Anyone familiar with summer in the south knows that it can be a struggle to get plants that will continue to bloom all summer long.
Different summer conditions in the south can knock back, cause plants to quit blooming, or even kill them. All southern gardeners want annuals they can plant in April, forget about (however, they will need fertilizer and water as any normal annual would), and will bloom like crazy until the first frost.
With conditions like extreme heat, which is hard on Geraniums, humidity that Petunias really don’t like, the occasional drought that makes New Guinea Impatiens suffer, or the opposite extreme – a tremendously hard rainstorm that can knock back all types of blooming plants
What are you left with?
Actually, there are a ton of choices! There are some real superstars among the All-America Selections Winners that will thrive in the long, hot summer.
Let’s start with my personal favorite – XL hybrid-type Begonias.
I make sure to plant these every year in my garden. They are so easy. Sun or shade is fine. I just add in some slow-release fertilizer when I plant them and then water them regularly until they are established. Last year, I finally pulled them out of my garden when the frost knocked them out on November 15th. That’s 7 months of blooming!
Two great AAS winners are Begonia Viking Explorer Rose on Green, which can be used as a hanging basket or spreading at the front of a garden bed, or Begonia Viking XL Red on Chocolate for a taller variety with the darkest bronze foliage on the market.
Did I bad-mouth Geraniums and Petunias a minute ago? Well, let these winners redeem their genus with fantastic garden performance in the South.
Geranium Calliope Medium Dark Red is an interspecific Geranium that can really take the heat and continue to bloom!
Petunias can be tough.
While they make a fantastic spring annual in the south, the heat and humidity can be really hard on Petunias in the middle of the summer. Two fantastic AAS winners to add to your summer garden that thrive in the heat and humidity are Petunia Wave Carmine Velour and Petunia Bee’s Knees.
Need height in your garden?
How about Colocasia Royal Hawaiian Waikiki (36″ tall), Canna South Pacific Orange (32″ tall), or Verbena bonariensis Vanity (30″ tall).
Looking for some annuals in the hot summer color pallet?
How about Celosia Flamma Orange or Zinnia Profusion Red Yellow Bicolor?
Are warm pinks and apricots more your style?
How about Celosia Burning Embers or Coleus Premium Sun Coral Candy?
