It's Never Too Early to Start Planning Next Summer's Garden

A garden featuring hostas, edibles, astilbe and hydrangeas.
Think about planning for next year with some flowers that can provide colorful blooms throughout the summer.

Hopefully, gardeners are enjoying the beautiful blooms of summer. But if some flowers are spent, think about planning for next year with some of my favorites that can provide you with colorful blooms throughout the summer.

When it comes to annuals that thrive in the summer, Euphorbia, commonly called Glitz, is one of my favorites. Euphorbia is covered in graceful white flowers that perform well in part sun- to full-sun environments. Heat and drought tolerant, this low-maintenance plant does equally well in containers and landscapes.

Easy Elegance shrub roses are exactly that—easy. Coming in a variety of outstanding colors, when planted in a sunny area with well–drained soil, these disease- and fungus-resistant shrubs require minimal care. Pruning in the early spring to remove a broken branch or maintain its shape is about all that is required.

I love the play of texture and variety of colors that hostas provide, and the Frances Williams hosta is one of my favorites. With heavily-textured, heart-shaped, blue-green leaves with golden edges, it rarely needs to be divided and reaches a 28-inch height with a 60-inch spread