Summer in the garden is all about flowers. If you plan your beds and containers correctly, you should have plenty of color by July and August. Many of these summer beauties need desperation to keep producing flowers. Cutting the flowers signals the plant to put energy into making more.
If you feel like your entire summer revolves around mortuary to keep the flowers coming, there is good news. Some flowers bloom all summer without dying. Either they simply continue to produce despite spent blooms or they are so-called self-cleaning plants that naturally shed their flowers.
I’ve curated here a list of my favorite no-fuss summer flowers that provide non-stop color without the hassle of deadheading.
Tips to keep your flowers blooming longer
Choosing perennials is only the first step to getting summer flowers. Even these reliable summer producers can struggle without proper care. Here’s how you can ensure they continue to bloom and stay healthy:
- Water your bed flowers deeply and less often to encourage stronger, healthier roots.
- Potted plants need to be watered more often, even every day, when it’s not raining, as they dry out quickly.
- Use a bloom booster fertilizer to ensure plants have the nutrients they need to continue to flourish.
- Most repeat blooming flowers they need full sun to perform optimally. This means at least six hours of direct sunlight per day.
- Use mulch around flowers to keep weeds at bay, regulate soil temperature and retain more moisture in the soil.
Essential products that enhance flowering
Keep the flowers coming with this high phosphorus plant food that helps plants bloom. Feed every 1-2 weeks for best results.
This attractive pair of hanging baskets features self-watering inserts. This not only cuts down on watering, but keeps the plants moist so they can continue to bloom.
This expanding mulch helps lock moisture and nutrients into the soil while keeping weeds at bay – so plants can focus on flowering instead of surviving.
Flowers That Bloom All Summer Without Killing
With the right flowers and these pro tips, you can expect abundant blooms all summer with minimal effort and no more deadheading.
1. Lantana
Lantana it is a hardy plant that blooms all summer and thrives even in very hot weather and in poor, dry soil. You can get a set of two mixed color live lantana plants from walmart to fill your garden with color this summer. The attractive clusters of small flowers are colorful, attract pollinators and naturally fade as new blooms appear.
Lantana can be a problem in some areas where it is invasive. Its hardiness is what helps it overcome native plants. If you live in cooler climates, use lantana as an annual. In areas where it will survive the winter, grow it in containers.
2. Summer Snapdragon
Summer snapdragon – aka Angelonia – it is perennial in zones 9 through 11 and annual in colder climates. Produces fresh spikes of colorful flowers all summer long without the hassle of deadheading. I love the blue-purple varieties, like this Angelface Blue Summer Snapdragon from Plant Addicts.
Angelonia thrives in the heat of July and August and will not let you down even when conditions become difficult for other plants.
These flowers are excellent for beds, borders and containers. They need soil that drains very well and full sun. They won’t need frequent watering, but you will need to fertilize monthly to maintain their blooms.
3. Hypertunias
Petunias they have long been popular summer annuals with their large, trumpet-shaped flowers that come in a wide range of colors. Traditional petunias need deadheading to keep blooming, but the newer Supertunia varieties are self-cleaning. They will drop their spent flowers and continue to produce more without your help.
Walmart has a good range of colors including this pack of four with vibrant watermelon shades Proven Winners Pink Supertunia Vista Paradise.
Supertunias have a trailing habit, so they are ideal for borders, edging, containers and hanging baskets. They need sun and well-drained soil to thrive. Use a bloom enhancing fertilizer every two weeks for best results.
4. Madagascar Madagascar
Also known as annual vinca, this type of vinca is hardy only in very hot climates and is an annual in most gardens. It thrives in summer weather and constantly produces new flowers as the old ones fade, so there’s no need to kill them.
Pick up a gorgeous colorful hanging vinca basket from Lowe’s.
Madagascar is very heat and drought tolerant and grows well along borders and in containers in full sun and well-drained soils. Unlike some repeat bloomers, this type of vinca doesn’t need a lot of feeding to keep producing.
5. Million Bells
Million bells, or calibrachoais another annual in cool climates that does not require killing. It is naturally self-cleaning, producing hundreds of small trumpet-shaped flowers throughout the summer. Million bells look especially nice in containers, including hanging baskets and window boxes, as their trailing stems spill out to the sides.
Plant Addicts has a fantastic collection of calibrachoa plants, but I have a soft spot for this Pink Lemonade variety.
Provide millions of houseplants with full sun and soil that drains well but stays moist with regular watering. Because they bloom so profusely, you should feed these plants with a bloom-specific product throughout the summer.
6. Wax begonias
This classic and perennially popular flower is a shade gardening staple. An annual in most climates, begonia wax it has characteristic waxy leaves and small bright flowers that persist all summer. Pick a mix of three colors from Walmart. The flowers are self-cleaning, falling off naturally as new flowers form.
You can grow wax begonias in beds or containers as long as they don’t get too much sun. Partial shade is ideal, but they will also grow in full shade. Use moist, rich, well-draining soil and feed monthly to keep the flowers coming.
7. Impatient
Impatiens is the other classic shade annual. Like begonias, they shed their blooming blooms easily and new ones will quickly take their place. Also, like begonias, impatiens grow best in moist, rich soil and partial or even full shade. Plant Addicts has a wonderful line of Impatiens.
For best results from your impatiens, make sure the soil never dries out completely and feed the plants at least every three weeks with a flower-focused fertilizer. In addition to standard impatiens, look for New Guinea Impatiens, which are larger plants with larger leaves and flowers. They will also tolerate more sun.
8. Sweet Alyssum
Sweet alysoumi it blooms in summer in a carpet of tiny flowers, often white but also pink or purple. Traditional varieties stop flowering in July, but the new, sterile hybrids continue to live and do not need to be killed. They put all their energy into their fragrant flowers. Grow sweet alyssum along the edges of beds and as the ‘diffusion’ element in mixed containers.
Sweet alyssum grows best in full sun or partial shade and does not require rich soil. Blooms best when watered consistently. Examples of sterile cultivars for continuous flowers include ‘Snow Princess’, “White Knight,” available as a four-pack from Lowe’sand ‘Blushing Princess’.
