Spring may be the most anticipated season for many, with all the flowers, fruits, and vegetables greeting the season with a feast. But summer? For many, it’s a time of heat, dryness, and drought throughout the land.
Of course, we know that’s completely untrue. Summer brings with her fragrant blooms, colorful flowers, and happy days outdoors. Many miss out on the pleasure a well-timed and well-planned summer garden can bring.
If you’re sitting there, wishing you had built the patio, trimmed the perennials, and deadheaded the flowers early on, don’t you worry! The beauty of gardening is there’s always a season for second chances.
If you need inspiration or some last-minute ideas to make the most out of the late summer season, you’ve come to the right place. Use these tips to help revitalize your garden.
Summer Garden Tips
In the past, summer has always been an ideal time to do work in the garden. We often had more time at home, and the early days of summer had the perfect weather and temperature for gardening activities.
Of course, with all the things that have happened, we’ve been staying at home all year round! When summer hit, some of us were just too exhausted! But remember the gratification and reward when you put in a little work. Every summer, remember to do the following:
Clean up dead flowers – once your perennial plants have bloomed to their fullest, they start to die and run to seed. To really enjoy summer gardens, they need to stay clean and attractive. So do trim back your plants and help the ones that are blooming this summer stand out.
Deadhead – If you see that your plants haven’t died yet but are slowly fading, pinch off the flowers and seed pods from the plants. You’re not harming your plants; instead, doing this encourages more blooms. Soon enough, you will find your garden covered in beautiful flowers again.
Be Water Efficient – No matter the month, we don’t weeds to overtake our precious gardens. Summer is the time to mulch garden beds with organic matter; this also helps retain moisture in the soil. Remember to water early in the day when it’s still cool or later in the day when the temperature has cooled down. Watering in the midst of the heat will only cause evaporation. Your plants won’t be able to hydrate properly.
Feed Your Plants – your annuals and container plants can be even healthier with fertilizers like fish emulsion or foliar fertilizer. These products provide nutrients to your plants through the foliage and the roots. If you want more blooms through late summer, feed your plants every two weeks. (Tip: avoid adding fertilizer to the topsoil when it is extremely hot. Do this in the cooler times of the day)
Keep Your Pollinators Happy – our gardens can’t survive without pollinators – bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and more. So many of our plants, both edible and ornamental, rely on these amazing creatures to flower and fruit. So plant blooms that are attractive and visible for them.
Garden Ideas For Your Future Summer Garden
Once you’ve got some of the basic gardening tasks out of your way, you can now begin imagining and envisioning your future summer garden. As you look at the space you have now, what kind of happy summer memories would you like to create? Below we’re sharing some creative landscaping ideas for you to explore and take inspiration from.
Flower Borders
Do you have a spot that gets plenty or too much sun? A flowering plant can be the perfect border to line your garden with a range of colors. Dahlias, for example, bloom with the most vibrant display of colors. They can be grown in any size garden or container.
Natural Air Conditioning
Summer ramps up the temperature; the air is warmer or sometimes just plain scorching hot. You don’t need to crank open the AC and suffer from electric bills. Remember: Plants are nature’s air coolers. If you have more trees in your garden, you give yourself shade and a cooler area outdoors. Think long-term and plant trees that will reward you throughout the years. You can build patios or decks underneath existing trees. You can also supplement the coolness by placing a fountain or any water fixture to give you cooler air. While waiting for the trees you’ve planted to grow fully, choose quick-growing vine plants in your garden and let them climb up arbors.
Colorful Kitchen Garden
There is nothing more wholesome than growing your own food. New supermarkets and groceries may be popping up everywhere, but growing your own green vegetable garden makes the food ten times better. Having a kitchen garden bed means summer will be a time of harvest. For a colorful landscape, grow flowering herbs alongside perennial veggies. Study companion planting to learn how colorful plants can be beneficial for crops.
Dry Garden
Annuals and perennials often take center stage during spring and summer, but if you want to have a garden that’s easy to care for and look vibrant throughout the year – grow a dry garden. Use drought-tolerant plants like succulents, cacti, bird of paradise, and more.
FAQs
When should I start a summer garden?
To harvest warm-seasonal crops, wait until about two weeks after the last frost day of your region to start gardening. You have to wait when the soil and air have warmed up for the seeds of your plant to grow.
To be more exact, you need to consider the needs specific to your plant, crop, or vegetable.
What is a summer garden?
A summer garden is typically a garden containing plants that can flourish and thrive in summer. There are seasonal herbs, perennials, and flowering plants that are best suited for the hot weather.
What are the best vegetables to grow in summer?
Summer is the best time for vegetable gardening as your plant is fresh and ready for harvest. These are some of the best summer vegetable gardens.
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Squash
- Beans
- Greens
- New Sweet Potatoes
- Eggplant
- Corn
- Melons
- Okra
- Amaranth
How do you start a garden in the summer?
One of the best tips to start a summer garden is to plan. You can enjoy year-round gardening if you understand your plants and their needs. Some plants are annuals; some are perennials. Some can grow and flower fruit more than once a year, while others can’t.
When you’re keeping your summer garden in shape, remember these tips:
- Clean up dead flowers
- Deadhead flowering plants
- Be water efficient
- Feed your plants
- Keep your pollinators happy