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Are you looking for Alamo landscaping? This week, let’s welcome summer with flowers and fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes and herbs. Or if you prefer, get your hands dirty and create a tropical getaway or pollinator hangout right in your own backyard. Grab a cool drink and enjoy!

Summer Flowers

Is your summer garden lacking color? Well, not anymore! Check out this list of 20 hot summer flowers, from angelonia to zinnia, including choices for full sun to shade and zones 3 through 12. Add a few of these stunning summer bloomers and your garden will be bursting with color!

Outdoor herb pot

Herbs picked straight from the garden add so much flavor and freshness to summertime recipes: add just-picked rosemary to potatoes cooked on the grill, muddle mint in a glass for a refreshing mojito or iced tea, or use fresh basil to make pesto for a light pasta dinner or strawberry basil agua fresca (recipe here). Learn how to start your own herb garden and add some fresh-from-the-garden flavor to your favorite summer recipes. 

 
 
Tropical backyard dining

If beachside dining in a tropical location isn’t in your future, create your own tropical getaway with plants. Fill an entire border or just a container or two with plants such as caladiums, cannas, lantana, and sweet potato vine to give your surroundings a tropical vacation vibe. Grab yourself an umbrella drink and learn more about the 10 common elements of tropical gardens

Easter tiger swallowtail butterfly on blooming blazing star

A great weekend project to celebrate National Pollinator Week (June 20-27) would be to designate an area of your garden specifically for pollinators. Get tips on how to start your own pollinator garden, 10 plant suggestions (all North American natives), and more resources to help you support pollinators. Pictured: Eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly on blazing star (Liatris spicata).

 
Tomatoes

If you’ve ever tasted a fresh homegrown tomato, you know there’s no comparing them to store-bought. There are so many kinds of tomatoes to grow, from large beefsteaks to bite-size cherry tomatoes, as well as varieties that are perfectly sized for growing in pots. Learn more about how to grow and enjoy your own fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes this summer.

Summer is definitely making its grand entrance here in Southern California. If the temps are heating up where you are too, make sure you’re paying attention to your plants’ water needs and providing some much-needed afternoon shade. Even when a plant tag says “full sun,” sometimes it can be too much. A plant that can take a full day of sun in Seattle may not do as well farther south, so keep an eye out for plants (people & pets, too!) that are becoming heat stressed.

 

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