There is perhaps no more underrated summer activity than gardening. Gardening is exercise that doesn't require hours spent in the gym. Instead, it's an opportunity to spend time in the fresh air and sun. It's meditative, calming, and as challenging as you want it to be. Plus, it's incredibly rewarding, no matter what you're trying to grow. Planning and maintaining a garden that's full of the best summer flowers is as wonderful a hobby as any. And though you may be familiar with spring or fall flowers, it can be harder to know which are just right for those hot, hot summer months.
Even if you don't have the fanciest gardening tools and accessories, choosingthe best flowers to plant that will bloom in summer is actually quite fun. It's as simple as finding some options that work for your garden's particular climate and setting and getting to work. (This USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map can help.) Just make sure you have a refreshing summer drink to look forward to after a hard day of gardening and you'll be all set. If you need ideas about what flowers to begin with when planning your summer garden, here are 30 of the most gorgeous, versatile, and show-stopping summer flower varieties to choose from.
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Mandevilla
In search of a flowering plant to grow up a lattice or fence? Mandevillas are a good option, and as long as they have some shade throughout the day, they should thrive.
If you're searching for something to plant in your garden that looks just as bright and beautiful as a typical flower but is much more interesting, try the Coleus.
Commonly confused with peonies, ranunculus product big, fluffy blooms in a variety of colors. While these flowers do best with the most sun possible, they aren't super compatible with high temperatures, so keep that in mind.
Peonies are a dramatic-looking flower, and that's part of why they're so beloved. Sometimes a single peony in a vase can be prettier than an entire bouquet. For best results, avoid overwatering and plant them in full sun.
Lavender is a classic summer flower, and is also relatively easy to dry at home, which means you can have gorgeous, fragrant dried flowers throughout the colder months of the year, too.
Plant these gorgeous flowers toward the end of summer for best results. Versatile, irises can do well in full-sun and shadier, cooler environments, too.
Commonly confused with sunflowers or daisies, black-eyed Susans are a great summer flower that will bloom year after year with minimal maintenance once its root system is established.
If you live somewhere that tends to get quite dry in the summer, alliums — which are actually wild flowering onions — could be a great choice as they prefer less humid environments.
Like daisies, coreopsis are some of the most low maintenance summer flowers you can find. Plus, they come in a variety of gorgeous colors to add brightness to your garden.
As long as you make sure there are no significant weeds near your dahlias (and that they're in the direction of full sun for most of the day), growing them in the summer should be pretty simple.
It can seem like every summer flower is a shade of pink or red, but this orange-y yellow flower offers something different (though they do come in other shades, too). If you live somewhere with a particularly hot and sun-drenched summer, these would be great flowers for your garden as they can endure high temperatures and constant sun exposure well.
These gorgeous flowers have the same cone-like shape as snapdragons, another popular summer bloom, but they're famous for their blue and purple varieties.
Like most summer flowers, zinnias do best with ample water and sunshine. Otherwise, they aren't very high maintenance at all. Doing best in full sun, make sure to plant these in the brightest, most exposed area of your garden.
There's nothing quite like the smell of a gardenia plant, and they tend to do very well outside in the hot summers. They can also be brought indoors as houseplants during the colder months if you don't have year-round warmth.
This low-maintenance flower will thrive in most environments during the summer, and its gorgeous, wild blooms make a huge impact in a front yard or garden.
Unsurprisingly, this tropical-colored flower thrives in the heat and humidity of summer. Just make sure to water them a ton, especially when they're blooming.
This peculiar-looking flower is ideal for if you're trying to grow taller stems during the summer (those make for the best indoor arrangements, after all). Its bright colors and patterns are just an added bonus.
Scarlet sage is gorgeous and blooms all summer through the fall in most environments, which is great if you're looking for a red or orange flower that will work with fall or holiday decor.
Coming in shades of white, purple, blue, and periwinkle, hydrangeas make a big impact with their tight clusters of bright blooms. You can buy seeds for only single-colored hydrangeas, or choose a mix to be surprised.
You guessed it: Sunflowers love sun, and summer. Plus, they can grow up to 14 feet tall, so watching them bloom and develop over the season is a lot of fun.
Snapdragons bloom in varieties of pink, red, purple, white, and combinations of all of the above. This is part of what makes them so fun to grow — you never know exactly what you'll get!
Olivia MuenterOlivia Muenter is a freelance writer and former fashion and beauty editor who writes about fashion, beauty, lifestyle, relationships, travel, home decor, and more for Woman's Day and beyond.
