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Growing Family

UK home and garden blog sharing ideas, inspiration and tips for busy family life, written by Catherine Hughes

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What to plant now for your Summer garden

February 7, 2017 by Catherine 11 Comments

Plan for your summer garden by sowing seeds and introducing hardy plants in late winter. Check out these easy gardening tips on what to plant now for a beautiful summer garden!

A glorious summer garden.  Sitting here in the depths of winter it feels a long way off, doesn’t it?

Planning for your summer garden by sowing seeds and introducing plants at this time of year may sound a little hasty, but it really isn’t too early to make a start.  It’s actually very sensible to start planning your borders now, because doing so will give you plenty of time to grow a large proportion of plants yourself and save you lots of money – as well as being a great way to get outside and do some gardening.

Homebase have a great range of seeds which you can sow right now that will give you a wonderful display of flowers in late spring and summer.  They also have some lovely shrubs and plants that you can establish now so that they are ready to flourish when the warmer months arrive.  Here’s some inspiration on what to plant now for a fantastic summer garden.

plants for a summer garden sweet peasSweet peas are a must if it’s the cottage-garden look you’re going for, and they also make lovely cut flowers.  Sweet peas are great seeds for children to grow too; the seeds are easy to handle, obligingly easy to grow and happy with heavy-handed watering.  Sowing them indoors now will give you strong, healthy plants when it’s time to plant them out in spring.

plants for a summer garden lobeliaI have a real soft spot for Lobelia, it takes me right back to watering my grandma’s garden containers when I was little.  I love the way their tiny flowers in cool blue and purple hues give a frothy, delicate feel to containers, and you can add extra impact with the foliage if you choose a variety like Crystal Palace.  There are also trailing varieties of Lobelia, which are great for hanging baskets.

plants for a summer garden icelandic poppyWith their delicate, silky petals and masses of blooms, Poppies are fantastic for adding texture and movement to your garden.  I particularly like the Icelandic varieties; they’re quite compact at around 45cm tall, making them a great option for containers and smaller beds, as well as cut flowers.

plants for a summer garden cleomeFor architectural impact you can’t go wrong with Cleome.  They can reach 1.2 metres tall, so position them at the back of beds where they will add structure and a big hit of colour.

plants for a summer garden nasturtiumThere are so many great reasons to grow Nasturtiums; they’re super-easy to grow, they love poor soil, they will climb or trail, and as well as looking wonderful the flowers are edible.  A great option for introducing children to gardening.

plants for a summer garden aquilegiaAquliegias are brilliant for an early Summer display.  I love their delicate flowers and a mixed pack will give you lots of variety.  Aquliegias are renowned for self-seeding, and will happily provide you with lots of new plants for absolutely no effort!

plants for a summer garden snapdragonsSnapdragons (also known as Antirrhinums) are a big hit with children – the cute flowers look like little snapping beaks – but they’re also a versatile bedding plant that’s easy to grow from seed.  They’re quite an old-fashioned flower and suit cottage garden schemes well, but they’re also a great choice for a cutting garden.

plants for a summer garden shasta daisyWho doesn’t love daisies?  Shasta Daisies are tall at around 90cm and they make a great cut flower, as well as providing real structure to a border.  Beneficial pollinating insects will love this plant too, so if you have a wildlife area in your garden this is a great variety to introduce.

plants for a summer garden pansiesPansies are such hardworking plants; they flower forever and are great for containers as well as filling gaps in borders.  If I can find them I go for a mix of cool shades, they look fantastic as the light fades on a summer’s evening.

plants for a summer garden monarda bergamotIf it’s impact and height you want, then Monarda (also known as Bergamot) is a great choice.  Monarda flowers right through the summer into autumn, and works well at the back of a mixed flower border.  It’s a fantastic plant for pollinating insects too.

plants for a summer garden rosesNow is a great time to plant bare-root Roses; they are in a dormant state at this time of year, and planting them now allows them to get established before the growing season.  Tick this job off the list in winter and you’ll be enjoying a fabulous display of flowers from late spring.

plants for a summer garden azaleaEvergreen Azaleas are really hardy and can be planted out now.  They’re compact and work well in containers or the front of a border, where they will retain their leaves all year round and give you a gorgeous display of flowers in spring.  Many varieties also have great colour in autumn too.

I’ve picked my favourites here, but there are many more plants that you can sow or introduce now for a gorgeous summer garden.  When you’ve made your selection, be sure to check the planting instructions on the packet or label; at this time of year some seeds need to be sown indoors and given protection until the risk of frost has passed.  And if you need more inspiration take a look at the great range from Homebase.

What are you planting this month?

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Plan for your summer garden by sowing seeds and introducing hardy plants in late winter. Check out these easy gardening tips on what to plant now for a beautiful summer garden!

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Filed Under: What to Plant Now Tagged With: Flowers, Garden, gardening, Planning, Planting, Plants, Roses, Seeds, Shrubs, Summer, Top Tips, Winter

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Comments

  1. Becky says

    February 14, 2017 at 2:29 pm

    I would need a whole indoor room! Lovely lovely lovely to see so much colour!

    Reply
  2. Lizzie Woodman says

    February 24, 2017 at 6:47 pm

    I love sweet peas and always grow some! I like the sound of Cleome – it sounds like it would do really well with the cosmos I always grow. #HomeEtc

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      February 25, 2017 at 3:40 pm

      Ooh that would be a fantastic combination! My kids grow cosmos in their little plots at our allotment, they love bringing home a little posy every time they visit in the summer 🙂

      Reply
  3. helloitsgemma says

    February 24, 2017 at 10:02 pm

    Glorious, what lovely colours. I particularly love the Cleome, it’s not something I’ve come across before – I think I will seek it out. #homeetc

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      February 25, 2017 at 3:36 pm

      It’s a real showstopper isn’t it – reminds me of fireworks!

      Reply
  4. Elena says

    February 25, 2017 at 9:38 am

    Flowers are so colourful, aren’t they? I am a terrible gardener and I must admit I don’t do much myself but we do have sweet peas in our garden and they are lovely
    #HomeEtc

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      February 25, 2017 at 3:31 pm

      Sweet peas are a real favourite of mine too – I need to get on with planting this year’s seeds actually!

      Reply
  5. Caro | The Twinkle Diaries says

    February 26, 2017 at 3:46 pm

    YES to all of this!!!!! I’m starting to really feel that spring is on the way!! Our garden is FULL of green shoots — bulbs that are going to burst to life very soon. What a lovely, happy pos Catherine! Thanks so much for sharing. I LOVE the Monarda — will be keeping an eye out for it next time I go to the garden centre! xC #HomeEtc

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      February 27, 2017 at 8:20 am

      Our garden is definitely starting to swing from brown to green too – so exciting 🙂 Monarda is an absolute star, so tactile and grand!

      Reply
  6. Jess Soothill says

    February 28, 2017 at 1:00 pm

    Thanks! Needed to read this as we are just discussing the garden and what to plant 🙂 Thanks for sharing, and linking up – much appreciated xx

    Jess – #HomeEtc

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      February 28, 2017 at 1:59 pm

      Ah that’s a lovely job to have on the list – have fun 🙂

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Catherine. Welcome to Growing Family, a top UK home & garden blog sharing ideas, inspiration and tips for making the most of busy family life, indoors and out.
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