It’s now time to plan what summer plants to grow in our cherished garden this summer. Through this blog, Gharpedia shares 25 odd varieties of summer plants to adorn your garden.
“If winter comes, can spring be far behind?” While these immortal words of romantic poet P B Shelley beautifully encapsulate the philosophy of life, they also remind practical souls that as spring is here, it’s high time that we have some thoughts on what summer flowering plants to cultivate in our garden in the sultry heat of the summer season.
A general mindset is that summer is the death knell for gardens, which is absolutely wrong! Debra Casella (2016) in the book (Summer Garden) says, “a summer garden is a thing of beauty to be enjoyed by all you invite into your garden.” We shatter all the myths by listing the 25 best types of plants for summer, ranging from asters to zinnias. But before that, let us have an overview of the most important aspect of a garden, which is the types of gardening soil.
To begin with, clay is sticky and dense. The best part about clay is its nutrient-holding capacity. Another type is sand, which is light in colour and has bigger particles compared to clay, and is non-sticky. Sand is best for draining water easily. Then comes loam, made by mixing sand and clay to get the best of both. Jane McMorland Hunter (2010) (author of the book ‘Basic Gardening’) defines loam soil as a mixture of sand and clay with a good percentage of humus and a neutral pH. Humus is the organic matter that makes the soil rich and fertile. Well-drained soil means soil that drains water easily.
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Summer Plants A-Z
Asters
Botanical Name: Symphyotrichum
Soil Type: Loamy, well-drained soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Tip:
These colourful, late-blooming summer season flowers are perennials, so do remember to choose a planting spot where you won’t mind them coming back year after year.
Basil
Botanical Name: Ocimum basilicum
Soil Type: Rich, well-drained soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Tip:
This most-loved summer herb flourishes in warm, frost-free weather. A word of counsel: Cultivate basil and tomatoes only after the threat of frost has passed. A useful tip is pinching back the tips (pruning) of young plants to boost branching and fuller growth.
Beans
Botanical Name: Phaseolus vulgaris
Soil Type: Well-drained soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Tip:
A word of well-meant advice with regards to beans: plant them only after you’re dead sure that frost will never hit your region, the reason being that their roots are pretty fragile. The best options would be to directly sow pole beans and bush beans and ensure that pole beans have a trellis, as they require support to climb as they grow.
Beets
Botanical Name: Beta vulgaris
Soil Type: Loamy soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Tip:
Aiming for another round of cool-weather crops like beets from your garden? The good news is, you can! Simply direct-seed them (mid-to-late summer) once night temperatures have begun to cool off.
Broccoli
Botanical Name: Brassica oleracea var. italica
Soil Type: Rich, well-drained, loamy soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Tip:
Broccoli is best suited for being planted in the cool seasons of spring and fall; if your region experiences mild winters, then you can also sow it in the fall for a spring harvest.
Brown-Eyed Susan
Botanical Name: Rudbeckia hirta
Soil Type: Well-drained soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Tip:
These bright and bold summer season flowers are extremely popular as they require minimal maintenance and are an easy-growing addition to any flower garden. Once firmly rooted, you just need to deadhead spent blooms to ensure that the plants look fresh.
Cantaloupe
Botanical Name: Cucumis. melo var. reticulatus
Soil Type: Rich, well-drained soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Tip:
Yummy Muskmelon falls among the rare fruits that are extremely easy to grow. You just need to ascertain that this spreading plant has enough and more space to grow, or alternatively, you could provide a robust trellis for their vines to climb.
Cauliflower
Botanical Name: Brassica oleracea var. Botrytis
Soil Type: Rich, well-drained soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Tip:
Cauliflower can be grown in early spring or late summer.
Collard Greens
Soil Type: Rich, well-drained soil
Sun Exposure: Full to partial sun
Tip:
Akin to its close kin (pun intended!) kale and cabbage, collard greens can be planted in spring or fall. Just go ahead and sow seeds directly into the soil in mid-summer. However, don’t forget to encase the plants in a floating row cover to protect them from pests, which are inclined to be more persistent in summer than in early spring.
Coneflower
Soil Type: Well-drained soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Tip:
Renowned for their apparent immune-boosting properties, these colourful blooms make a great addition to your flower garden … and as anticipated, they attract pollinators like bees and butterflies, too!
Cowpeas
Botanical Name: Vigna unguiculata
Soil Type: Sandy, loamy well-drained soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Tip:
Cowpeas or field peas absolutely adore hot temperatures and the sparkling bright sun. You could either pick them when the pods are around four inches long and eat them whole; or alternatively, you could leave them on the plant to ripen more fully for use as a shelling bean. In case you wish to store them as dried beans, then leave the pods on the plants for another month or so to fully dry out.
Cucumber
Botanical Name: Cucumis sativus
Soil Type: Rich, well-drained soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Tip:
Once the threat of frost has subsided, you can plant cucumbers either as transplants or seed them directly into the soil. Do ensure to keep the soil evenly moist throughout the season; else, mini-drought spells can make them taste bitter.
