Sun’s Out, Spades Out: What to Plant This Summer

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy your garden, patio or balcony. With longer days and plenty of plants in flower, outdoor spaces can be filled with colour, fragrance and life.

Whether you are refreshing a few pots by the door, filling gaps in your borders or starting a small grow-your-own project, there is still plenty you can plant and sow during the summer months.

In this week’s Monday Garden Guide, we are sharing a simple overview of what you can plant now and how to help it thrive throughout the season.

Summer Is Not Too Late to Plant

Although spring and autumn are generally the easiest times to establish many permanent plants, summer still offers plenty of planting opportunities.

Summer bedding, patio plants, container-grown perennials and many herbs and salad crops can all be planted or sown at this time of year. Container-grown plants can usually be planted during summer, provided the ground is not frozen, waterlogged or extremely dry.

Try to avoid planting during the hottest part of a heatwave. Choose a cooler or overcast day where possible, water plants thoroughly before planting and continue watering regularly while their roots become established.

Warm soil can support root growth, but newly planted specimens can dry out quickly in hot or windy weather. Careful watering is therefore particularly important during summer.

Add Instant Colour to Your Garden

Summer bedding plants are one of the quickest and easiest ways to brighten a tired-looking outdoor space.

They are ideal for:

• Pots and containers

• Hanging baskets

• Window boxes

• Patio displays

• Gaps at the front of borders

Choose bold colours for a lively summer display or combine softer shades for a more relaxed look. For the best results, select plants suited to the amount of sunlight the area receives and use a suitable peat-free compost when planting containers.

Summer containers can be planted with seasonal bedding or hardy perennials, allowing even a small patio, balcony or entrance to become a colourful garden feature.

Next week’s Monday Garden Guide will look more closely at the best summer bedding plants for pots and borders.

Grow Something Fresh and Tasty

Summer is also a good time to grow fresh ingredients at home. Many herbs and salad leaves grow well in containers, raised beds, growing bags and small gardens.

Quick-growing salad leaves can be sown outdoors from mid-spring until late summer. Sow small amounts regularly rather than planting everything at once to help provide a steady supply of fresh leaves.

Depending on the time of summer, suitable crops may include:

• Lettuce and mixed salad leaves

• Rocket

• Mizuna and other Oriental leaves

• Coriander

• Dill

• Parsley

• Chives

• Mint

• Thyme

Some leafy crops can struggle or run to seed quickly during very hot weather. During hotter periods, place containers in light shade, keep the compost evenly moist and consider choosing crops that perform well later in the season, such as mizuna, pak choi and other Oriental leaves.

Coriander and dill can be sown little and often throughout spring and summer for repeated harvests.

If you are new to grow-your-own gardening, begin with a few pots of herbs or a container of salad leaves. They are easy to manage, useful in the kitchen and suitable for many smaller spaces.

Choose Plants for Bees and Other Pollinators

A summer garden is not only for us to enjoy. Bees, butterflies, hoverflies and other pollinating insects visit flowers in search of nectar and pollen.

Growing a varied selection of flowers with different shapes and flowering periods can help support a wider range of pollinators. The RHS recommends combining suitable native and non-native flowering plants to provide food across as much of the year as possible.

Good summer choices may include:

• Lavender

• Salvia

• Verbena

• Thyme

• Marjoram

• Hardy geraniums

• Echinacea

• Single-flowered dahlias

• Buddleja

Even a small patio, balcony or window box can provide useful flowers for visiting insects. Look for plants carrying the RHS Plants for Pollinators logo when selecting suitable varieties.

Avoid using pesticides on flowering plants whenever possible, as these may harm beneficial insects.

Over the coming weeks, we will share more ideas for bee-friendly planting and wildlife-friendly garden choices.

Refresh Pots, Baskets and Borders

Summer is a good time to inspect your pots, hanging baskets and borders to see where a little attention is needed.

Remove faded flowers regularly to keep displays tidy and encourage many bedding plants to continue flowering. Trim back damaged or tired growth and replace any plants that have failed.

Containers that are already planted do not usually need all their compost replaced during the growing season. Instead, remove weeds and fallen leaves, top up with fresh peat-free compost where required and begin feeding if the nutrients in the original compost are likely to have been used.

Gaps in borders can be filled with suitable container-grown perennials or seasonal plants. Check each plant’s eventual height and spread before planting so it has enough room to develop.

Move containers around to brighten entrances, seating areas and other prominent parts of the garden, but make sure each plant remains in a position suited to its preferred level of sun or shade.

Keep Plants Watered, Fed and Healthy

Watering is one of the most important summer gardening jobs. Newly planted specimens, vegetables, pots and hanging baskets can dry out quickly, particularly during hot, sunny or windy weather.

Check container compost regularly by feeling below the surface rather than judging it by appearance alone. Smaller pots and hanging baskets may need checking every day and, during very hot weather, some containers may require watering twice daily.

Water slowly and thoroughly so moisture reaches the roots. Avoid giving plants frequent, light splashes, as these may only wet the surface and encourage shallow rooting.

Early morning is generally the best time to water because plants can take up moisture before the warmer part of the day. Evening watering is also suitable when necessary, although it is best to avoid leaving foliage wet overnight where possible.

Flowering container plants may benefit from regular feeding once the nutrients in their compost begin to run low. Always select a feed suited to the type of plant and follow the instructions on the packaging. Applying too much feed can damage plants rather than improve their growth.

A layer of organic mulch around established border plants can help the soil retain moisture and suppress weeds. Keep mulch away from the base of stems to reduce the risk of rotting. The RHS recommends a layer approximately 5–7cm deep around newly planted perennials, leaving a clear gap around the stems.

A Few Summer Planting Tips

For the best chance of success:

• Choose plants suited to your garden’s soil, light levels and available space.

• Water container-grown plants thoroughly before removing them from their pots.

• Plant during cooler parts of the day and avoid periods of extreme heat.

• Water thoroughly after planting, even if rain is forecast.

• Continue checking new plants regularly while their roots establish.

• Use peat-free compost formulated for the plants you are growing.

• Apply mulch to moist soil rather than very dry ground.

• Check containers frequently during warm or windy weather.

• Use collected rainwater whenever possible.

Newly planted shrubs and perennials need regular attention beyond their first few days in the ground. Depending on the weather, soil and plant, additional watering may be required throughout the first growing season and during dry periods after that.

Visit Carpenders Park Garden Centre This Summer

Ready to refresh your outdoor space?

Visit Carpenders Park Garden Centre for seasonal plants, summer bedding, perennials, herbs, vegetable plants, peat-free compost, pots, hanging baskets, bark, plant feeds and gardening essentials.

Whether you want instant colour, fresh herbs, a pollinator-friendly display or a simple patio refresh, there is still plenty to plant, grow and enjoy this summer.

Sun’s out, spades out – it’s time to get planting.

Coming Next Week

Next week in our Monday Garden Guide, we will be focusing on instant colour and sharing some of the best bedding plants for summer pots and borders.