By James T. Midcap
Extension
Horticulturist
The spring landscape is saturated with flowering shrubs. But
spring passes and suddenly it’s summer. All that color doesn’t
have to be gone, though. Many plants tolerate Georgia’s heat and
humidity while providing lots of summer color.
Among the many shrubs that provide summer interest are
hydrangeas, crape myrtles, hypericums, spireas, chaste trees,
bottlebrush buckeye, clethra, rose of Sharon.
Hydrangeas welcome the heat of summer to make new growth. The
big-leafed hydrangeas produce big, blue, mop-headed flowers that
demand attention. The large mounds of foliage support multitudes
of flowers, usually mop heads. But occasionally we see a lace-cap
plant or two.
The flowers are generally blue on our acid soils. But if you lime
the soil, the flowers turn pink or purple.
Lasting flowers
Two selections are available that keep blooming all summer.
Endless Summer, a new release, and Penny Mac will keep producing
new flowers until frost. Both do best with afternoon shade and a
steady supply of moisture.
Our native oakleaf hydrangea forms 6- to 10-foot mounds of
foliage from top to bottom. It holds long panicules of white,
sterile flowers just above the foliage. These panicules are eight
to 12 inches long and fade to a burgundy red as they age.
The foliage looks like an enlarged oak leaf. Plants do well in
partial shade but require well-drained soils. A great place to
plant is on the edge of the woods, where the plants are shaded
from the hot afternoon sun.
The peegee hydrangea develops into a large, upright shrub or
small tree. The big, white flowers open on new growth in July and
August. The selections Tardiva and Chantilly Lace flower a little
later and hold flowers on strong, upright stems. These plants
will grow in sun or shade on well-drained soils.
Don’t stop now
The blue flowers of the chaste tree (Vitex) in July remind us
that the flowering season isn’t yet over. The 10- to 12-inch
spikes nearly cover the plants. There’s a buzz of excitement,
too, as the bees visit each flower.
The chaste tree is a fast grower. It reaches 12 to 15 feet tall.
The gray-green foliage is usually pest-free. Plants do best in
full sun. Flowers develop on new growth, so you need to prune in
early spring before growth begins.
Summersweet clethra blooms late, in July and August. This native
produces a sweet fragrance that permeates the garden. The spiked
clusters of white flowers are 4 to 6 inches long and last three
to four weeks.
The plants grow 4 to 6 feet tall. They adapt to sun or shade and
tolerate heat and drought. The shiny, dark green leaves turn
yellow in the fall. Summersweet clethra is a great choice for the
shrub border, along lakes and streams or on the edge of the woods.
Be sure to include some flowers and fragrance in your summer
landscape. These shrubs make great additions to any garden. You
could even remove an overgrown azalea or two and replace it with
some summer excitement to extend your flowering season.
(Jim Midcap is an Extension Service horticulturist with the
University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences.)
