As we near the end of June, the summer season has begun and I am hoping that the sun is here to stay. I, as I’m sure many of you, have always chuckled at the notion that summer in Western Washington starts after July 4th - some years this rings more true than others. It has been a mostly rainy and cool June, has it not? Some warm days have graced us here and there, but the ominous grey clouds seem to reappear and we are once again right back to that feeling of March in our bones. Hardy gardeners just keep on going; rain gear strapped on, happily plodding along and working in the garden with a smile, rain or shine. We, like our pollinating friends, know that these rains keep our plants happy and blooming strong, and will eventually cut down the watering bill as we head into the drier months of summer.
Our pollinators, as we have been discussing in the past weeks, are just as important as anything else in our gardens AND our ecosystem. Just because we are nearing the end of the official Pollinator Month (June), this does not mean that we should forget about them and move on. Keep adding perennial color (especially long summer bloomers) that, if grown properly, will thrive year after year, providing the flowers our pollinators crave and the flower power us gardeners adore. We will discuss Coneflowers (Echinacea), Hardy Fuchsias, and Salvias in coming weeks, but here are some other excellent choices for the summer garden…
Achillea: Often called “Yarrow”, these lovely butterfly and bee magnets are excellent for growing in sunny locations in well-drained soil. They have a low, clumping habit staying under two feet tall and sport nice lacy, almost fern-like, foliage that is even grey on some selections. Their flat flowers are perfect runways for landing butterflies, and cultivars can be found in a just about any color of the rainbow. There are some excellent choices to be found in garden centers, and although there is nothing wrong with the older, classic flavors, many of the newer series are super compact, more floriferous and have longer bloom times (with some deadheading here and there). Yarrows love heat and are drought tolerant, once established. Newer choices like ‘Rose Maria’ (bright magenta) and ‘Summerwine’ (deep wine red) are worthy, but there are also entire series to seek out offering many other color options. The ‘Seduction Series’ provides some great cultivars like ‘Strawberry Seduction’, ‘Saucy Seduction’, and ‘Sunny Seduction’. The ‘Desert Eve Series’ has even more options, with fun flowers like ‘Terracotta’, ‘Red’, ‘Yellow’, and ‘Deep Rose’.
Coreopsis: These are known as “Tickseed” and bloom as long as any annual would, with some deadheading. They sport simple, daisy-like flowers in multitudes and love hot, sunny, well-drained locations along borders. Heights will vary on a few, but typically these are compact, little blooming machines under a foot tall that grow with a clumping habit. Colors can vary from white to yellow, and now with orange, red, and/or shades of pink mixed in for fun. Some Tickseed have attractive fine, lacy foliage and all have tidy, clumping habits. They make great choices to add summer color to containers as well. Classic varieties like ‘Moonbeam’ and ‘Zagreb’ are still worthy, but the plethora of modern flavors will provide superior color choices with either large or small flowers. The ‘Sunstar Series’ is long blooming and offers great color options, and the ‘Solanna Series’ provides larger flowers over long period and includes one of my personal favorites, ‘Golden Sphere’, a lovely double golden-yellow that is reminiscent of a Marigold.
Gaura: Commonly referred to as “Wandflowers”, these graceful, clumping perennials have excellent foliage and flowers on tall stalks over the entire summer. They are absolute magnets for both butterflies and hummingbirds, and thrive in sunny garden locales with well-drained soil, but honestly they don’t mind part shade either. Foliage can be green, deeper red, or speckled, forming tidy clumps of about two feet across. You can find varieties of Gaura with flowers that are white or in varying shades of pink. They are drought tolerant, once established, and as a bonus they resist both browsing deer and rabbits. They make excellent “thriller” container plants, especially when using some of the newer dwarf flavors. As with most plants we talk about, there are numerous good options for gardeners, including some great taller classics like ‘Whirling Butterflies’, ‘Silver Fountains’, and ‘Pink Lady’. On the newer side are some fabulous choices, often a little shorter and even longer blooming, including the ‘Belleza’ series with compact habit and great foliage and flower colors that bloom from late spring into fall. Keep in mind that all Gaura is pretty insect and disease free, just make sure that they have good drainage and you will have success!
Monarda: Known as “Bee Balm”, these are garden favorites in our area for sure, with lovely flowers and aromatic foliage that will remind you of the smell of minty oregano basil with a hint of citrus. Rabbits and deer tend to avoid these, while the bees absolutely love them. Flowers can be found in all shades of pink, purple, lavender, and red to scarlet. Bee Balms form impressive clumps and will also spread a bit through roots to pop up new clumps, gently naturalizing in sunny, well-drained soils. Old-fashioned larger growers like ‘Jacob Cline’ and ‘Fire Marshall’ sport bright red flowers and are as good as any, reaching around three feet tall and wide. Newer series like the ‘Balmy’ series is an example of a much shorter option, reaching roughly 18 inches in height and offering pink, lilac or purple cultivars. Another is the ‘Bee You’ series, which gives us fun choices like ‘Bee Happy’ (cerise red), ‘Bee Merry’ (rosy pink), and ‘Bee Free’ (violet-purple), all compact and free-flowering. These two series have superior resistance to mildew, and with a little deadheading will provide you a summer of color in the garden.
As the summer sunshine warms our gardens, and souls for that matter, please continue to pay homage to our pollinating friends in every way that you can. Seek advice at your local garden center from any Certified Professional Horticulturist on what you can do to make a difference – they will always help you get the right plant into the right place and assist you with advice on keeping them thriving all summer long. Your garden can become an oasis for all wildlife by utilizing safe practices, natural products, and certainly by planting more lovely perennials. I implore all of you to watch pollinators busily collecting pollen and nectar, and admire the niches of utmost importance that they fill in our gardens, as well as our ecosystem. Remembering to “plant some of these to help save the bees” has never been more important than now and together we can make huge difference, one garden at a time.
