9 Easy Summer Flowers

Sunset Magazine

These garden beauties thrive in summer heat and bloom nearly nonstop into fall. (You've got a shady yard? No worries; read about shade-loving gardens here.)


Daisylike and tough
Daisylike and tough


Aster

These daisylike flowers are available in lavender, pink, or white. Three varieties we like: A. cordifolius Cape Cod (climate zones 1-10, 14-21), A. c. Little Carlow (zones 1-10, 14-21), and A. novi-belgii Melody (zones 1-24).

Not sure what zone you live in? Find out here.

Once you know your zone, find out what will grow best in your area.

Gold and chocolate
Gold and chocolate


Gloriosa daisy (Rudbeckia hirta)

Deep golden petals radiate from chocolate centers on 2- to 4-inch-wide flowers.

Plants reach 3 to 4 feet tall and 1 ½ feet wide. Shorter varieties such as Goldilocks and Toto top out at 10 inches tall.

Double and semi-double
Double and semi-double


Coreopsis (C. grandiflora)

Fluffy, golden yellow blooms atop tall stems. "Sunray" is a dense, compact selection with double and semidouble flowers. Zones 2-24, H1, H2.

More on Coreopsis

Might need some shade
Might need some shade


Dahlia

Bold blooms in a range of vibrant colors grow from tuberous roots. We planted pink and coral decorative dahlias and a red-and-yellow, cactus-flowered variety. Provide light shade in hot areas. Zones 1-24.

More on Dahlias

Purple and orange--it works!
Purple and orange--it works!


Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Daisy flowers of rosy purple with knobby orange-brown centers, which resemble small beehives, atop clumps of bristly oblong leaves. Grows to 4 feet tall. Zones A2, A3, 1-24.


Delicate and butterfly-like
Delicate and butterfly-like


Gaura (G. lindheimeri)

White flowers cluster like butterflies atop tall spikes on these airy 2½- to 4-foot-tall plants. Selected forms include Siskiyou Pink (to 2 feet tall), with rose-pink flowers and Whirling Butterflies (to 3 feet tall), with white flowers.


Pair it with gloriosa daisies
Pair it with gloriosa daisies


Purple fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum "Rubrum")

Feathery, rose-colored plumes fade to beige atop clumps of reddish brown foliage. Grown as an annual in cold climates, it is especially pretty beside gloriosa daisies or purple coneflower. Zones 8-24.


A generous bloomer
A generous bloomer


Moonshine yarrow (Achillea)

One of the most carefree and generous bloomers, yarrow has tight clusters of deep yellow flowers on 2-foot tall plants.

Pair it with blue flowered catmint.


Lots of trumpet-shaped blooms
Lots of trumpet-shaped blooms


Penstemon (P. gloxinioides)

These bushy plants are fairly short lived, but to make up for it, they produce lots of trumpet-shaped blooms over a long period.

Deep purple "Midnight" and scarlet "Firebird" are standouts for their vivid, south-of-the-border colors. Pink and white "Appleblossom" looks fresh and springlike.

Now that you've got your flower beds planned, it's time to start thinking about some colorful borders.