July can be the blank out gardening calendar month . The inflammation of new annuals and planting may be starting to evanesce out as vacation and kin barbecues move to the forefront in midsummer . The heavy rainfall in June could almost make us forget that our darling plant still postulate a drink . We tend to overlook deadheading as we focus on other project . Not to refer “ Who will tend to the garden while I am away on vacation ? ” — sometimes leading to a crispy brown flowerbed upon coming back . The same affair often materialize in nurseries and garden memory as the wilted plant life are now dismiss . Is summer over ? Is there no blossom impart ?
July can be full of efflorescence ! Your ornamental garden can expand with less maintenance if you impart native plants , which means more time for menage sport and summertime holiday .
Cardinal flower(Lobelia cardinalis )
It is believed that the French queen Henrietta laughed when this flower was introduced to Europe in 1626 . It remind her of the richly - ranking official in the Roman Catholic Church , and therefore , was named after the cardinals ’ bright blood-red robes . Its genus — Lobelia — was key out after the Gallic botanist Matthias de L’Obel , who save under the name Lobelius . The key flower is in the Eustoma grandiflorum house , Campanulaceae . It ego - seed and sends out shoots . It can be divided after a few years . It grows well in moist , robust , organic soil ( pH 5.5 - 7 ) , and it will thrive in filtered light with morning sunshine . The basal leaves are evergreen so that they can store push for future works . The cardinal flower is cross-pollinate by hummingbirds . They are the only pollinators with tenacious enough tongues to progress to the ambrosia through the long cannular enactment . When it reaches this sweet-smelling drink , the hummingbird ’s head will get covered in pollen . Lobelia cardinalisis considered to be deer resistant !
beak fundamental blossom in the wilderness has bring down its universe . Please await and do not pick when finding these splendid creature in nature . Although Native Americans were known to use this plant for typhoid fever and stomach ill , it is conceive highly toxic .
I had always assumed that the native central flower would be a beautiful , hardy , and easy - going plant to introduce into the July cosmetic garden . However , a recent event gave me pause . It all begin when the possessor of one of the garden I tend ask me if I had pulled up a cardinal flower during an early outpouring clean - up . I was jolly certain I had n’t , but the perennial was n’t showing signs of turn back this summer . I was absolutely frenetic . What had go on ? For a passionate gardener , there is nothing forged than guess you accidentally root out a beloved plant .
After , more inquiry , reconnaissance mission , and reflect flora logical system as well as my own action , I make up one’s mind there could be many factors as to why the central works might not return every year in the same position . First , ( to my dismay ) I had to admit that I might have unintentionally picked it out . Perhaps the cold this year had kill it . Also , I have read that cardinal heyday can be unawares - survive . The plant might be lose for reasons I just ca n’t know ! Yet , with all the whodunit this plant can call forth , it does total a marvellous amount of vibrancy , so it ’s well - deserving a gardener ’s efforts .
But I do recommend withdraw care when clean up around key flowers in the fall or early spring . And do n’t overspread the mulch too thickly ; you do n’t want to cover up the basis of the plant , or seed or new seedling . This flora has evergreen basal leave which need picture to the Dominicus for continued photosynthesis through the winter . A mulch can be tucked underneath the leaves to protect the shallow origin through wintertime , but the flora may die if the basal rosettes are covered with leaves or mulch . Va. NativePlantSociety / vnps.org / wild flower - of - the - year/1991 - redbird - flower - lobelia - cardinalis .
I have read that the bully blue lobelia ( Lobelia siphilitica ) — cousin to the cardinal flower — may be well-off to grow , and has a similar preference for moist soil . Rain , peat bog gardens , or wet smear would be ideal spaces to grow the blue lobelia . These industrial plant of course grow next to streams and therefore could be planted near decorative ponds and on the banks of water features . The vivid color and shape of these plants sure makes the indeterminate final result of its restitution worth the journeying .
Digital resources for Cardinal flower :
www.Univ.ArkansasExtension.edu/cardinal-flower
www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/in-bloom/cardinal-flower
https://virginiawildflowers.org/2024-12-24/cardinal-flower/
VaNativePlantSociety.org/wildflowers-of-the-year/1991-cardinal-flower-lobelia-cardinalis/
Turk ’s cap lily ( Liliumsuperbum )
I want to observe the Turk ’s roof because it is part of the family Liliaceae , the first recorded plants . They were documented as the ancient Hellenic flowers of Hera and as Eve ’s tears when she was banish from the garden of Eden . It is glorious to opine about how this beautiful flower has been looked upon for thousands of years and yet still grows in our gardens today . I have n’t seen Turk ’s hood in any of the gardens I work in , probably due to the fact that deer love to eat them — so much that the overpopulation of cervid due to urban conurbation has almost pass over out Turk ’s cap . Named from the the petals that curve backward like a hat , this plant is hardy and likes moist rich soils like the cardinal flora ( pH 5 - 6.6 ) . It can grow in partial tad , needing to sunbathe at least two hours a mean solar day . What ’s unusual about this plant — in improver to its vast , multiple blooms — is its predilection for very dampish soil .
I have been work with an owner at a declamatory historical land in the south of Charlottesville incorporating natives into his decorative beds . He ask us if we could bushel the areas by the pool by plant the so - called “ Panthera tigris lilies . ” He think of his female parent feature these plant in these beds when he was a child . He was refer to the non - native orangish daylillies — genusHemerocallis — that have miss cultivation and oftentimes appear on our roadsides . I went forward and planted the “ Panthera tigris lily ” because that is what he want , although I should have further him to plant Turk ’s cap because it is the aboriginal plant . I ’m now hoping that we can remove the daylily and replace them with Turk ’s caps . Of of course , we will need to insure the proper moisture story and guarantee the bed with deer resistant borders in gild for the Turk ’s crownwork layer to be a success .
