In a wheelbarrow, on the wall, or in the vegetable patch—7 ways to use summer flowers beautifully
Summer flowers have their place in pots, perennial beds, as well as formal gardens.
1. A new life for the wheelbarrow
Old wheelbarrows, cauldrons, wooden vats, bathtubs—fill them all with blooms! One large arrangement often makes a bolder statement than several small ones. This charmingly cascading arrangement in a summer cottage garden features cascading geranium, fireworks geranium, mealycup sage, and cushion bush. They can all handle a bit of dryness.
Make the most of the planting space
Remember to drill holes in the bottom of the container, because even a large container can fill quickly with rainwater and drown the roots. Don’t skimp on soil, so you won’t have to water constantly and the plants will have enough nutrients.
2. Relaxed yet structured
The shaped boxwood hedges create an intriguing contrast to the meadow-like flowerbeds at Sofiero Garden in Sweden. Gaura, which has become trendy again, is actually a perennial but isn’t winter-hardy in Finland, so we grow it as a summer flower. It’s paired with the annual floss flower. You can swap out boxwood for the more resilient alpine currant.
3. Always in bloom
Besides dedicated summer flower beds, it’s worth enriching perennial beds with summer flowers too. You’ll get abundant, continuous blooms, and you can change up your perennial bed’s look each year. You might want orange this summer, and next year, maybe purple! By experimenting with different combinations, you’ll find summer flowers whose colors and growth habits complement your perennials best. This bed bordered by stones features marigolds and dahlias.
Create designated spots
You’ll find it easiest to grow summer flowers among perennials if you plan designated spots for them. You can design the bed’s look ahead of time during winter and save space for the annuals when the season starts. If the summer flowers have their own areas, it’s also easy to fertilize them more generously than the rest of the bed.
4. An eye-catcher
A well of eternal summer or a flower basket made of stone? In this garden, summer flowers have truly been placed on a pedestal. The owners of this garden spotted the inspiration for the stone summer flower basket in Estonia and replicated it in their own garden. They fill the basket with the most beautiful summer flowers. A black-eyed Susan vine twines around the basket’s handle, there’s a dahlia in the center, and blue bacopa spills over the edges.
Build it sturdy
If they’re available, use rocks from your own property for stone structures. If needed, secure the stones with mortar so the structure is stable. In the stone basket pictured, an iron bar supports the stones of the handle.
5. Decoys and enrichment
In the vegetable garden, flowers can play many roles. Beyond attracting pollinators and delighting the gardener, certain flowers can help drive pests away from crops. Annuals can also enrich plots where nothing is currently growing. Good green manure flowers include hairy vetch, phacelia, sunflower, crimson clover, and Persian clover.
6. A touch of romance
A geranium on the windowsill is a classic. Sometimes you don’t need many flowers or different varieties—just one single-variety arrangement can be the perfect finishing touch, as with the wall of this old house. The pale pink blooms of the cascading geranium pop beautifully against the lush greenery and the gray wall. Window sills and entrances are tried and true spots for summer flowers—welcome to our home!
7. The power of repetition
With summer flowers, you can go wild by growing a delightful mix in various containers, or create a harmonious group by using similar pots and repeating flowers that match in color and growth habit. Here, lobelia and million bells were chosen for the wall-mounted planters. They continue to bloom even if you don’t pinch off the withered blossoms.
Hang them on the wall
If possible, make use of vertical space in your garden or on your balcony by growing climbing plants or by attaching shelves or sturdy hooks to walls, making it easy to hang pots.
