Late Summer Virtual Garden Tour
End the summer with a splash of unexpected color. Look for outstanding annuals and perennials to fill in any color and planting voids in the landscape.
Click on the larger photo just below to expand the gallery.
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Virgin Coneflower – Echinacea purpurea ‘Virgin’ - New cultivar of out native purple coneflower introduced from Europe. Exhibits compact growth and nice clear white flowers. White Swan tends to reseed less than other cultivars – we will have to see how this one does. Currently it is only available at Northwind Perennial Farm in Burlington WI.
Rojo Banana – Musa acuminata ‘Rojo’ - An ornamental banana hardy in zones 7 to 10 and grows 6 to 10 feet tall. Northern gardeners need to overwinter as a houseplant or allow the top to dieback and save the rhizome in a cool dark location like canna.
Lantana – Lantana camara ‘Patriot Cherry’ - Lantana is a great plant for hot dry full sun locations and a wonderful butterfly magnet. Deadhead to keep flowering all summer long. Hardy in zones 7 to 11 where it can grow into a shrub. Grown as an annual elsewhere.
New Wonder Fan Flower – Scaevola ‘New Wonder’ - Fan flower is great in containers or as an edger in the garden. No deadheading needed. Good heat, drought, and full sun tolerance. This cultivar has a bit larger brighter blue flowers than the species. Hardy in zones 10 and 11 and treated as an annual elsewhere.
Silver Falls Dichondra – Dichondra argentea ‘Silver Falls’ - This trailing plant is grown for its silvery foliage and works great in containers or as a groundcover. Silver Falls Dichondra is heat and drought tolerant and is hardy in zones 9 -11.
Joe Pye Weed – Eupatorium purpureum - A big (5 to 7 feet tall) and bold native perennial with large panicles of purple flowers. Prune Joe Pye Weed back in June to reduce height or select shorter cultivars if a smaller plant is desired. It grows best in full sun and moist soils and can scorch in extreme heat and drought. Hardy in zones 4 to 9.
Pacifica Cranberry Vinca – Catharanthus roseus ‘Pacifica Cranberry’ - This heat and drought tolerant plant will grow in full sun or partial shade. Its growth habit reminds me of impatiens. The Pacifica series vincas have larger flowers, bloom earlier and grow into a uniform mound about 6 to 8 inches tall.
Breathless White Euphorbia – Euphorbia hypericifolia - Ball Horticulture’s version of Diamond Frost. Nice filler plant or used solo in containers or in the garden. It is drought tolerant.
Diascia – Diascia barberae - A member of the snapdragon family, diascia performs best in cooler temperatures of spring and fall. They will temporarily stop blooming when night temps are above 70 degrees. Look for more heat tolerant cultivars like Devotion and Coral Canyon for better summer bloom. It grows well in full sun to part shade and no dead heading needed.
Princess Flower – Tibouchina urvilleana - Native to Brazil, the Princess flower is a popular shrub in frost free areas around the world. Hardy in zones 8 to 10 it must be grown as an annual or brought indoors for winter in colder areas. The velvety green leaves provide a nice backdrop for the purple flowers that can be used for cutting.
Blue Satin Rose of Sharon – Hibiscus syriacus ‘Marina’ - Rose-of-Sharon is a traditional favorite. This late summer blooming shrub has attractive hibiscus flowers and grows in full sun or partial shade. Marina has large single flowers and is considered one of, if not the best, blue. These plants are late to emerge so be patient in the spring. It grows 6 to 8 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide and is hardy in zones 5 to 10.
Lucifer Crocosmia – Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ - A summer blooming bulb that is hardy in zones 6 to 9. Crocosmia may survive in zone 5 when winters are mild. Otherwise store the corms indoors in a cool dark location for winter. Grow in full sun or partial shade keeping soil moist in sunny locations. Grows 2 to 4 feet tall by 1-2 feet wide.
Tropical Hibiscus – Hibiscus rosa sinensis - Hardy in zones 9 and 10. Grow in full sun or light shade and keep the soil moist. Bring indoors for winter and treat as a houseplant or allow tropical hibiscus to go somewhat dormant over winter by growing in a cool location and watering just often enough to keep the roots from drying.
Lantana (Lantana camara), Toffee Twist Sedge (Carex flagellifera ‘Toffee Twist’) & Sanvitalia (Sanvitalia procumbens)
Mystic Illusion Dahlia – Dahlia ‘Mystic Illusion’ - Seed grown dahlia that has good heat tolerance. The dark foliage is a nice foil for the brightly colored flowers. They grow 18 to 24” tall and wide. Hardy in zones 8 and warmer. They will form tubers that can be saved overwinter. Plants grown from the saved tubers may not be as uniform.
Chilly Chili Ornamental Pepper (Capsicum annuum ‘Chilly Chili’), Fresh Look Celosia (Celosia plumosa ‘Fresh Look’), Prairie Sun Rudbeckia (Rudbeckia hirta ‘Prairie Sun’) & Purple Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’)
Palibin Lilac on Standard – Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’ - This hardy lilac is grafted on a standard (straight stem) to create a miniature tree form. Palibin lilac is hardy in zones 3 to 7 and is more compact (4 to 5’ tall x 5 to 7’ wide) than species. This prolific spring bloomer is mildew resistant.
