If you're like us......love to garden but not quite so much when the weather gets hot and sticky. You may even spend a little time thinking up lots of interesting excuses for staying inside. Well here is a little list of summer, tough and carefree plants.
The first one is the Pentas. They are wonderful and tough......you can get them in many different colors like white, shades of pink, fuchsia, lavender, some bicolor.....short types or tall. Some even do well in pots or hanging baskets. They will do well in areas that get a little shade but prefer full sun.
Whirling Butterflies is a new favorite of ours even though they've been around for awhile. Small pink or white flowers on tall wispy stems can be a pretty addition to a sunny garden. You can grow them in pots or plant them right in the ground.
Caladiums are the toughest shade loving plants.......they come in just about any color arrangement and design you can imagine. Springtime is when you probably first notice the bulbs at the garden center as they're displayed very obviously.....but they are still available to plant. And....even better.....you may also find them as a full sized plant. Good plant for a shady area around your pool or in a shade garden. Caladiums will die back in the late fall but will return better than ever the following spring.
Mona Lavender is another new favorite of ours. It's been around but we?ve recently found out what a tough plant it really is. We planted 3 of them in separate large pots to be placed on some tall wooden planters. Two of the plants were new and one we had for awhile which was very pretty with nice dark green foliage and full of clusters of beautiful purple flowers. After a few days we had a very windy day and the poor older plant broke in pieces. But.....soon after it recovered perfectly and looks as beautiful or more so than the others.
Finally an old favorite of ours.....the marigold. They are the toughest plant. You?ll find them in many colors from yellows, golds or variegated.......large flowering or small. Prune off spent flowers and the plant will look new all summer and well into the fall.