Summer Flowers to Plant Now
Summer is around the corner in north Texas, and we’re almost done changing over all our flower beds. The gardens look great. But summer gets HOT here, so these beauties have to be able to stand up to intense weather and still meet our standards as a world-class show garden.
Here are some of our go-to “Flame Proof Plants,” a special title that we only bestow after rigorous testing our trial gardens. Now is the time to plant these in your gardens if you want them to stay green and beautiful through July and August.
Begonia (Variety: Whopper)
Scientific Name: Begonia x benariensis
Whopper begonias are huge, and their super-sized performance gives guests maximum enjoyment. This begonia is a big, vigorous plant that fills out beds and large containers equally well. Their big color is truly the kind that will shock you on first sight, brightening any landscape.
Globe Amaranth (Variety: Las Vegas)
Scientific Name: Gomphrena globosa
No sunny annual bed is complete without Globe Amaranth, and you’ll love the brilliant plum coloring, abundant blooms, and superior heat tolerance of Las Vegas Purple. Butterflies and hummingbirds flock to these big, full flowers bobbing atop slender stems, and they are perfect additions to fresh and dried bouquets. Easy and so delightful, Las Vegas Purple will surely become one of your favorites!
These flowers are very full, packed with florets of rich, inky, plum-purple, interspersed with the occasional touch of creamy white. And they last a long time.
Expect Las Vegas Purple to reach a height of about 18, and to spread 18 to 24 inches wide in the garden. Though very versatile when it comes to soil type, this Globe Amaranth needs good drainage, and does best in reasonably fertile garden soil or potting mix. This makes it a lovely container choice!
Plant it among your Marigolds and Petunias, Angelonias and Celosias, for a nice contrast in shape and texture.
Wishbone Flower (Variety: Summer Wave)
Scientific Name: Torenia fournieri
Wishbone flower is a small, bushy annual that is especially valuable because it blooms abundantly in shady conditions. The species has lilac-blue flowers with deep purple lower lips and a yellow-blotched throat.
Cultivars are available in many colors including pink, rose, white, and burgundy. It’s a great choice for edging and containers. Thought it’s very hardy through the summer, this –and all—container plants may be brought indoors for winter bloom.
Wishbone flower needs consistently moist, rich soil in partial shade.
Star Cluster Flower (Variety: Kaleidoscope)
Pentas lanceolata
Kaleidoscope is the most colorful and uniform, meaning all colors reach the same size and bloom at the same time, series of Pentas on the market, and this delightful mix lets you sample a number of colors. For a heat- and drought-resistant annual that brings pollinators into the garden and produces glorious cut-flowers all summer, you just can’t beat Kaleidoscope.
This sun-loving annual is easy to grow and eager to bloom, setting large, tightly-packed flowerheads above the foliage. Expect it to reach 12 to 15 inches high in full flower, and to spread 10 to 14 inches wide in the garden. Pentas are a great food food source for beautiful butterflies and hummingbirds.
We pride ourselves on keeping the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden lush, vibrant, and full of life throughout the entire summer, which means we are one of the best places in North Texas if you’re looking for ideas to plant your own heat-tolerant garden this summer. Pay us a visit and feel free to share any questions with me when you do!
Dave Forehand
VP of Gardens
Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
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