Summer is full of surprises in my landscape. Between the natives that I’ve planted and the ones already in the garden, there’s always something blooming. Here are three that bloom in the hot days of early summer, and they’re all blue, (or close to it.)
White Mouth Dayflower (Commelina erecta)
Dayflower is part of the spiderwort family, but this sweet petite native flower’s blooms last for just a day. There’s usually a cluster of flowers on a bract at the top of the upright branches. You can get a succession of blooms from a single plant.
Dayflower grows in part shade condition and tolerates dry conditions. It grows throughout the country and blooms in different areas from spring to fall. According to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center, in some conditions, dayflower can be invasive. No chance of that in my garden, this sweet flower has plenty of room to spread.
Carolina Wild Petunia (Ruellia caroliniensis)
I spy the pale purple blooms of Carolina wild petunia along the edge of my sunny mailbox garden each June. This part shade situation suits wild petunia. It needs the heat to bloom and the blooms tend to last just a day or two.
Wild petunia grows from seed and according to wildflower.org, stem cuttings taken in summer can root well. I’m going to try that this summer.
Virginia Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana)
Unlike the wild petunia and white mouth dayflower that naturally occur in my garden, I planted Virginia spiderwort seedlings a couple years ago in my sunny mailbox garden. This is a hardy native plant that, like the others, blooms for just a day. The reward is that an established patch of spiderwort will bloom off and on throughout spring and summer, at least in my neck of the woods.
This highly adaptable plant grows in open wooded areas throughout the country. Given that wide range, it’s not surprising that spiderwort tolerates a wide range of soil conditions and pH levels. In my garden, spiderwort has a plum sunny spot with well-draining soil amended with compost and topped with mulch. Given that, it doesn’t get supplemental water and still manages to thrive.
If you like exploring the world of native plants, check out my wintertime walk in the woods the native plants I found there. Let me know your favorite native plants in the comments below.
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