Summer Colour
Summer is when your garden comes alive with an abundance of colourful plants. There are so many shrubs, perennials, climbers and seasonal plants to choose from at Thompson's garden centre, it really is a blooming marvellous time of year to visit us. We have a great selection of vibrantly coloured plants that will help to brighten up any garden. Here are our favourite plants for Summer Colour as recommended by our expert growers.
1. Salvia Hot Lips
A small evergreen sub shrub with small green aromatic foliage. This extremely popular plant produces lots of beautiful white and red flowers in summer through to autumn that look very much like a tiny pair of lips. The long flowering period gives you a prolonged splash of colour in your garden with this is easy to grow favourite. It grows best in a wind sheltered site in full sun whilst also liking well drained soil.
2. Penstemon Varieties
Penstemon, commonly called beardtongue, is a hardy perennial admired for its tubular flowers that attract hummingbirds and other pollinators. Thriving in sunny, well-drained conditions, it adds long-lasting colour to borders, rock gardens, and native plant plantings. A popular choice among gardeners is Penstemon ‘Laura’, known for its striking purple-pink blooms with pale throats and its reliable performance in a variety of garden settings.
3. Hardy Geraniums
Hardy geraniums, also known as cranesbills, are dependable perennial plants cherished for their graceful, mounding habit and long season of bloom. With finely cut foliage and an array of flower colours—from soft pinks and blues to vibrant purples—these versatile plants fit beautifully into borders, woodland gardens, and cottage-style plantings. They are easy to grow, tolerant of a range of soils, and valued for their ability to spread gently without becoming invasive, making them a reliable choice for adding texture and colour to the garden.
4. Clematis Montana
A vigorous, spring/summer flowering climber prized for its abundant, sweetly scented blooms that can blanket fences, trellises, and walls in soft pink or white. Known for its rapid growth and ability to cover large areas, it produces masses of star-shaped flowers in late spring, followed by attractive, fluffy seed heads. Easy to grow in sun or partial shade, Clematis montana is a favourite for adding height, fragrance, and a romantic, cottage-garden feel to outdoor spaces.
5. Hydrangea varieties
Summer-flowering hydrangeas are beloved for their generous, long-lasting blooms that bring vibrant colour and structure to the garden. Among the appealing choices are Hydrangea ‘Summer Pink’, known for its soft pink clusters that deepen in colour as the season progresses, and Hydrangea ‘Tellers Blue’, a classic lacecap variety that produces striking blue flowers in acidic soil. Both varieties offer reliable summer interest, making them excellent options for borders, mixed plantings, or adding standout colour to shaded garden spaces.
