By James T. Midcap
University of Georgia
After a burst of spring flowers, summer can be a little drab.
Summer-flowering shrubs, though, can keep a lot of color in the
landscape and attract butterflies and hummingbirds, too.
Summer-blooming shrubs are easy to care for. With just a little
planning and planting, they’ll help keep the garden attractive
all summer.
The butterfly bush is one of the
easiest to grow. Every garden should have at least one. These
plants are tough. They’ll grow almost anywhere. And they attract
butterflies anytime flowers are present.
Most are round or vase-shaped and get 8 to 10 feet tall with age.
The leaves are dark green to silver, depending upon the
selection. And many selections are available.
The fragrant flower panicles are 10 to 14 inches long. They come
in white, pink, lavender, purple, near-red and yellow. Blooming
starts in June or July and continues until frost. Removing the
spent flowers will keep new blooms coming.
Butterfly bushes transplant easily from containers into
well-drained soils. Cut these large plants back to 1 foot in late
winter. They’ll regrow completely in the new season and flower
abundantly.
Abelias are tough plants, too.
They’re pest-free and drought-tolerant. The small leaves are
glossy green and semi-evergreen.
Small white or pink flowers keep coming from June until frost.
They attract bees and butterflies, too. The sepals, or the leaves
behind the flowers, turn a rosy pink and are quite attractive
long after the flowers have fallen.
You can grow abelias in sun or partial shade. Use them in a
border, as a mass planting or as a hedge. The plants reach 4 to 6
feet tall and look best in their natural, informal habit.
Shearing creates unattractive, green balls of foliage.
Favorite selections include “Edward Goucher,” a little shorter
than most, with pink flowers. “Rose Creek” is a dwarf with lots
of attractive sepals, while “Canyon Creek” has golden foliage
with pink highlights when it’s grown in full sun.
Summer-flowering hydrangeas are
spectacular for shady areas. When they get the moisture and
fertilizer they require to grow well, they produce ample rewards.
The smooth hydrangea forms round
mounds of foliage 3 to 5 feet tall. They’re often wider than
that. The flowers appear in June and are showy for three to four
weeks. Cut the plants back to 6 inches in late winter. They’ll
flower next year on the new growth.
“Annabelle” is a great selection, with rounded clusters of small
flowers 10 to 12 inches wide.
The bigleaf hydrangea produces
bright blue flower clusters in Georgia’s acidic soils. The
rounded shrubs can reach 6 to 8 feet tall and be nearly covered
with electric blue flowers that can last four weeks or more.
The reflowering types like “Endless Summer” or “Penny Mac” will
keep flowering until frost. The plants need moisture and shade in
the heat of the day to prevent wilting.
Our native oakleaf hydrangea has
magnificent, white, cone-shaped flower clusters sticking out from
the foliage. These 10- to 12-inch-long clusters can develop a
pinkish color as they age.
The large, oak-like leaves are dark green and become red in the
fall before dropping. The plants can grow 10 feet tall or more,
but dwarf forms are available. Oakleaf hydrangeas require good
drainage to survive in the landscape. Plants naturally fit at the
edge of the forest or woodland.
These summer-flowering shrubs can brighten any landscape. Select
plants adapted for your yard: sun or partial shade, moist or dry.
Container plants can be transplanted anytime. Fall-planted
shrubs, though, will require less attention to get established
for next year. So plan now. Plant this fall. Then enjoy the color
in your landscape next summer.
(Jim Midcap is a Cooperative Extension horticulturist with the
University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences.)
