Bayscape Blog 6/22/11

Hot Color for a Hot Summer

By Judy DeFiglio

What a great spring this has been. The blossoms on every tree, shrub and flower have been spectacular and abundant. Maybe that long snowy winter was worth it. The plants sure seem to have liked it. Now summer has arrived with another round of great native plants to put on their show. As the heat kicks it up a notch so does the color in the garden. Lots of the wonderful, drought tolerant natives that bloom in summer have intense colors: sizzling reds, hot oranges and deep golden yellows. Use these to add a spark to your landscape. Bright colors can really give a lift to a tired yard. A word of caution, don’t get carried away by making your whole garden look like it is on fire. Too many “hot” plants close your garden in and make it feel small. Too many intense colors give the garden a chaotic feel instead of the calm, serene feeling we usually like in our garden sanctuaries. Add a few areas of green, white or pastel flowers throughout your landscape to calm and cool things down .

Here are some native plants that welcome the heat of summer and add a great splash of color to your landscape. They can take the heat, they like it dry and an additional bonus, they all attract butterflies to your garden:


 Beebalm (Monarda fistulosa grows 2-3 feet tall with whorls of fragrant pink flowers.

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) grows 2 to 4 feet tall with golden yellow flowers.

Blanketflower (Gaillardia ) 12 to 24 inches tall with red daisy-like flowers tipped with yellow. They bloom all summer long.

Blazing Star (Liatris spicata) grows 2 to4 feet tall with spikes of pinkish purple flowers.

Butterfly weed, (Asclepias tuberosa) 24 inches tall with bright orange clusters of flowers.

New England Aster (Aster Novae-Angliae) up to 60 inches tall with violet to purple flowers in late summer. Attract butterflies

Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) grows 36 inches tall with rosy pink flowers.

Seaside Goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens) 2 to 4 feet tall with masses of golden yellow flowers in late summer.



Don’t forget that native grasses make a wonderful addition to your drought tolerant garden. They add movement, color, texture and interest that lasts through several seasons. A perfect choice to plant between two hot colored plants that may need a little help to blend well together.



Bitter switchgrass (Panicum amarum)- clump forming grass that gets 3 to 4 foot tall it. It can be grown right on the dunes.

Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)-grows up to 3 feet tall and turns a rich shade of red in the winter.

Northern Sea oats ( Chasmanthium latifolium)3 to 4 feet tall with interesting seed heads in fall.

Switchgrass (Panicum virgata) a blue-green bunch grass with attractive fall and winter color it grows 4 to 5 feet tall. a great choice to replace Miscanthus



Keep following this blog for updates on several native plant gardens that are in development around Ocean County. Jakes Branch has started their Native Plant Trail adding 70 new native shrubs and trees along the trail (see picture) and several display gardens are in development. The Ocean County Master Gardeners are currently adding a native garden to their display garden in front of the Ocean County Agriculture Office on Whitesville Rd. When completed these gardens will be great resources for residents to visit to get ideas and information on how to start their own native plant garden.