Flowers and Foliage for Summer Color

These bright bloomers keep the color going in your garden until frost.
By: Lynn Coulter
Related To:
Summer Gardening Gardening Summer

Photo By: Courtesy National Garden Bureau

Photo By: Courtesy of Proven Winners

Photo By: Courtesy of Proven Winners

Photo By: Courtesy of Proven Winners

Photo By: Courtesy of Proven Winners

Photo By: Courtesy of Proven Winners

Photo By: Courtesy of Park Seed Co.

Photo By: Courtesy National Garden Bureau

Photo By: Courtesy of Proven Winners

Photo By: Courtesy National Garden Bureau

Photo By: Courtesy of Proven Winners

Photo By: Image courtesy National Garden Bureau

Photo By: Courtesy of National Garden Bureau

Verbena 'Lanai Twister Red'

Bi-colored ‘Lanai Twister Red’ thrives in full sun. Its red and white blooms can take the summer heat and its mounded, trailing habit makes it ideal for hanging baskets, containers or as a groundcover. It's also available in ‘Twister Blue’ and ‘Twister Pink’.

Sambucus Elderberry 'Lemony Lace'

New for 2015, ‘Lemony Lace’ is a deciduous shrub that shines in mixed borders or as a stand-alone plant. Use its cutleaf foliage to put some gold into your summer garden; new growth has tints of red.

Lobularia 'Dark Knight'

Most alyssum bloom in spring, but ‘Dark Knight’ keeps producing its purple to dark purple flowers into the summer—even in hot regions—as long as the soil stays evenly moist.

Lantana camara 'Luscious Marmalade'

Heat-tolerant, summer-flowering ‘Luscious Marmalade’ is a lantana with citrus-orange and yellow blooms. Its mounded habit makes it great for containers or the landscape, where it carpets the ground in summery shades.

Hemerocallis 'Going Bananas'

'Going Bananas’ daylilies don't just add splashes of lemony-yellow to summer gardens—they're also fragrant. These carefree perennials flower into fall.

Cleome ‘Pequena Rosalita’

Butterflies flock to Cleome 'Pequena Rosalita', also known as spider flower. Give these annual plants lots of sun to enjoy their pink blooms in containers or garden beds. Deep South gardeners may need to treat for cabbage budworm, which can cause wilting and stem tip death, with a natural bacterium called DiPel.

Lisianthus 'Charisma Blue'

Blue flowers can be hard to find so ‘Charisma Blue’, with its rich color, is a welcome addition to the garden. This lisianthus starts blooming in midsummer. Deadhead the flowers when they’re finished or snip them for bouquets to encourage reblooming.

Petunia 'Sophistica Blackberry'

Deep blackberry is the new black when it comes to this sun-loving petunia, 'Sophistica Blackberry'. The burgundy-red blooms are backed by dark green foliage.

Supertunia 'Limoncello'

Low-maintenance Supertunia ‘Limoncello’ attracts hummingbirds and butterflies to summer gardens with its soft yellow blooms. Grow it with petunia 'Sophistica Blackberry' for contrast.

Impatiens New Guinea Florific 'Sweet Orange'

An All-America Selections winner, Florific 'Sweet Orange’ adds pops of summer color to gardens with full to partial shade. The flowers range from salmon to deep tangerine and the foliage is dark greenish-bronze.

'Oso Easy Double Red'

Plant 'Oso Easy Double Red' roses in the landscape or mixed borders. The bright red, doubled flowers with pink-orange undertones unfold from spring through the heat of summer until frost.

Scarlet Coleus 'Kong Jr.'

'Kong Jr.’ doesn't monkey around. While this coleus didn't make it to the top of the Empire State Building when it debuted in 2013, it's climbed onto many gotta-have plant lists since then. Also available in ‘Rose’,  ‘Lime Vein’ and ‘Green Halo', it brightens the shade all summer.

Begonia 'Santa Cruz Sunset'

How many colors are in a tropical sunset? Trailing begonia ‘Santa Cruz Sunset’ blooms in a range of rich oranges and reds. Give the plants some afternoon shade if you live in a hot climate. They’ll provide color from late spring into fall.

Shop This Look

Powered By:Wayfair.com
We may make 💰 from these links.

Next Up

June To-Do List 36 Photos

Summer Heat Gardening Tips 13 Photos

Summer Prep Chores for the Garden 18 Photos

Gardening To-Do List: July 38 Photos

Late-Summer Color for the Garden 9 Photos

15 Top Veggies to Grow in the Heat 15 Photos

15 Favorite Summer-Blooming Annuals 15 Photos

15 Summer Annual Tips 15 Photos

Favorite Summer-Blooming Perennials 14 Photos

Plants That Stand Up to Summer Heat 13 Photos

We Recommend

15 Top Veggies to Grow in the Heat 15 Photos

10 Plants to Add Instant Curb Appeal When Selling Your Home 10 Photos

Plants For Spring Color 13 Photos

Copy the Look: 5 Gorgeous Year-Round Garden Ideas 10 Photos

Planting Russian Sage

Garden Therapy: Use Herbs for Healthy Teas 13 Photos