Most garden plants are at their best at this time of year, and there are many varieties that you can bring indoors to decorate your home, including roses, busy lizzies, lilies, marguerites, and fuchsias.
Be careful of displaying your plants on a south facing windowsill in summer. Although plants may be happy there in winter when the sun is at its weakest, most varieties will scorch and dry out during the hot noon summer sun.
Geraniums are one of the few plants that will tolerate a w arm, sunny position in summer, but even these need constant care and attention to keep them heal lb y. Display regal and zonal geraniums on the wind rwsills of a conservatory or plant them into hanging baskets. If you don’t have a conservatory or st nroom, you can make an eye-catching display by standing several different types together on an occasional table or sunny windowsill. Look out for the old-fashioned varieties with their exotic-colored flowers.
The Cape primrose (Streptocarpus) is another exotic-looking plant that is increasing in popularity. A relative of the African violet, it comes in similar colors and should be displayed m the same way, massed together in a shallow bowl on a low table. This plant has a long flowering season, and providing you feed it regularly throughout the summer, will flower well into the fall. Always water this plant from below and never directly onto the leaves, which will rot if they become wet.
Busy lizzies (Impatiens hybrids) are a really good choice if you want a plant that will go on flowering throughout the summer. They are available in red, orange, purple, and white, and can look striking if you group several contrasting or complementary colors together in a matching container.
Flowering plants for summer
The following plants all flower in summer: Basket plant (Aeschynanthus speciosus), Begonia bowerae, Bleeding heart (Clerodendrum thomsoniae), Brazilian jasmine (Mandevilla sanderi), Busy lizzy (Impatiens cvs.) Cape leadwort (Plumbago auriculata), Freesia cvs., Gerbera jamesonii, Golden trumpet (Allamanda cathartica), Italian bellflower (Campanula isophylla), Lily (Lilium spp.), Miniature wax plant (Hoya lanceolata subsp. bella) Orchid (Cymbidium hybrids) Pelargonium cvs., Persian violet (Exacum affine), Zebra plant (Aphelandra squarrosa ‘Louisae’)