Whether you’re a barbecuer, gardener or sunbather, with the weather finally warming up, it’s time to make your garden summer-ready. Today we’re thinking about some simple, natural additions you can make to your outdoor space to make it as welcoming – both to you and wildlife – as possible. Here are 6 plants you need to have in your garden this summer.
POND PLANTS
A very fine line exists between a pond alive with vibrancy and activity and one which resembles a dirty puddle. Falling on the right side of that line is usually most aptly defined by the presence of pond plants, which draw life and colour to this feature of the garden.
With a pond, you can create more biodiversity in your garden with ease, attracting insects, birds, and frogs to your garden, all of which elevate that summery, organic feel in your outdoor space.
The guys at Gardeners’ World recommend that when introducing pond plants ‘’ensure you have a good mix of oxygenating, floating and marginal plants, to provide habitat and cover for all depths of water’’.
They go on to detail several pond plants native to the UK and ideally suited for ponds here. These include:
- Water lilies – Nymphaea alba and Nymphaea lutea
- Water violet
- Frogbit
- Water Forget-me-not
- Marsh Marigold
- Water mint
- Purple loosestrife
Read: 10 ways to make your garden wildlife friendly
BEE FRIENDLY PLANTS
Speaking of creating more biodiversity, there’s no sight (and sound!) more synonymous with warmer garden weather than that of buzzing bees.
You can make your garden more bee friendly by introducing several plants that they particularly love. Some of the best include crocuses, lavender, zinnias, echinacea and sunflowers.
Not only will you be making your garden a hive of activity, but you’ll be doing your bit for the environment, too.
HORTENSIAS FOR A BEAUTIFUL COLOUR PALETTE
Hortensias, also known as hydrangeas, are beautiful flowers that brighten up and come into life during the spring and summer months. Accordingly, they create a true visual spectacle in your garden with their bright pink, purple, and light-yellow colours. Besides that, they are maintenance-friendly and can survive for many years. That said, they do love moist earth, with experts recommending a good dose of water a few times a week, rather than a little each day.
ALOE VERA
Summers in England are getting hotter, make no mistake. While you should always wear sunscreen when you’re outside, accidents happen, and if you suffer from sunburn this summer, then this is a plant you should have in your garden to provide some much needed relief.
Though you’ll likely have to move your aloe vera inside for winter (it can’t survive the UK’s colder temperature, and won’t do well below 10°C), it will thrive outdoors in summer. Anyway, back to those benefits…aloe vera is a calming balm for sunburn; you can break one of the leaves of the plant and rub the jelly-like inside against the skin. Soothing, indeed. Even better, this guy only requires watering once a fortnight or so; just remember to keep your aloe vera in your garden’s sunspot, should you have one.
BAMBOOZLE
‘Bam’ would also be a good description for this plant – the onomatopoeic nature of the name chiming with the speed at which it explodes into life in a summer garden. Maybe a bit of a reach, that one?
Anyway…considering it grows so enthusiastically, bamboo is excellent for creating an element of privacy and shade in your garden during those months when you’d rather be lounging out there in your swimwear.
Umbrella Bamboo (Fargesia Murielae) which on average stands at four metres tall and just requires some sturdy canes for support, is one of the best options available, with the thick shrubbery offering privacy and shade effortlessly. What’s more, it requires little upkeep; just trim it back each June or July and water judiciously when the plant re-emerges.
SUMMER CROPS
Finally, for those who love to grow-their-own, the summer is the most fruitful, thrilling time of year, with everything from strawberries to broad beans, late season asparagus and elderflower all ripe for the picking. Of course, you’ll have to plant these some months in advance, but in using a little foresight, you can enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables in the garden all summer long! Idyllic stuff, indeed.