It’s finally summertime!
Here are a few suggestions for some summer planting – drought tolerant, sun loving, interesting foliage or magnificent flowers.
If you haven’t started yet, there is still time to enjoy a magnificent garden this summer!
Artemisia absinthium ‘Lambrook Silver’
Artemisia absinthium ‘Lambrook Silver’ forms a highly aromatic, compact bush with elegant, finely divided, silver-colored, evergreen foliage – allowing it to be particularly drought tolerant and resistant to sun-scorching.
The leaves are silver grey, covered in silky, white-silver hairs and numerous oil glands, which give the Artemisias their characteristic bitter-sweet fragrance.
They are particularly beautiful on this variety as they are grey-silver on the top and nearly entirely white on the bottom. And silky soft.
💡 This variety is particularly ornamental – both in the garden, indoors and in a floral arrangements
- When dried, wormwood repels insects, making it a practical addition to bouquets
- If the frost gets at the top leaves in the winter, don’t worry! New buds from the lower stem will sprout again in spring.
Sedum spectabile ‘Septemberglut’
Sedum spectabile ‘Septemberglut’ is a species of flowering plant in the stonecrop family – drought tolerant, with vibrant pink flowers and a spectacularly long flowering period.
The leaves – blue-green fleshy oval leaves that have coarsely toothed margins
The flowers – star-shaped pink, raspberry flowers in the fall
Rudbeckia hirta ‘Prairie Sun’
Rudbeckia ‘Prairie Sun’ is a medium sized cultivar, producing hundreds of golden flowers in a single season, and creating architectural interest in any garden.
The floral collar is divided into two concentric zones of different colors, a bright yellow border surrounding a central orange-yellow zone.
The leaves are oval and pointed, slightly serrated along the edges, and appear in basal tufts. The stem leaves are smaller and sessile (without petioles), with a rounded, cordate base; their color is a bright, light green.
👨🌾 GARDENING TIPS👨🌾:
- Easy to grow as an annual, this short-lived perennial quickly forms a medium-sized clump that readily self-seeds.
- It prefers full sun and is content with ordinary, fairly fertile soil, which is fresh to occasionally dry.
Achillea x clypeolata ‘Moonshine’
Achillea x clypeolata ‘Little Moonshine’ is a compact variety of yarrow, prized for its bright yellow flowers and silvery-gray foliage. It is less invasive than it’s wild cousin – Achillea millefolium.
The green, finely cut, aromatic foliage forms a compact clump with a light and feathery silhouette, fitting well in more rustic prairie-type settings as well as among more robust and voluminous perennials in a sunny flower bed.
The flowers of this variety are prized for their long bloom period and bright yellow.
Because it is a dwarf cultivar, it is perfect for smaller gardens or container planting due to its manageable size and long-lasting blooms.
Nepeta stewartiana
Nepeta stewartiana is a rare perennial catnip that forms tall stems, which are covered in early summer with small, delicately dark purple/blue flowers with unusual speckled throats. It’s fancier and more unusual than its cousin – Nepeta x faassenii.
The flowers are similar to those of Nepeta clarkei – they are bicolored and prominent lipped, though they are a darker purple/blue and the white inside is speckled!
The leaves are similar to the rest of the Nepeta family – crinkled, grey-green leaves, aromatic when crushed.
Extremely drought tolerant and sun-loving, and it attracts all the bees and butterflies!
