A Glowing Prairie Planting Idea for Your Summer

Plant Combinations, Prairie Planting Ideas, Summer Borders, Fall Borders

Garden Ideas, Border ideas, Summer border, Fall Border, Rudbeckia Hirta, Black Eyed Susan, Rudbeckia Indian Summer, Lobelia Vedrariensis, Gomphrena 'Fireworks', Globe Amaranth, Borage, Borago Officinalis, Pennisetum Setaceum

Wouldn’t you love your sunny borders to look like this in the summer? Low maintenance and easy to grow, all these prolific bloomers will bring fireworks of color to your landscape all summer long!

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Garden Information

Hardiness	3 - 8
Climate Zones	8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17
Exposure	Full Sun
Season of Interest	Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall
Maintenance	Low
Water Needs	Average
Soil Type	Loam
Soil pH	Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage	Moist but Well-Drained
Characteristics	Cut Flowers, Showy
Tolerance	Deer
Attracts	Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Landscaping Ideas	Beds And Borders
Garden Styles	Informal and Cottage, Prairie and Meadow

Plants In This Garden

Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' (Purple Fountain Grass)

Requiring very little care and providing striking color as well as graceful movement in the garden or patio, Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’ (Purple Fountain Grass) has become a real favorite among gardeners

Hardiness	9 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun
Seasons	Summer (Mid, Late), Fall
Height	3' - 5' (90cm - 150cm)
Spread	2' - 4' (60cm - 120cm)
Characteristics	Cut Flowers, Plant of Merit, Showy

Gomphrena globosa 'Fireworks' (Globe Amaranth)

Bursting with sparkling color over a very long blooming season, drought and heat tolerant, and extremely easy to grow, Gomphrena globosa ‘Firework’ (Globe Amaranth) is a fabulous annual plant that will create fireworks in your garden from early summer to frost. This prolific bloomer produces masses of long-lasting, intense hot pink pom-poms tipped with gold atop long, sturdy, branchy stems.

Hardiness	2 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun
Seasons	Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall
Height	3' - 4' (90cm - 120cm)
Spread	3' - 4' (90cm - 120cm)
Characteristics	Dried Arrangements, Cut Flowers, Showy

Lobelia x speciosa 'Vedrariensis' (Cardinal Flower)

Perfect for the summer garden, Lobelia x speciosa ‘Vedrariensis’ (Cardinal Flower) is a vigorous, upright perennial featuring long spires of dark violet flowers atop dark green leaves flushed with purple from midsummer to early fall. The blossoms are a magnet for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Adding vertical interest to the landscape, Cardinal Flowers are excellent border plants for damp or wet locations.

Hardiness	5 - 8
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial Sun
Seasons	Summer (Mid, Late), Fall
Height	3' - 4' (90cm - 120cm)
Spread	1' - 3' (30cm - 90cm)
Characteristics	Cut Flowers, Showy

Rudbeckia hirta 'Prairie Sun' (Black-Eyed Susan)

Award-winning Rudbeckia hirta ‘Prairie Sun’ is a biennial boasting unusually large daisy-like flowers, up to 5 in. wide (12 cm) – one of the largest blooms among Rudbeckia.

Hardiness	3 - 8
Exposure	Full Sun
Seasons	Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall
Height	2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)
Spread	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)
Characteristics	Dried Arrangements, Cut Flowers, Plant of Merit, Showy

Rudbeckia hirta 'Indian Summer' (Black-Eyed Susan)

Adding bold, stunning color to the garden, award-winning Rudbeckia hirta ‘Indian Summer’ (Black-Eyed Susan) is a biennial boasting stunning, extra-large daisy-like flowers, up to 6-9 in. wide (15-22 cm) – one of the largest blooms among Rudbeckia.

Hardiness	3 - 7
Exposure	Full Sun
Seasons	Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall
Height	3' - 4' (90cm - 120cm)
Spread	1' - 2' (30cm - 60cm)
Characteristics	Dried Arrangements, Cut Flowers, Plant of Merit, Showy

Borago officinalis (Borage)

Borage is one of the easiest and most beautiful annual plants in the garden. Native to the Mediterranean region, it is a spreading annual boasting a profusion of open racemes of beautiful, star-shaped, bright blue flowers from early summer to the first frost.

Hardiness	2 - 11
Exposure	Full Sun, Partial Sun
Seasons	Summer (Early, Mid, Late), Fall
Height	1' - 3' (30cm - 90cm)
Spread	9" - 2' (23cm - 60cm)
Characteristics	Showy

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Pennisetum (Fountain Grass) Lobelia Rudbeckia

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Alternative Plants to Consider

Pennisetum orientale (Oriental Fountain Grass)

Rudbeckia hirta ‘Cappuccino’ (Black-Eyed Susan)

Rudbeckia hirta ‘Cherokee Sunset’ (Black-Eyed Susan)

Pennisetum villosum (Feathertop Grass)

Learn About These Genera

Rudbeckia hirta (Black-Eyed Susan)

Photo: GAP Photos/Dave Zubraski

While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.