Worried that you missed the spring planting season? Fear not. Carmen DeVito from Groundworks says there are many plants that shine when the sun hits its highest — you just have to be savvy when shopping for them. Below are 10 of her favorites for the procrastinating gardener.
TOP ROW: For Sun
1. Dahlias: when the rest of the garden plants are tired, these beauties come into their glory; you will get tons of cut flowers to boot, in every shade of the rainbow!
2. Verbena bonariensis: tall, airy and looks good with everything. Sound like a super model? Well it is. Did I mention it attracts butterflies?
3. Evolvulus: awful name, but it's a bullet proof plant. It can take the heat and the sun of the scorching city summer streets, and blooms its head off.
4. Gomphrena: heat loving, and wonderful for bouquets all summer long.
5. Calibrachoa million bells: think the name says it all, and no, they are not petunias. Blooms like crazy 'til frost.
BOTTOM ROW: For Shade or Part Shade
For those of you who have gardens in the shade (and so many city and apartment dwellers do), fear not – you can forgo the lowly impatiens. There are hot plants that can light up your garden, but you have to be a savvy shopper; mail order is a good choice if your local garden center has no interesting choices. Seek these beauties out, and you won't be disappointed:
6. Abutilon: its common name is flowering maple, though you wouldn't guess it by its delicate and graceful looks. Available in lots of colors and forms, from weeping to upright.
7. Begonia rex: begonias get a bad rap as being hard to grow, although this is not true! Put them in filtered light, keep them slightly moist, and they will work hard for you all season. This one is called escargot, but there are dozens of lovely varieties that you can mix together in planters that will impress.
8. Coleus: there are hundreds of coleus available. Some are truly awful looking, but some, like black magic, inky fingers (pictured above), and wasabi, work great with each other and with other shade lovers like hostas and ferns. Use them to great effect when trying to fill in holes vacated by spring bulbs and other early bloomers.
9. Nasilla tenuissima: I like its common name mexican hair grass better. It's lovely in planters, and you can use it with larger leaved plants for a great textural contrast.
10. Farfugium aureomaculata: this is not a plant for the faint of heart, but its glossy leaves and leopard spot pattern will brighten up a shady garden.
Listen: Groundworks hosts a weekly show on Hertiage Radio Network.
MORE GARDENING ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• 5 Fragrant Plants for a Small Space
• Gardening Without a Garden: 10 Ideas for Your Patio or Balcony
• Getting Started with Windowbox Gardening
(Images: 1. Pop's Log Cabin, 2. Swallowtail Garden Seeds, 3. Missouri Botanical Garden, 4. Alan's Flower Farm, 5. White Flower Farm, 6. Dancing Oaks, 7. Buy Dis Or Dat, 8. White Flower Farm, 9. Edgwood Garden, 10. Pender Nursery)
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Lovely suggestions, but just FYI — almost all of these are annuals in the Northeast, not perennials. (I do over-winter my dahlias by keeping them in containers and moving them into the basement but everything else I'd have to plant fresh every season in Zone 6.)
wow great post about perennials! thanks for these great tips!
Yes, I live in Zone 5 and all of these plants are tender annuals for my zone. These are some of my favorites however - I especially love Verbena bonariensis. I'd also suggest Celosia plumera, Purple Homestead Verbena, and Portulaca 'Magic Carpet' for the sunny annuals/perennials.
Cosmos, Zinnas, nasturtium, purple hyacinth vine, white moonfloor vine, canna and elephant ear. All grow quickly by seed or tuber. Annual salvias are another favorite.
I've never heard of a time limit on planting annuals. Why would it matter when you plant a grown plant, as opposed to seed? If it's growing in a pot at my local nursery why would I be prohibited by a season from putting it in my garden?
How timely! I am desperately trying to figure out what to plant in the hot bed over the boiler room of my building (NYC). It is under an overhang, but south-facing. Any suggestions?
I was on vacation and missed my ideal planting window so i am starting my garden super late! I just planted nasturtiums and morning glories end of last week, the morning glories are already 4 inches tall and the nasturtiums are 2 inches. I have found the trick can be to germinate the seeds indoors and then as soon as you see them sprouting transplant them outside. They germinate much faster indoors with even moisture and temperature.
Yeah, it's just now planting season here in MN. You can try to plant after Mother's Day, but it's safer to wait until after Memorial Day. Just too risky for cold snaps in these parts.
What @Raven1025 said. We're just getting started here. It would be nice to see what area of the country the writer is from on these types of posts.