Gardeners’ Top Picks July 2020
You won’t want to miss these summertime stunners! Check out our garden team’s top plant picks for July.
Blazing Star (Liatris spicata ‘Kobold’)
Bloom Time: July – August
Sun Requirement: Full sun
Water Requirement: Medium
Wildlife: Birds, butterflies, & hummingbirds
Tolerates: Clay soil, heat & humidity
Native to North America: Yes
Other: Great selection for rain gardens / makes an excellent cut flower
Zones: 3 – 8
Location: Bracken Foundation Children’s Garden
Montbretia (Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’)
Bloom Time: June – August
Sun Requirement: Part sun – shade
Water Requirement: Medium
Wildlife: Hummingbirds
Tolerates: Clay soil
Native to North America: No
Other: Great plant for front borders / provides late season color
Zones: 5 – 9
Location: Wills Perennial Garden
Water Lily (Nelumbo ‘Drunken Cocubine’)
Bloom Time: June – August
Sun Requirement: Full sun
Water Requirement: Wet
Wildlife: Bees & butterflies
Tolerates: Some shade
Native to North America: Yes
Other: Fragrant blooms / plant in rain gardens or ponds
Zones: 5 – 10
Location: Herb Study Garden: Fountain
Lamb’s Ear (Stachys byzantina ‘Big Ears’)
Sun Requirement: Full sun
Water Requirement: Dry – Medium
Wildlife: Bees use the plant for nesting material.
Tolerates: Deer
Native to North America: No
Other: Unique ground cover
Zones: 4 – 9
Location: Burr Terrace Garden
Ruby Grass (Melinus nernviglumis)
Bloom Time: July – August
Sun Requirement: Full sun
Water Requirement: Medium
Wildlife: Wind pollinated
Tolerates: Black walnut
Native to North America: No
Other: Great plant for mass plantings and containers
Zones: 8 – 10
Location: Bradford Robertson Color Garden
Bee Balm (Monarda ‘Raspberry Wine’)
Bloom Time: July – August
Sun Requirement: Full sun – part shade
Water Requirement: Medium
Wildlife: Bees, butterflies & birds
Tolerates: Deer, rabbit, wet soil
Native to North America: Yes
Other: Foliage has a pleasant, aromatic foliage / bee balm will naturalize
Zones: 4 – 9
Location: Howe Garden: Tool Shed Bed
Mophead Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Penny Mac’)
Bloom Time: June – September
Sun Requirement: Part shade
Water Requirement: Medium
Wildlife: The flowers are sterile
Tolerates: Full sun if soil is consistently moist
Native to North America: No
Other: Makes a beautiful shrub border / the flowers dry well
Zones: 6 – 9
Location: Bracken Foundation Children’s Garden
Eastern Bottlebrush Grass (Elymus hystrix)
Bloom Time: July – October
Sun Requirement: Full sun – part shade
Water Requirement: Dry – Medium
Wildlife: Birds
Tolerates: Drought, heavy shade, erosion
Native to North America: Yes
Other: Easy to grow and naturalize
Zones: 5 – 9
Location: Ann & Monroe Carell Jr. Family Sculpture Trail: Hickory Loop
