Flowers of all kinds bloom in the South this month. Daylilies, in particular, add their radiant colors to the scene. They are hardy and easy to grow, thriving in the heat of summer. Many are truly evergreen and do not die down at the end of the season. The deciduous daylilies are also good and bloom with added strength after a winter’s rest.
Many Amaryllids are also in bloom. Dainty rose-pink rain and thunder lilies, Zephyranthes grandiflora, come first. They begin in spring and continue until late fall, blossoming freely after every rain and persisting year after year.
Free Blooming Crinums
Few flowers are more glorious or free-blooming than the wonderful crinums. They make large clumps which, in the heat of summer. send up strong stems with terminal clusters of 12 or more large buds. The blooms are large and the clusters magnificent, so staking is necessary. In Memorial Park in Sumter, South Carolina, they begin to flower in June and continue until late fall.
The native butterfly lily, hymenocallis, is dainty and low-growing with clusters of pure white blossoms. It loves a moist place and was originally found growing on an island in the Savannah river below Augusta, Georgia, and in the Wateree and Congaree rivers at Columbia, South Carolina. Hymenocallis blooms throughout the summer and in it multiplies freely.
Beauty of Flowering Trees
Flowering trees add their beauty now. Crapemyrtle, Lagerstroemia indica, heads the list with worlds of flowers from June until late fall. The pure white, soft rose-pink and carmine varieties are favorites in most gardens. A crapemyrtle of rich carmine lifts its head high in one corner of my garden, making a background for white lilies and other summer flowers. Its tall bouquets of rich color also harmonize with most roses.
Roses need attention. Keep dead clusters cut on floribundas and hybrid teas. If you remove flowers as they fade, cutting above the first leaf which has five leaflets, new flowers will soon appear. Mulch your roses if you haven’t already done so!