Eggplant
Botanical Name: Solanum melongena
Soil Type: Rich, well-drained soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Tip:
This member of the Solanum genus (like potatoes and tomatoes) is a born lover of the sultry, hot summer weather. But as it requires rich soil to flourish, you need to add compost to the soil about a week before you put it in the ground. Also, stakes or tomato cages need to be installed when planting eggplants, as these young plants are in dire need of this support as they grow.
Hibiscus
Botanical Name: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
Soil Type: Moist, well-draining soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Tip: These tropical beauties thrive and flourish in hot, humid climates, making them an excellent choice for summertime planting.
Hot Peppers
Botanical Name: Capsicum annuum
Soil Type: Rich, well-drained soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Tip:
Well, honestly, what else can you expect from ‘hot’ peppers, but the fact that they love ‘hot’ summers! You need to allow the soil to dry out a bit between watering these Central American natives, and also keep an eye out for flower drops, which signal that their water requirements are not being met.
Lantana
Botanical Name: Lantana camara
Soil Type: Well-drained soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Tip:
Select a cool, overcast summer day to cultivate a lantana shrub in your dream garden. Trust us, they make out-of-this-world, great statement plants!
Malabar Spinach
Botanical Name: Basella alba or Basella ruba
Soil Type: Rich, moist soil
Sun Exposure: Full to part sun
Tip:
This heat-loving vine from tropical Southeast Asia can be grown on a yearly basis in temperate climates, so long as it’s given a sturdy trellis for support. Its glossy green foliage and startling red stems make it an excellent cooking green.
Marigolds
Botanical Name: Tagetes
Soil Type: Well-drained soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Tip:
These cheerful, long-lasting summer flowers are not only beautiful bedding plants, but when planted alongside your crops like tomatoes, eggplants, squash, and cucumbers, they protect your veggies from pests.
Okra
Botanical Name: Abelmoschus esculentus
Soil Type: Rich, well-drained soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Tip:
This heat-loving veggie provides us with the glorious sight of beautiful blooms before the plant produces vegetables. A word of caution: Harvest the pods when they’re two to four inches in length; if you delay it any longer, then they’ll end up with a tough, woody texture. Okra can be fried, sautéed, stewed, or pickled.
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Spinach
Botanical Name: Spinacia oleracea
Soil Type: Well-drained soil
Sun Exposure: Full to part sun
Tip:
You can plant fall crops like spinach in late summer when the days start getting shorter.
Summer Squash
Botanical Name: Cucurbita pepo
Soil Type: Loamy, well-drained soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Tip:
This mild, refreshing, and sweet-flavoured plant also goes by names like yellow squash or crookneck squash. Directly seed them, as suggested with cucumbers and water the soil directly, assuring that the leaves don’t get wet in order to stave off powdery mildew.
Sweet Potatoes
Botanical Name: Ipomoea batatas
Soil Type: Well-drained soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Tip:
Buy sweet potato slips, or sprouts, from your local nursery and plant them only when you’re sure that the wintry chill won’t creep back, as sweet potatoes are extremely sensitive to cold. Harvest and cook small amounts of the edible greens as the tubers fatten up in early fall.
Tomatoes
Botanical Name: Solanum lycopersicum
Soil Type: Rich, well-drained soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Tip:
As their very name suggests, “to-MAY-toes” should not be planted until May; else the chilly nights and spring cold snaps will nip in the bud your dreams of a rich harvest of juicy tomatoes!
Winter Squash
Botanical Name: Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita moschata, Cucurbita pepo
Soil Type: Rich, well-drained soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Tip:
Unlike their name, winter squashes like acorn, butternut, honeynut, kabocha, kuri and pumpkins are absolutely hooked onto warm temperatures. But they need ample space to unfurl their long, trailing vines as they grow. As fruits take shape, remember to keep something like a stone or a brick under the squashes to restrain them from rotting on the vine.
Zinnias
Botanical Name: Zinnia elegans
Soil Type: Well-drained soil
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Tip:
These bright and colourful flowers are a must-have for summer flower beds, cutting gardens, and borders on paths or veggie gardens. Their plethora of pluses include the fact that they are long-blooming, drought-tolerant, and relatively easy to grow.
In a nutshell, the hot summers are everything for some plants and they grow best in this season. In order to ease up your task of figuring out the best summer plants, we have listed and illustrated them for you. Let your garden bloom this summer.
We have also created an infographic, which compiles this article and is easy for you to save. Please click on the link below:
https://gharpedia.com/infographic/infography-on-plant-varieties-for-home-garden/
Also, do not forget to check out the best plants for indoors shared below:
16 Best Indoor Trees And Plants To Grow In Your Living Room With Pro Tips
15 Best Low Light Indoor Plants That Will Thrive in Your Bedroom
Author Bio
Huta Raval – An English Literature and Journalism Topper, Huta Raval has graduated from the L D Arts College, Ahmedabad. Post serving for 23 years in the NBFC and Public Library Sectors her desire for ‘writing the unwritten’ brought her to the creative field of content writing. Her clientele comprises of NGOs, Blogging Platforms, Newspapers, Academic Institutions, et al.
