Each year, Memorial Day not only marks the beginning of summer, but it also heralds planting season! If you’ve been thinking about adding more foliage and color to your lawn, now’s the time to get started.
The first step is walking around your yard and deciding where you’d like to put your new plants. For areas of your yard that receive between 4-6 hours of daily sunshine, you’ll need plants that like to soak up sunshine.
Below, Alexander Coe, Manager at Auburn Oaks Garden Center in Rochester Hills, shares some of his top picks for plants and flowers to place in the sun. Also, check out his suggestions for the best flowers and plants to grow in shade.
Perennials
Choose these varieties for greens that will come back year after year without replanting.
Veronica (Speedwell): These happy growers will fill any space with flowery spikes of pink, blue, purple or white. Blooming from around spring to autumn, these plants stretch 1 to 3 feet.
Baptisia: Easy to grow, Baptisia include a long stalk with small flowers bursting out like little blooming hats reaching out of the greenery in colors of blue, white and more.
Joe Pye Weed: A prairie flower, these “weeds” produce blooms that appear as though they’re fireworks along the ground. Another plus, notes Coe, these plants attract butterflies.
Annuals
To add pockets of color to your lawn, opt for annuals, which need to be planted again each year.
Wave petunias: These flowers are avid growers that don’t require much TLC. Consider planting some of these in pots, too.
Geraniums: A popular choice for good reason, geraniums grow nicely in the yard, in planters, or even from hanging baskets. They come in a variety of colors have a long bloom time and require little water.
Salvia ‘Wendy’s Wish’: For another butterfly-attracting flower, pick up some Wendy’s Wish. The plants grow a large flower in a deep, fuchsia color.
Looking for flowers to grow in shade? Take a peek at our post all about it.