Digital resources for Turk ’s chapiter :
http://www.mlbs.virginia.edu/organism/lilium_superbum
https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/earth-friendly/turks-cap-lily
www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/LiliumSuperbum
Sundrops ( Oenotherafruticosa )
I really visualize the evening primrose family . I conjecture the initial connection is the reminder of my aboriginal Mississippi land . These fragile blossom bring back childhood days of picking lot of buttercups and playing with them in a fairy land of pinkish and yellow petals . The pink primroses grow tempestuous on the banks of High Street near the bus stop . I pass them daily on my way home and the sight always pleases me after a difficult day of gardening . It puts everything I have done into retrospect . The simple life . The pleasure of uninterrupted growth without the touching of the human hired hand .
I observe the yellow sundrops in a garden I work in this year and found this intense yellow color a very glad and therapeutic delight . It really allured me to its presence this year as if to assure its recognition into the ornamental garden . ) . Cherokee Indians are get it on to have used this plant for its medicinal properties .
This plant is well-off to grow in fair to moderately fertile , well - drained land ( pH 5 - 6 ) in full sun . It can tolerate short soil and light shade . If its foliage declination in summer after bloom , you may cut the stems back to the basal little potato . Sundrops will easy overspread via these basal rosettes .
Digital resources for sundrops :
www.MissouriBotanicalGarden.org/PlantFinder
https://virginiawildflowers.org/2024-12-28/sundrops/
imperial coneflower(Echinacea purpurea )
This voguish immune - boosting plant is a go - to with Black - eyed Susan for a hardy , low maintenance long prime in the summertime . It can reseed itself and can be divided in the fall . It grows most anywhere , except in really smashed , squashy soils . It tends to come back with blaze each and every year .
Black - eyed Susan(Rudbeckia fulgida or hirta )
My family called my sister “ Black - eyed Susan ” because she is the only one in the kin with dark brown eyes . Since they call me “ Coconut ” because I was so hardheaded , Black - eyed Susan remain more forever dear to my heart . I love the idea being hollo a beautiful flower rather than a orchis with an impermeable shell ! This flora , like the coneflower , is in the aster family , sometimes called the sunflower family . Just a Federal Reserve note : I adore the sunflower so much that I still bound with joyousness whenever I see them . It becomes quite the annoyance with my crime syndicate when it startles them . Below there is a link from the Virginia wildflower site that talk over the differences between the orange coneflower and Black - eyed Susan . Orange coneflowers rise most anywhere as well and can tolerate a muckle . Therefore these flower together can get out a endure impression all summer and provide nutrient for the shuttle in winter .
Digital resources for coneflower and bootleg - eyed Susan :
www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/Echinacea purpurea
www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/Rudbeckiahirta
www.MissouriBotanicalGarden.org/Rudbeckia fulgida
https://virginiawildflowers.org/2025-04-07/purple-coneflower/
https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_ecpu.pdf
https://virginiawildflowers.org/2025-02-02/orange-coneflower/
https://virginiawildflowers.org/2025-05-29/black-eyed-susans/
Bee Balm(Monarda )
This is another plant I ’d like to suggest for low maintenance — Monarda . It is colored and draw many pollinators . There are many species of this plant life that you may blame up from local nurseries . It grow well with planats having similar pH and soil types , such as majestic coneflower and Black - eyed Susans . Bee Balm can be an fast-growing spreader and may need to be discourage from develop too wildly in ornamental beds .
The list of July blooming natives is rather long . To encourage the refurbishment of native summer boner and to regain even more choices that will suit your particular motivation , please see the surveil plants and bet at their inter-group communication . These natives can also be get hold in the book referenced at the end of the article .
xanthous - Fringed Orchid(Platanthera ciliariaris )
https://virginiawildflowers.org/2025-03-04/yellow-fringed-orchid/
https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/platanthera_ciliaris.shtml
Coreopsis
https://virginiawildflowers.org/2025-05-11/lance-leaved-coreopsis/
https://ngb.org/year-of-the-coreopsis/
Strawberry bush(Euonymus americanus )
https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_euam7.pdf
https://mgnv.org/euonymus-americanus-strawberry-bush/
There are so many delicious native plant that can be bring out to decorative gardens . These blooms can be so enticing that mid - summer horticulture will not be forgotten nor neglect . Plus , by incorporating them into your beds , you may have an easier time maintaining your gardens , which could create less strain when plan vacation and fellowship barbecues .
generator :
Gardening with Native Wild Flowers(Samuel B. Jones , Jr. , and Leonard E. Foote , 1997 )
Growing and Propagating Wild Flowers(Phillips , 1985 )
The New England Wild Flower Society Guide to Growing and Propagating Wildflowers of the United States and Canada(Cullina , 2000 )
Native Plants of the Northeast : A scout for Gardening and Conservation(Leopold , 2005 )
southeasterly Wildflowers(Midgley , 1999 )
wildflower Around the Year ( Ryden , 2001 )
Wildflowers in Color : A Field Guide to More Than 250 Wildflowers of Eastern North America ( Stupka , 1994 )
Wildflowers of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains ( Adkins , 2005 )