Giant Blue Lobelia – Lobelia siphilitica - This lobelia is native to the eastern US and Canada. It grows best in partial shade and moist soils and blooms a bit later than cardinal flower. The blue lobelia and its white cultivar grow 2-3’ tall. I find it easier to grow than cardinal flower.
Tall Verbena – Verbena bonariensis - Tall verbena is a nice grow-through plant. This biennial will reseed and can become a weed in warmer regions. I add new plants to my landscape every 3 or 4 years to keep them reseeding in my landscape. Just dig and move seedlings where you want them and weed out excess plants. A great plant for attracting hummingbirds and butterflies to the landscape.
Senorita Rosalita Spider Flower – Cleome ‘Senorita Rosalita’ - Compact cleome that performs well in the garden or container. I combined mine with purple ruffle basil, eggplant, tri-color sage and bacopa. This cultivar is more heat tolerant than most and lacks the spines, sticky substance and skunky smell. Grow in full sun or light shade and moist soils for best results. No deadheading needed.
Northern Lights Lavender Pentas – Pentas lanceolata ‘Northern Lights Lavender’ - Pentas are a great butterfly plants with long lasting blooms and heat tolerance. Northern Lights is more cool temperature tolerant, extending its bloom time in the north, and new flowers appear before the old flowers fade away.
Imperial Blue Plumbago – Plumbago auriculata ‘Imperial Blue’ - A wonderful blue for sunny areas in the landscape. Hardy in zones 10 or higher. Grow in container to make it easier to bring indoors to be grown as a houseplant in a sunny window for the winter.
Bellfire Begonia – Begonia boliviensis ‘Bellfire’ - A tuberous begonia that performs best in shade, moist soils and warm temperatures. Great in containers and hanging baskets that better show off its growth habit.
Purple Heart – Setcreasea pallida ‘Purple Heart’ - You may have grown this foliage plant as a houseplant years ago. It makes a nice addition to an in-ground or container garden. Grow in sun to partial shade and moist soils. Hardy in zones 9 to 11.
Persian Shield – Strobilanthes dyerianus - The iridescent beautiful foliage is the appealing trait for this plant. Use it as a vertical accent in a container or massed in a flower bed. They grow best in full sun to partial shade and moist soil. They can get tall and flop over in overly rich soils and warmer locations. Hardy in zones 9 and 10.
Fireball Hibiscus – Hibiscus x ‘Fireball’ - This hardy hibiscus produces 10 inch flowers and purplish foliage. It is rated hardy in zones 5 to 9 although I have seen them survive in zone 4. Fireball is tolerant of heat and humidity and grows best in full sun and moist soil. Late to emerge – many gardeners surround with spring bulbs to mark its location.
Cardinal Flower – Lobelia cardinalis - I find this a challenging plant to grow until you find the perfect location. Cardinal flower is native to streams and marshes so it performs best when grown in partial shade and moist soils. Cardinal flower grows 3 to 4 feet tall and is hardy in zones 3 to 9. Will self-seed if not weeded out in spring.
Alternanthera (Alternanthera), Black Prince Snapdragon (Antirrinum majus ‘Black Prince’), Coleus (Solenostemon scutellariodes ‘Solar’), PurpleFountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’)
Tricolor Sage (Salvia officinalis ‘Tricolor’), Cora Lavender Vinca (Catharanthus roseus ‘Cora Lavender’), Bronze Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare ‘Purpureum’), Elephant Ears (Colocasia esculenta)
Purple Bush Joe Pye Weed – Eupatorium maculatum ‘Purple Bush’ - Compact Joe Pye Weed cultivar growing 3-4ft tall and 2-3 feet wide. Same culture as species.
Hosta – Hosta clausa - Same culture and care as other hostas though this is supposedly more tolerant of dry soils. Spreads by rhizomes and makes a great groundcover. Check out the flower buds – that drop unopened. Several other varieties are available; H.c. normalis that produces open purple flowers and H. c. stolonifera that does not produce flower scapes.
Prairie Sunset Heliopsis – Heliopsis helianthoides ‘Prairie Sunset’ - This cultivar was selected for the purple stems, red veined foliage and yellow flowers with a reddish maroon base. It grows best in full sun with moist well-drained soils. Tends to stretch and flop in shade and will tolerate (does not prefer) dry soils. Hardy in zones 3 to 9 and grows 3 to 5 ft tall x 2-3 ft wide.
Flowering Maple (Abutilon ‘Bella Yellow’ & ‘Bella Apricot’), Sparkler Coral Salvia (Salvia splendens ‘Sparkler Coral’), Foxtail Fern (Asparagus ‘Myersii’), Electric Lime Coleus (Solenostemon scutellariodes ‘Electric Lime’), Elephant Ears (Colocasia esculenta)
Golden Globes – Lysimachia congestiflora ‘Walkabout Sunset’ - A low growing (2 to 10”) spreading plant with variegated foliage and yellow flowers. Hardy in zones 7 to 11 and grown as an annual elsewhere. Good in hanging baskets, containers and flower beds. Grow in sun or partial shade.
Fusion Glow & Fusion Sunset Impatiens – Impatiens hybrida - One of the “exotic” impatiens. Native impatiens crossed with the more compact horticulture varieties to introduce yellow colored and unique flower forms. Grows well in the same conditions as other impatiens. It tolerates morning sun with afternoon shade and cool temperatures.
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