Native Flowers, Summer Sun and Red, White & Blue

Three perennials for guaranteed early July flowers.

Blue Skullcap Flowering in Full Sun on a Hot Day

If you have stopped by a garden center recently, you may have been greeted with all sorts of red, white and blue festive combinations of annual flowers. It's easy to give yourself red, white and blue flower choices in early July using native perennials which will keep on giving year to year!

scarlet bee balm

narrow leafed mountain mint

downy skullcap

For gardeners looking to be more sustainable, one thing we can do is to plant more perennials and fewer annuals, unless you are growing annuals from seed. Planting a perennial instead of an annual means you use less plastic, generate less trucking of plants and, if you plant native perennials, your plants will support the full life cycle of insects, so you get more ecological benefit in your garden. The best news is these are really interesting flowers too!

Red Flowers for Full Sun

If there were a flower to inspire fireworks, this just may be it! In late June, scarlet bee balm (Monarda didyma) begins to bloom and flowers last for a couple of weeks. This bee balm blooms best in full sun and moist soils. In my experience, you can grow this bee balm in average moisture soils but it will only last a few years before it sort of fades away. Drier conditions also tend to increase the likelihood of powdery mildew. If you have moist, hummus soils and full sun though you will have a beautiful stand of these. Out in the wild, the Missouri Botanical Garden tells us these flowers grow in thickets, along stream banks and edges of moist woods.

flowering in dappled shade

photo by Maria Sheehan

These perennials will also bloom in part shade though you will get fewer flowers and stems can tend to flop a bit. Still beautiful though! As an extra added bonus, when Mt. Cuba Center, tested plants to determine which flowers were most attractive to hummingbirds, red bee balm, Monarda didyma 'jacob cline'  was the clear winner. This is the red bee balm you will frequently find in native plant nurseries and garden centers.

White Flowers for Full Sun

Narrow Leafed Mountain Mint Growing in Full Sun

Narrow leafed mountain mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium) provides pops of white for weeks on end. This mountain mint grows and flowers in full sun or part shade though the stems seem to stay more upright in full sun. It is said to be very versatile in terms of growing conditions, soils and moisture. It grows well in my garden in dry alkaline and clay soils. The North Carolina Extension Service reports that it prefers acidic soils can tolerate both dry and wet conditions from time to time. It starts to bloom in the middle of the Chesapeake watershed in late June and continues on for weeks. The North Carolina Extension Service also says it can spread rapidly and benefits from some sort of containment. I have not experienced that which may be because I do not have acidic soils. Definitely something to be aware of if you plan to grow this plant though! You can find these plants for sale at your favorite native plant nursery.

Blue Flowers for Full Sun

Downy Skullcaps

Downy skullcap (Scutellaria incana) is a long blooming perennial which will thrive in full sun and part shade and can easily grow in dry soils once established. It also grows well in clay soils.

Downy skullcap grows 3 to 4 feet high and here, in the middle of the Chesapeake watershed, downy skullcap begins to bloom in mid to late June and last for weeks and weeks. In my garden with dry alkaline clay, downy skullcap spreads ever so gently. Over four years, five quart sized plants now create a ten foot drift. The more shade it gets, the more likely stems are to splay. That said, the floppers can easily be cut back. Once blooms begin to fade and flowers drop, the remaining calyx are architectural and green creating their own texture. Those eventually turn brown but a fairly good for winter interest. These plants are sold at native plant nurseries and increasingly at garden centers.

These perennials share bloom times, an ability to withstand hot conditions and full sun if planted in the right place and a perfect red, white and blue color palette for the 4th of July. They make good cut flowers too so you can enjoy indoors or out!

Happy Gardening,