Orange Blooms Brighten the Southern Summer Garden - FineGardening

Abstract

Shouldn't the summer garden announce the fact that it's summer? Aren't whites and blues false advertising? How about a pop of color that announces it is hot outside and we love it? Without a doubt, orange flowers are just the ticket to enliven the summer scene. At 4 to 6 feet tall, it can remarkably stand up on its own "Two legs"-unlike many other lilies. The orange with fully double flowers makes a great mass of blooms over several weeks in midsummer. Blooming in late spring into the summer, it can often be encouraged to produce more orange blooms with deadheading or if the monarch butterfly larvae eat it to the ground. Plants grow up to 3 feet tall and wide and do best in full sun and fertile, well-drained soil. Its brilliant orange sunflowers are abundant on stems that can reach 3 to 6 feet tall-making this plant an excellent choice for the middle or back of the border. Plants grow to 2 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide, and when in bloom the flower stems reach up to 4 feet tall.