At this time of year, one of the questions that the Plant Desk staff hears most often is “What can I plant in the summer?” The answer is most anything, if you keep the very important issue of irrigation in mind. Whatever you’ve planted this season will require regular, deep watering. For trees, shrubs and perennials, that means soaking the root area once a week. The amount of time that you need to water will depend on the size of what you’ve planted. And keep it up. If we experience another dry late summer and fall like last year’s, you’ll want to irrigate into November. So keep those hoses and sprinklers handy.

Gardens are so spectacular in May and June, but the excitement tends to wane as we move into the Dog Days. So as long as you are in the garden, why not consider selecting plants that will add color and drama to your late summer borders? One lovely choice is the Summersweet, or Clethra, a shrub that isn’t bothered by heat, but does prefer protection from afternoon sun. The flower spikes on ‘Hummingbird’ are nicely upright, and when in bloom, the plant is beautifully blanketed in creamy flowers. ‘Ruby Spice’ on the other hand, blooms in a lovely soft pink.  All Clethra varieties have butter yellow fall color. And if you’re planting in a sunnier spot, be sure to keep the soil on the moist side.

Hydrangea are looking their best in mid to late summer. We’ve seen ‘Incrediball’ flowers as big as dinner plates. This Smooth Hydrangea likes a damp, shady spot. Some sun is fine, as long as it’s in the morning. Another fabulous, easy-care species that comes into their own this month are the Panicled Hydrangeas. These have elongated, cone-shaped blossoms and thrive in a sunny site with good drainage. The flower clusters are creamy white when they open, but as they mature, change color to a wide range of pinks, from creamy cameo to dusky ruby. The older varieties can grow to be quite large, but the newer introductions are more reasonably sized for smaller spaces. ‘Little Lime’ is one of those, turning a stunning shade of rosy pink. We also like ‘Bobo’ for its prolific flowering habit.

One of our late summer favorites is the weirdly-named Toad Lily. Some say that this exotic looking flower is named for the speckles on its orchid-shaped flowers. We don’t buy it, but we do love those jewel-toned flowers in a shady garden. Toad Lilies bloom in late summer and are largely untroubled by diseases or pests.

Late summer also is when the ornamental grasses reach star status. Most of them will begin to bloom soon and later get some hints of fall color. For sunny spots, we love the way that the 4-foot tall flowers of ‘Skyracer’ Moor Grass tremble and sway in the slightest breeze. And you can always count on the cool white and green variegated blades of ‘Ice Dance’ Sedge to brighten a shaded corner.

For showier flowering perennials you can’t beat the color range of Coneflowers. Every sunny garden border can use a coneflower, whether you fall in love with the brilliant yellow of ‘Cleopatra’, the glowing tangerine of ‘’Hot Coral Sombrero’ or the intense pink of ‘Pow Wow Wildberry’.  We also are crazy for ‘Cheyenne Spirit’, with its blend of blossom colors in yellow, orange AND pink. And even though, we may be suffering, these prairie plant descendants are laughing at this week’s heat.