Debi Holland recommends five fabulous long-flowering plants guaranteed to bring plenty of colour to your summer garden.
Five fab plants for summer colour
Read the transcript
I’m going to share five fab plants that will fill your garden with colour all summer.
- Pelargoniums
If you want pots of colour, pelargoniums are perfect. They cope well with dry summers and won’t need much attention if you’re going away. Put them somewhere warm and sunny and enjoy them.
- Osteospermums
These African daisies bloom from late spring through autumn. The flowers close when it’s very cloudy or at night, then open again in the sunshine. Keep deadheading to encourage new buds and grow them in full sun in well-drained soil or compost. They hate being waterlogged.
- Lavender
I wouldn’t be without lavender. This hardy, drought-tolerant English garden classic virtually looks after itself once established. Its aromatic spikes of lilac flowers are a hit with pollinators. If you’d like something more compact than traditional lavender, try ‘Little Lady’, available from Richard Jackson Garden.
- Salvias
There’s plenty of choice, from red-and-white ‘Hot Lips’ and red ‘Royal Bumble’ to the blue tones of Salvia nemorosa. Salvias work well in pots and borders, and many cope with dry spells once established. Plant them in full sun in free-draining soil or compost. They can flower for months into autumn, drawing in bees and butterflies.
- Cosmos
If you haven’t raised any from seed this year, buy a few plants and get them in the ground. Their fern-like foliage fills gaps in borders and the daisy-like flowers attract pollinators. They come in pink, orange, yellow, red, white and even chocolate colours.
And that’s my five fab plants for a summer of colour.
