How to have a beautiful flower garden all summer long Your garden is a living work of art that changes shape, color and form as the seasons pass. Finding the right plants to make sure Keep the garden blooming your garden is always in bloom takes time and planning. Use this guide to help you find what plants are best for your garden. Every garden is unique, but to make your masterpiece Keeping a journal Plant spacing Texture and leaf type Plant shape Grasses Hostas At least once a month take There’s a saying related to Embrace variety in the Plants can grow in multiple Grasses add height, Beautiful leafy hostas Color theory successful there are a number of factors to keep in mind. a photo of your garden planting perennials: “Second Delphinium dierent types of shapes. Some will grow up structure, texture can bloom flowers pretty There is no right color scheme, Understanding the type of soil you are working with, noting and write down your year creep, third year leap.” textures of your while others grow out. and movement to a enough to cut and put in because it’s a matter of personal taste, thoughts on its progress. This supports the idea that garden. Alongside Shorter plants might form garden as they sway a vase. They are hardy the lighting requirements for your plants and knowing how but here are some dierent ways to Note when flowers come your plants will spread over the your flowering plants a mat in your garden bed. in the wind. They are plants that require little approach color in your garden. often you will be able to water your garden are just a few of into bloom and when they years. So when you plant them include grasses, A variety of these shapes also durable and maintenance. Here are the factors to consider. Then there’s also factors of appearance stop blooming. This will keep in mind how far they will hostas and more to will make your garden easy to grow. The some fun hostas to like color, height, bloom and foliage combinations that can help you next year. grow to avoid overcrowding. create layers and more eye-catching by best grasses are consider for your Analogous movement. Variegated adding nice layers. native here including: garden: Colors near each other make your garden stand out above the rest. Clematis Peony leaves can add Peony • Prairie dropseed • Sum and substance on the color wheel Daylily interest when flowers • Switchgrass • Krossa regal Maintenance Soil quality Zinnia are o-bloom. • Bluestem • June

An inch per week is about the Soil can often have Complement amount of water a garden a clay or sandy Colors directly opposite needs. To keep track of how consistency, which from each other much water your garden is is not ideal for getting you can put in a rain gardening. To help gauge. Another trick to a your plants grow use Triad successful garden is to deadhead organic materials Three colors evenly flowers. This is when you pinch like compost, peat separated on the o the heads of flowers when moss, leaves or color wheel they stop blooming so that new grass clippings to blossoms can grow. enrich your soil.

Cranesbill Stonecrop sedum PERENNIALS Early Spring Mid-Spring Late Spring Early Summer Mid-Summer Late Summer

Forsythia Lilac Delphinium Clematis Hollyhock Aster Height: 4'−10' Height: 4'−20' Height: 2'−5' Height: 5'−15' Height: 5'−6' Height: 2'−5' As a flowering shrub this is one of This fragrant shrub will give your garden The flowers of these tall plants are This climbing vine blooms vibrant Hollyhocks are old-fashioned flowers Native to North America, these the few tall plants that will bloom the smell of spring while blossoming beautiful when cut and brought inside flowers over structures, walls, or even that give a garden a romantic feeling flowers attract natural pollinators and this early in the season. beautiful flowers that are great fresh cut. for floral arrangements. shrubs it crawls over. with their big showy blossoms. make for great fresh cut flowers.

Virginia bluebell Bleeding-heart Peony Daylily Bee balm Goldenrod Height: 6''−2' Height: 2'−3' Height: 2'−3' Height: 18''−4' Height: 30''−3' Height: 2'−5' These native plants attract pollinators These drooping flowers fill a lot of Even though this fragrant flower The daylily is a tough flower. Anyone The flowers of this plant come in Sometimes mistakenly blamed as a like butterflies and bloom early in the space and are popular with children doesn’t bloom all season, they stay can grow them and they come in a multiple colors and are also edible. cause for hay fever, goldenrod flowers season in a cool blue color. because of their sweetheart shape. open and leafy through the summer. wide variety of colors and heights. Bee balm is the flavor in Earl Grey tea. add a yellow glow to any garden.

Bloodroot Creeping phlox Cranesbill Stonecrop sedum Geum Fall blooming crocus Height: 6''−12'' Height: 6'' Height: 6''−18'' Height: 4''−18'' Height: 12''−24'' Height: 6''−10'' This native woodland plant creates large Often used on rock walls and to bring Also known as a hardy geranium, these This spreading mat-forming flower is This flower will add warmth to your These small flowers bloom late in the patches of small white flowers in a new colors to a garden, this small fragrant plants have a long bloom great even after it’s done blooming garden in its bright yellow, orange summer and will even carry over into garden that will spread over the years. flower oers a lot of variety. period and lots of color varieties. because it has nice foliage. red varieties. the early fall season.

SOURCES: Rick Halbach, ANNUALS Klein’s Floral and Greenhouses; Salvia Lantana Zinnia Begonia Celosia Ben Futa, Allen Centennial Garden; While annuals don’t come back every year, UW-Extension; Flora of Wisconsin they keep your garden bright and colorful Height: 18''−3' Height: 12''−24'' Height: 12''−30'' Height: 12''−24'' Height: 12''−24'' Consortium of Wisconsin Herbaria; for the full gardening season. They’re also These are the best annuals for This fragrant flower comes in warm Zinnias come in bright colors and vary in These shade-growing flowers come in Also known as a cockscomb because the USDA Plant database; Cornell University great for attracting pollinators like attracting hummingbirds because they colors that will brighten your garden height. With their unique layered look, a lot of colors and can even be flower resembles a rooster’s feather, celosia LAURA SPARKS, ALLISON GARCIA hummingbirds and butterflies. bloom nonstop throughout the season. and attract butterflies. they add nice color to any garden. brought inside to brighten up a home. makes a beautiful cut flower and is durable. − Wisconsin State Journal