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Let these summer beauties paint your landscape in color!
There’s no time like summer to enjoy the bounty of your garden, especially those shrubs that bloom all summer long. If you thought the lilac had the final word at the pinnacle of spring, think again! Now is the season for crapemyrtles, spireas, azaleas, and hydrangeas—among others!
This is one of the jewels of summer. At heights of 15-20’, it blooms from July right into September. Before the leaves drop, they turn a vibrant red-orange. In the winter, you can admire the cinnamon-colored bark that naturally peels, revealing a smooth gray layer underneath. The prized leaves and bark make it a beautiful companion all year-round, but it reaches its best colors under the southern summer sun. The blossoms range in shades of white, pink, magenta, fuchsia, lavender, and red. They also grow in dwarf varieties ranging from 6-18’ tall. If you need really small Crapes for a tight spot—try Pokomoke or Princess Lela; they only get 3-4’ tall and bloom all summer.
Spireas are some of the most popular shrubs across Arkansas. Many varieties bloom all the way from spring into fall, often with a backdrop of bright yellow-green or gold leaves. The leaves alone add color to your summer garden. The traditional Bridal Wreath Spirea displays graceful clusters of white flowers in early spring. Newer varieties such as Rose Creek and Kaleidoscope bloom in summer on shorter, tighter plants that require much less pruning. These spireas are also semi-evergreen so they will hold their leaves far into winter. As one of the smaller shrubs, they’re perfect for weaving into your perennial garden, lending color to neglected spaces, or beautifying any open area with long-lasting blossoms.
If you’re lucky enough to have azaleas, then you’ve already enjoyed their beautiful spring flowers. Ordinary azaleas take the hot months off to grow and prepare for next season. But newer re-blooming varieties, like Encores and Bloom-a-Thon azaleas, take a short pause and bloom again in July right until the first hard frost tells them to rest. Azaleas are relatively low maintenance, requiring minimal pruning. The light requirements can vary by variety, but typically it's best to use azaleas to light up a shady spot in the yard.
This list of shrubs is star-studded, and the hydrangea is no exception. We could write a whole blog about the Mophead, Paniculata and Bigleaf hydrangeas, and all the varieties among each type. Most hydrangeas are as hardy as they are beautiful. Their huge globes of flowers have been bred for centuries and are enjoyed all over the world. They often outshine many perennials and even make beautiful cut flowers! Many blossoms start off white and change to pink or red throughout the summer. Other flowers change from purple to red or light blue, depending on your soil conditions. While many of them like moisture (as their name has the root word, “hydra,” meaning water), they are relatively easy to satisfy and reward you all summer long. One of the most popular hydrangeas in the past few years has been Limelight and Little Lime Hydrangea. They can take more sun than most hydrangeas and they bloom their heads off from mid-July all the way through Fall frost.
Crape myrtles, spirea, azaleas, and hydrangeas are some of the treasures of the landscaping world. Horticulturalists and plant breeders have been working for years to produce these special shrubs. They will thrive for many decades in your landscape and display a profusion of blooms throughout the hot months.
