“Among the changing months, May stands confest The sweetest, and in fairest colors dressed.” James Thomson. 

“The month of May is the pleasant time; its face is beautiful; the blackbird sings his full song, the living wood is his holding, the cuckoos are singing and ever singing; there is a welcome before the brightness of the summer.” Lady Gregory.

We have bidst April goodbye and welcomed May into our midst. We can feel a bit of late spring in the air with the daytime temps hovering in the 80s. This year’s springtime is most enjoyable as we find ourselves a comfortable spot, a cup of hot tea or coffee, and simply relax in nature as the local wildlife orchestrates a presentation like no other.

The trees are leafed out, flowers are everywhere, birds are singing, and squirrels and rabbits abound. Bees are buzzing, an occasional hawk performs, a deer stops to listen, a turkey’s gobble can be heard, and a fox trots across the way. May is so very wonderful! And with these amenities, our interest in growing our landscape continues. 

Summer-flowering shrubs certainly have an influence on color and curb appeal in our landscapes. Selecting the right plant and placing it in the right place are very critical in the survival and success of your plantings. Make your selections based upon the cultural and micro-environmental requirements of the plants, as well as personal choices. The following summer flowering shrubs offer curb appeal throughout our landscapes.

Bluebeard Shrub (Caryopteris spp.) exhibits clusters of attractive blue blooms in late summer and is heat and drought tolerant. Often called blue mist spirea, bluebeard is not a true spirea. This low maintenance shrub attracts birds, butterflies, and bees. Reaching a height of 4 feet, it prefers full sun and well-drained soils. “Longwood Blue” is a cultivar whose leaves smell of mint. 

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii) is a summer to fall flowering shrub offering fragrant blooms of purple, lavender, blue, pink, and white colors.  Reaching a height of 10 feet, it prefers full sun and well-drained soils. Common cultivars greater than 6 feet tall are “Attraction,” “Bicolor,” “Black Knight,” “Dartmoor,” “Guinevere,” “Honeycomb,” and “Lochinch.” Cultivars shorter than 6 feet include “Ellen’s Blue,” “Nanho Blue,” “Summer Beauty,” and “White Ball.”

Carolina Allspice (Calycanthus floridus) brings attractive deep red flowers with a spicy fragrance to the landscape garden in the summer. Reaching a height of 8 feet, this low maintenance plant prefers full sun to partial shade and well-drained soils.

Reblooming Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) is a hydrangea that produces flowers on current season’s growth throughout the summer. “Endless Summer” is an awesome cultivar. Reaching a height of 5 feet, it prefers part shade and moist, well-drained soils.

Rock Rose (Cistus spp.) produces attractive rose-like flowers (pink, purple, lavender, and white) throughout the summer months. The rock rose is drought tolerant and easy to grow. Reaching a height of 5 feet, it prefers full sun and well-drained soils. 

Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) was one of my mom’s most favorite plants. It provides color throughout the summer and into the fall with its tropical-looking blooms in pink, lavender-blue, and white. ‘Minerva’ is a sterile variety and does not produce the excessive seedlings (which can become weedy) so characteristic of the regular varieties. Reaching a height of 10 feet, it prefers full sun and well-drained soils.

Shrub Rose (Rosa spp.) exhibits attractive blooms (yellow, pink, red and white) all summer and into the fall on vegetative stock that is disease tolerant. Shrub roses take the best qualities of the hardiest rose species, and combine those traits with modern repeat blooming and diverse flower forms, colors and fragrances. Some shrub roses may grow tall while others stay compact. Recent rose breeding has focused on developing hardier shrub roses for landscaping that need little to no maintenance. These plants have thorns so plant them away from traffic flow situations for people-safety reasons. Reaching a height of 6 feet, the shrub rose prefers full sun and well-drained soils, and attracts birds. Cultivars such as “Ballerina,” “Blanc Double de Coubert,” “Bonica,” “Carefree Beauty,” “Carefree Wonder,” “DayDream,” “Hansa,” “Home Run,” “John Cabot,” “Knock Out,” “Little Mischief,” “Pinktopia,” “Snowdrift,” “Sunrise,” “Super Hero,” and “William Rafin” are great choices.

Spirea (Spiraea japonica) is a low maintenance shrub that is grown in so many different settings with minimal effort. From home landscapes and commercial properties to public plantings and streetsides, the spirea grows quite well and offers clusters of raspberry-rose flowers for our personal enjoyment. “Goldmound” is a cultivar exhibiting golden or lime-green foliage. Reaching a height of 4 feet, it prefers full sun and well-drained soils. 

Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia) offers fragrant flowers (pink and white) throughout the summer and golden leaf color in the fall. ‘Ruby Spice’ is a cultivar offering a longer blooming season. Reaching a height of 5 feet, it prefers part to full shade and moist, well-drained soils. There are several cultivars of summersweet clethra that are available at garden centers and through mail order catalogs. These cultivars are different from the wild form (white and tall) by either being more compact and floriferous (making more flowers) or by having pink buds and flowers. Cultivars include “Ruby Spice” and “Pink Spires” as regular sized, and “Hummingbird” and “Sixteen Candles” in dwarf form.

Continue to think in terms of native and sustainable plants in the landscape rather than those with invasive characteristics. May the results of your immediate efforts be long-lasting so that you can enjoy the fruits of your labor for seasons to come while bringing you to further realize that environmental stewardship and sustainability should be at the foundation of all your home landscape activities.

Keep your hanging baskets and potted plants refreshed with water and food. Remember to feed and water the songbirds, and give your pets the care they need. Be on the lookout for children playing and bicyclists riding along the streets and roadways throughout our communities. Pay attention to school buses and respect their stop signs and other signals as they transport our children to and from school and home. And remember to safely share the road with motorcycles. Drive alert and arrive alive. Don’t drive distracted or impaired, don’t text while driving, and “click it” or ticket. Let’s keep everyone safe while enjoying the spring season! Help the homeless every chance you get. And as you receive blessings, always pay them forward and share with others.

Continue to be in prayer for our annual Peru Mission Trip on June 10-17. If you feel led to do so and would like to donate to this cause, please make a check payable to Heritage Church and mail to Eddie Seagle, Peru Mission Team, 108 Tallokas Circle, Moultrie, GA 31788. Happy Cinco de Mayo!

“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19.

“We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers.” 1 Thessalonians 1:2. 

“How can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:15.

Seagle is a Sustainability Associate, Golf Environment Organization (Scotland), Agronomist and Horticulturalist, CSI: Seagle (Consulting Services International), Professor Emeritus and Honorary Alumnus (Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College), Distinguished Professor for Teaching and Learning (University System of Georgia) and Short Term Missionary (Heritage Church, Moultrie). Direct inquiries to csi_seagle @yahoo.com.