The 7 Best Plants to Stop Gardens From Looking Sparse in Early Summer – The June Gap Is Real
Discover this month’s yard savers
Even the most lovingly tended yards can feel strangely flat in June. The highly anticipated spring bulbs have faded, and many perennials have had their first flush of blooms and it’s just too early for high summer favorites such as heleniums, rubeckias and kniphofia to make an appearance.
Known as the June garden gap, this crossover period can expose gaps in the most carefully curated planting plans. However, by studying how designers build a garden that looks full by June, it is easy to remedy.
With just a handful of thoughtfully chosen, hardworking annuals and perennials you can progress through the seasons. Discover these border heroes in our guide below.
Salvia
One of the hardest working perennials in any sun filled garden, salvias are a trusted designer pick-me-up for solving the June garden gap.
A diverse group of species and cultivars, thanks to their long-lasting summer blooms, these are one of the best plants for pollinators and need minimal upkeep.
There are many types of salvia, from short lived bedding and annual salvias – which include the striking painted sage, Salvia viridis, with its blue, pink or white bracts through to frost hardy, border types such as the ghostly S. yangii ‘Blue Spire’ (previously known as Perovskia atriplicifolia) and low growing Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna'.
Salvia 'Hot Lips', with it's attention grabbing red and white blooms, are also hugely popular. Find these salvia plants at Amazon.com.
Penstemon
With their mass of eye catching tubular blooms born proudly on spires, penstemons are an easy and hard to beat border gap filler.
'Many penstemons, or beardtongue, are in peak bloom in June, with an abundance of ornamental and native types to choose from,' says plant expert and Director of Product at Applewood Seed Co. Jessica Romer.
'Depending on the species, Penstemons may attract a range of wild bees including mason and bumble bees, as well as honeybees and hummingbirds, providing crucial pollen and nectar during the early season. With 150 native penstemons in the U.S., bloom colors range from blue-purple, pink, white, to scarlet and some cultivars like Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ have maroon foliage for added interest'
Jessica's favorite penstemon varieties include Penstemon strictus of the Rocky Mountain region, Smooth Penstemon, Penstemon digitalis with it's dainty slightly pointed tubular blooms, and the desert mountain native Palmer’s Penstemon.
Find Dakota Verde Penstemon and other penstemon varieties at Nature Hills.
Jessica is a distinguished horticulture expert with over a decade of experience. Her journey in the green industry began at Denver Urban Gardens, culminating as Director of Horticulture. Jessica further honed her expertise as a Denver Extension Horticulturist for Colorado State University and contributed to the Global Genome Initiative at the Denver Botanic Gardens. Jessica's work aligns with ecological values, making significant contributions to the gardening community.
Allium
Flowering bulbs are a useful option when it comes adding early summer interest to a fading late spring border.
'Allium and its variants have simply exploded recently and are always a great choice to bridge the June gap,' says leading landscape architect Eric Groft. 'Choosing an early bold variety (A. Globemaster), mid-season sculptural variety (A. Christophii), and the late-season, statuesque (A. Summer Drummer) will make a statement and give your garden continuity throughout the warm weather months.'
Eric continues, 'the variety of sizes and color and bloom times make these bulbs worth the wait. Interplant them among emerging summer perennials that haven’t reached their peak, planting in groups of 3-5 across the entire bed.'
The only flower you need to attract bees, allium bulbs are widely available to buy and plant in fall. Discover a wide selection of alliums at Burpee.
Eric is renowned for his diversity in residential, commercial and institutional work. He prides himself in his sense of regionalism, attention to the vernacular, and work with cultural landscapes. His residential design accomplishments are focused in the New York metropolitan area and in and around his home town of Annapolis, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay. Eric has a passion for horticulture and is widely recognized as an industry leader.
Gaura
Bearing its long wands of floating pink and white four-petalled flowers, gaura or Oenothera lindheimeri is fast becoming a staple of many summer gardens. Not only in romantic and cottage style yards, but also within chic, contemporary designs too where they often mingle with sculpted evergreens and tactile grasses.
Their popularity is not just down to their ephemeral charm and easy-going nature, but also because they bloom in June, ahead of many other summer favorites.
Perennial in USDA hardiness zones 7-9, and best treated as annuals in cooler zones 5-6, these sun loving plants can tolerate part shade. Reaching up to 2 to 3 feet (60–90 cm) tall with a similar spread, gaura also known as bee blossom or 'whirling butterflies', is the perfect border filler amongst clump-forming perennials.
Coleus
There’s nothing shy and retiring about this foliage plant, which makes it perfect for pepping up a between-seasons border. Often know as painted nettle, this member of the mint family is loved for its distinctively patterned velvety leaves and less so for its tubular blue or white flowers.
‘Coleus is a beautiful annual grown for it’s interesting foliage colors and textures,’ says plant expert Katie Sunderlage. ‘A great way to add color to a shady area, coleus or Plectranthus scutellarioides does very well in heat and will stay colorful though the first frost!’
When filling a gap, choose a variety that harmonises with the surrounding flowers and foliage. Dark leaved Chocolate Mint coleus – available from Burpee – adds depth and drama and works well with burgundy and near-black stems and blooms, while Electric Lime from Burpee or Wasabi – also from Burpee – revitalize neighbouring plants with their zingy citrus notes.
Hosta
One of the best plants for shade, hostas are an elegant pick-me-up for lacklustre borders. Introducing mounds of chic tapering leaves in a range of verdant tones, from cream and green through to lime and blue-gray, they quietly lift surrounding plants.
Suited to USDA zones 3-9, hostas are amongst the best ground cover plants for dappled shade and prefer moist but well-draining soil. Reaching up to 3-4ft, depending on variety, each crown sends out slender stems with tubular white or lilac flowers in summer.
Find a six pack of mixed hosta plants at Amazon.
Spirea
Often-overlooked yet a trusted low-effort cottage garden plant, spirea quietly fills any border gaps with vibrant color-changing leaves, born on wiry stems, and flat-topped pink or white blooms that appear in June and last for weeks.
Cold hardy and thriving in USDA Hardiness Zones 3a to 9, deciduous spirea is loved by pollinators, grows to 1 to 2ft (30-61cm) tall and wide, and is happy in full sun or part shade.
‘This shrub is a plant it and forget it variety that’s low-maintenance and heat tolerant and drought tolerant,’ says Katie. ‘Spirea have been a widely used shrub that is versatile in a wide range of growing climates. They also maintain an even, mounding habit, making it easy to add to even smaller locations.’
Spirea varieties to consider, include Spirea japonica 'Walbuma' aka Magia Carpet Spirea with leaves that emerge as burgundy, graduate to lime before fading to russet in fall. Find spirea plants at Nature Hills.
Operations Manager at Holland Group, managing the customer service department and purchasing. Katie has been in the green industry since 2005 in the Greater Milwaukee area, earning her degree in Horticulture in 2008. She has been able to share her love for plants working in multiple garden centers, in sales positions and most recently in an online retail platform at Holland Group.
For more ideas on how to lift and refresh your future summer garden, consider introducing one or two of the best flowering shrubs and learn how to create a foliage border.
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