A Beautiful Garden: Best Flowers to Grow During Summer
Summer is a very anticipated season. Come summer, everyone is enjoying the sun, the warm weather, the vacations, and the swimming. Not only does everyone love the beautiful sun, but the excitement of blooms of the season. Summer hosts a parade of colorful and blushing flowers.
Flowers that bloom in summer mostly come from tropical and subtropical areas. These flowers need a humid environment and a warm temperature for them to grow and thrive. Growing plants in summer flowers could be a challenge. Growing them in blistering heat could put harm instead of bloom when done inappropriately.
Thus, aside from giving them sunlight, it is best to know the other needs of a specific plant to grow in full bloom all summer long. Check the list below and be informed on how to grow and propagate them.
Fuchsia
Fuchsias grow in warm climates native to Central and South America. It is a shrub flowering plant, but some species are grown in small treelike species that make attractive plants in your garden, pots, or hanging baskets. The plant has a bell-shaped, tubular flower hanging like a ladies eardrop, thus the name given to the plant. The flower comes in red, purple, and white color with a double or single calyx and ruffled and wavy sepals.
Propagation of fuchsia is through its cuttings or seeds. Mature cuttings are directly planted in the pot or the garden. Make sure, though, that it will receive appropriate water, and sunlight, and moist soil. At the same time, seeds will germinate in about 21 to 28 days. You can get this information in the plant seed packet or check it from GardenersPath.com for detailed information about the flower and growing and propagation.
Coleus
Coleus is a popular garden plant and is cultivated as an ornament, but the ancient people initially used the plant as a medicine. Its root, which contains a high level of forskolin, is used as herbal medicine. Forskolin is used to treat multiple health issues like heart disorder, high blood pressure, and chest pain.
The plant was to treat asthma, dry eyes, erectile dysfunction, and many more. Coleus loves the sun, and it prefers bright but indirect sunlight. The plant’s foliage will give its lush when the plant receives appropriate amounts of sunlight, especially morning sunlight. Its leaves, though, have a certain level of toxicity that is harmful to both animals and humans. And it may also cause irritation and skin rashes to some.
It is easy to propagate coleus. You can grow it from seeds and cuttings. Cuttings can be directly planted in soil or soaked in water. Get a mature cutting and soak in water; after a week or so, you would expect roots to come out. Meanwhile, if you plant it on soil, get a mature cutting and ensure proper watering and enough sunlight.
Persian Shield
Persian shield or Purple Persian Shield is also known as Bermuda conehead. It is an ornamental plant that grows anywhere in places during the summer season as a houseplant. Its foliage yields a brilliant purple color in a shaded, sunny location. Its iridescent leaves brilliantly shine when viewed from different angles in shades of purple with impressive green-colored veins.
Like any other plant, the Persian shield can be propagated through its seed or cuttings. Just cut a mature stem about 2 to 3 inches in length from the tip of the mother plant cutting below its node. Use peat soil as a planting medium and mist it just enough. Roots will grow after about two weeks, and it is now ready to be transferred to a potting mixture.
Gerbera Daisy
Gerbera daisy is a bicolor flower with many color shades like orange, yellow, pink, white, salmon, and lavender, and its center disk has shades of light-bronze to black colors. Gerbera is a symbol of beauty and cheer believed to be due to its assorted colors. Its flower is composed of hundreds of individual cluster tiny flowers with a vase life of up to 14 days. Gerberas absorb toxins and emit oxygen during nighttime instead of daytime like any other flowers.
Gerberas track the sun, and it turns from east to west from sunrise to sunset. You can propagate the plant with its 6-inch stem with its tip dipped into a rooting hormone, then plant in a container and water it lightly each day.
Hydrangeas
To propagate hydrangeas, take a cutting from the shrub with a length of 5-6 inches long. Get cutting from the branch that has no flower. Ensure that the cuttings have their nodes for faster growth, dip the cutting in a rooting hormone, and insert into a damp sterile soil. Water just enough and allow it to drain.
Takeaway
The list of plants that bloom in summer is endless. But for you to decide which flower to plant, you can refer to the list above. It provides you with the necessary info that you need about the flower, including growing and propagating.
“Athena Jephson is a freelance writer and a gardening enthusiast. The current pandemic forced her to stay at home but in turn, made her hone her gardening skills and knowledge. Now, she is sharing tips and writing articles about it.”