Use summer plants that bloom into fall

One of the true joys of gardening in the South is filling our landscapes with a wide variety of plants that deliver bold color and personality.

From tropical treasures to tough-as-nails bloomers, our warm climate gives us plenty of options to create gardens that burst with life and excitement through summer and well into fall.

One of my favorites is Crossandra, often called the firecracker flower.

This tropical beauty produces clusters of bright orange blooms that seem to almost shimmer in the sunlight. Each flower has five broad petals arranged in a whorled, pinwheel pattern against the plant’s glossy, dark-green foliage.

Crossandra loves warmth and humidity and performs beautifully in filtered sunlight or partial shade, especially where the afternoon heat can be intense. It thrives in rich, well-drained soil that stays consistently moist but never soggy.

In containers, it pairs nicely with ferns or impatiens. When planted in the ground, it adds a bright tropical pop to mixed borders or shady garden edges.

Another Southern favorite that never disappoints is lantana.

These sun-loving powerhouses come in a kaleidoscope of colors like brilliant yellow, tangerine orange, magenta, red, lavender and creamy white. Each cluster of blooms is made up of dozens of tiny florets. Many varieties display multiple colors in a single flower head that gradually shifts shades as it ages.

Lantanas are magnets for butterflies and hummingbirds, making them a must for pollinator gardens. They love full sun and tolerate the hottest days of summer with ease. Once established, they are drought tolerant and low maintenance.

Compact varieties are perfect for hanging baskets and containers. Larger types like Miss Huff or New Gold make colorful mounding shrubs that bloom nonstop from late spring through fall.

For gardeners looking to add bold texture and drama, celosia is a showstopper.

The plume types, such as Celosia argentea var. plumosa, produce soft, feathery flower spikes that look like colorful flames in shades of crimson, magenta, orange and golden yellow. These plumes create a dynamic, vertical accent that contrasts beautifully with mounded or trailing plants.

The leaves are often tinted with bronze or burgundy, adding another layer of color.

Celosia thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, standing up to summer heat and humidity with ease. The blooms are long-lasting both in the garden and as cut flowers. They even hold their shape and color when dried for arrangements.

As the gardening season starts to wind down, Lespedeza bicolor, or bush clover, takes center stage. This graceful deciduous shrub produces slender, arching stems that can reach 3 to 6 feet tall and wide.

In late summer and early fall, those stems are absolutely smothered in hundreds of rose-purple, pea-like blossoms. When in full bloom, bush clover resembles a cascading fountain of flowers, which is a breathtaking sight when planted on slopes or as a specimen in the garden.

The delicate foliage gives it a soft texture, and even when not in bloom, the plant adds movement to the landscape.

Lespedeza thrives in full sun and well-drained soil and is highly drought tolerant once established. It’s a great choice for gardeners seeking low-maintenance, reliable late-season color.

All of these plants glow with life and show just how colorful and diverse a Southern garden can be.

With their vivid blooms, interesting textures and easy-care nature, they bring lasting beauty and excitement from the first warm days of summer all the way through the fall.