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The days are only going to grow warmer from here on out, which means one thing for those with green thumbs: it's time to start planning your summer garden! So pull on your gardening gloves and grab all those items you have missing from Ree's outdoor collection (so cute!). If you're in the Pioneer Woman camp, then you love seeing blooms brighten your yard all season long. They're that explosion of color every home needs and, if you're lucky, attract all the best little critters like hummingbirds and bees. So as you brainstorm your landscaping ideas for this year, check out our list of the best summer flowers to help beautify your display. We've found plenty of varieties from perennial plants that regrow every season to shorter-lived annual flowers.
And in case you hadn't noticed, Ree Drummond likes sunflowers... a lot. It's one of her all-time summer favorites that returns year after year. "They're so beautiful," she says. "Once I realized that sunflowers don't need much babying to grow, I was hooked. I bought all kinds of sunflower seeds and planted them behind my veggie garden." Of course, the best variety of summer flower for you really depends on your preferences, fertilizer, and the direction of light cast into your yard. Depending on your USDA hardiness zone, there are plenty of flowers that will thrive in the heat and humidity. Unlike fall flowers and winter flowers, which wilt under harsh conditions... these showy blooms enjoy full sun exposure. Think varieties like the sunflower, black-eyed Susan, and Shasta daisy, as well as low maintenance plants like lavender and coneflowers. Beginners may want to start with a bed of delphinium or begonias, while more seasoned growers can try their hand at dahlias and hydrangeas. Whatever your gardening experience, read on to find flowers that will brighten your summer.
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1
Carnations
These beautiful flowers are layers of frilly semi-double fragrant flowers. The petals, with their light pink fringe and deep red center, look gorgeous against the plant's blue-green leaves.
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2
Calamint
Say hello to your new favorite low-maintenance plant! These clusters of tiny, pretty white flowers blush with hints of blue as time passes. They will bloom for a long time in your garden (until the first frost), so plant them where you can smell them all season long.
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3
Catmint
Catmint is similar to hummingbird mint in its color profile, but the petals and leaves have softer, rounded edges. There's so much to love about this hardy plant—attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds, a gently spreading groundcover that can also be planted in containers, and pleasantly aromatic.
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4
The columbine flower (Aquilegia) is also known as Granny's bonnet... if she had the funkiest bonnet you've ever seen! Long spurs thrust out behind while large flowers face skyward. This variety is award-winning, with rosy outer petals and pretty pink inner petals.
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5
Astible
Lush, dark foliage ranges from green to bronze, creating the perfect backdrop beneath stocks of pinky-white flowers. While these flowers normally prefer shade, they can still tolerate sun so long as they receive adequate moisture.
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6
Garden Phlox
This variety is many gardeners' favorite variety of phlox, and for good reason. They attract hummingbirds, have a crisp purple hue, and are long-blooming. Best of all, they're great for cut flowers so you can bring the beauty to loved ones or inside your home!
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7
Cushion Spurge
Aptly named, the cushion spurge looks like a billowy yellow cushion on the earth. These tiny flowers in the center are yellow, and the outer bracts turn yellow in early summer, then red in early fall. Native to the Mediterranean, they can take the heat well.
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8
Zinnias
Heirloom zinnias have a wonderful mixture of vibrant, bold colors that will pop in any garden! The 6-inch bloom is covered in frilly petals and stands typically 2 feet tall, which makes it perfect for bouquets.
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9
Marigold
Marigolds are truly stately in any variety, which is fitting for their association with royalty! The flowers, which bloom from early summer to the first frost, change color slightly as they mature. Note, though, that they need full sunlight and shouldn't be overcrowded or the blooms will be small.
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10
Daisy
Ah, the friendliest flower of summer! The common shasta daisy blooms start rich lemon yellow, turn butter yellow, and then cream in color. They're extremely easy to grow, but make sure to give them plenty of water!
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11
Coreopsis
Also known as "tickseed," these glowing yellow flowers glisten like gems against the backdrop of lush, emerald-green, strappy foliage. They definitely have a unique look with large, sunny yellow blossoms and dark brick-red centers.
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12
Delphinium
These tall, stately flowers enjoy full sun exposure and look great above the flower bed. The flower spikes of white, lavender, and blue hues are all accented with white "bees" covering the flower stems.
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13
Hydrangea
Hydrangea are the flower of summer, notably for their sweet-smelling balls of blooms. Their petal colors range from azure blue (deeper in acid soils) to soft white.
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14
Sunflower
Ree loves these big, beautiful blooms! Perennial sunflowers are in season for a period of 8 to 12 weeks with some beginning as early as July and others ending as late as October. Their large daisy-like flower faces thrive in full sun exposure.
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16
Clematis
"Queens of Flowering Vines," clematis like to have at least six hours of sun. They're beloved by growers for their robust, easy-care nature and long bloom periods—you'll have a multitude of flowers by late spring, and again in late summer and fall.
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17
Primrose
Tall, with a basal rosette of leaves that are more or less evergreen, primrose flowers are beloved for their dainty appearance and vibrant colors.
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18
Lavender
Who doesn't love the smell of lavender? You can keep these purple beauties around to add a splash of color, or dry out the flower, fill some cloth bags, and leave them under your pillow.
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19
Dahlias
Dahlias are certainly showy with their massive, expressive, petal-packed blooms. Enjoy them in a border or as cut flowers, but be sure to snip off any side buds that form, so they don't sap vital energy.
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20
Coneflower
Don't you love a plant that shows you a whole color palette in its blooms? These will open in light yellow and quickly transform to blush, coral, lavender, salmon, and every shade in between. You might recognize this carefree plant when it's surrounded by bees and butterflies.
