The summer heat can be brutal in Nashville, and not just for us humans. Our lawns and landscaping can suffer in high heat and drought conditions, but they don’t have to. Here are some plants you can incorporate into your landscaping that will thrive in the summer sun.
Heat-Tolerant Flowers
Want to enhance your landscaping with pops of color but worry about keeping your flowers cared for in the dog days of summer? What plants can take full summer sun? Many flowers are capable of holding up despite the highest heat. Fortunately for anyone with a green thumb, there are tons of flowers that can grow just fine in hot, dry climates like Nashville. Some plants have adapted to high heat and low moisture conditions through environmental changes over the course of generations, while others have been cultivated by botanists to withstand warmer climates. Take the summer snapdragon, for example. Snapdragons are notoriously hard to grow in hot areas, but the hardier cultivar, the summer snapdragon, does just fine. These flowers grow tall or trailing (which means they spread out horizontally on the ground or dangle from hanging pots), with blossoms that can be blue, red, pink, white, or lavender. While they do need regular watering and a boost in the form of liquid fertilizer from time to time, they are very good at growing in full sunlight. They also attract butterflies and aren’t particularly tasty to deer, making them a great option for watching wildlife without worrying about them ruining your hard work.
If you want to plant flowers in summer, you’ve probably heard that lavender is a great bet. This is because lavender is native to the Mediterranean, making it especially resistant to the heat of the summer sun. Lavender provides beautiful color to any landscape and spreads well across garden beds. Lavender is also renowned for its pleasant fragrance, which makes it particularly nice to walk among on a lazy summer evening. As for watering, these perennial plants only need to be hydrated every few weeks unless drought conditions are extreme. In this case, you may need to bump up the watering to a weekly schedule until things get back to normal.
Another great floral candidate for your Nashville landscape this summer is the purple coneflower. These flowers grow quite tall, and their purple blossoms feature large, seed-covered cones. They attract a great deal of pollinators, such as butterflies and finches, which feed on the seeds as they ripen. They grow well in most soil types and need regular (but not frequent) watering, making them one of the best plants to plant in summer.
Drought-Resistant Ground Cover
Ground cover is ideal for garden beds that need to be filled in and can provide a verdant, green hue to every inch of your landscaping. Ground cover and shrubs are known for their hardiness, and if you’re in Nashville, this is what to plant in the summer. Hostas are great for garden beds because, while they do spread, the spread is slow. This helps keep them in their designated areas of a garden bed with minimal pruning, making them easily managed throughout the season. Hostas are most notable for their large heart- or oval-shaped leaves that are usually deep green, but they do flower in the late spring in Nashville. These flowers attract pollinators like most flowers do, but the leaves are attractive to deer. They grow well in partial shade but can stand up to some pretty dry conditions, provided they’re watered regularly.
Looking for something a bit different from the other ground covers you see around Nashville gardens? Try mondo grass. These blanketing plants spread well, stay green all year round, and can tolerate full sun or some shade. The grass-like foliage grows about eight inches tall if not trimmed (it can be mowed like grass, just once a year in the late winter) and even sprouts some beautiful blue berries in the fall. Overall, mondo grass is a very drought-resistant ground cover plant that can spread in problem areas of your garden even in the hottest days of summer.
Sun-Resistant Shrubbery
Shrubbery is an excellent way to give your landscaping a flowing feeling, which also guides the eye along paths or can serve to hide things. Shrubs are versatile aspects of any green space, and they can provide a great deal of protection to the soil in a garden via their roots. This makes them helpful in areas with drainage concerns, and they can be planted alongside smaller, more delicate plants like flowers to give them protection from the elements. But not every type of shrub is ready to put up with Nashville’s harsh summer sun. If you’re looking for some shrubbery to diversify your landscaping but need to ensure you’re choosing drought-resistant plants, we have some picks for you.
One great option for heat-tolerant shrubbery is boxwoods. There are many types of boxwood shrubs that can be planted as decorative elements and borders for your gardens, so make sure you’re getting a cultivar that can withstand dry, hot summer days. Boxwood shrubs can be shaped quite easily to suit whatever style you need and can be pruned even in the summer. These shrubs grow dense and stay green, even when drought conditions are extreme.
Another colorful summer shrub to consider for your Nashville landscaping is the camellia. These hardy, thick shrubs can grow over 10 feet tall and produce flowers in the fall. They require very little care in terms of watering, making them a great drought-proof option for home and business owners looking for privacy shrubs. They do need some protection from sunlight, so they grow best in partially shaded areas. They are evergreen, meaning they’ll give your landscaping a pop of color all year long.
Don’t Let the Heat Foil Your Garden
Overall, there are several landscaping options available for individuals concerned about Nashville’s hot summers. If you’re looking for help with your lawn and garden this summer, from planting and installation all the way to weekly maintenance, look no further than the experts at The Parke Company.