10 Plants for Sunny Community Gardens
- 10 Plants for Warmer Community Gardens -
There are an array of plants suited to sunny community gardens!
Late Spring and Summer are the opportune time to begin tending to your garden in earnest.
For those sun-baked gardens that get all the warmth and light, this selection of plants will keep your community garden glowing through the year in the dazzling sunshine.
- Flowers and Foliage -
Go for flowering and foliage plants that suit the sunlight you have access to. These additions will bring interest and vibrancy to your community garden, whether you are filling beds and borders or creating a sensory garden zone.
Stipa tenuissima (Mexican feather grass)
Our first plant, perfect for sunnu community gardens, is the Mexican feather grass. Its botanical name is the Stipa tenuissima.
For texture, sound and movement in your community garden, ornamental grasses like this are a worthwhile addition.
The compact, upright leaves are joined by feathery flowers through the summer months.
These are a great addition to a sensory garden. The feather flowers will be faacinating for any little ones that might be involved in your garden.
Perovskia (Sage) 'Blue Spire'
TThe aromatic green-grey leaves of this sage are a low maintenance and drought-resistant choice.
If you have a gravel garden or Mediterranean style space within the community garden, this is a well-suited shrub.
The flowers will brighten up any space with their bluish - purple petals.
Lavender
The distinctive aroma of lavender is a must-have in any garden.
The flowers are a magnet for bees, making it a great addition to a wildlife corner. It’s easy to grow and doesn’t demand much. Howver, the lavender will appreciate an annual prune to keep compact and dense, rather than leggy growth.
This is a firm favourite with bees and pollinators, so you'll be helping wildlife too.
Chocolate Cosmos
Another plant, perfect for sunny community gardens, is the Chocolate Cosmos
This is another firm favourite in a sunny community garden because the fragrance will transform the garden into a chocolate factory.
The deep maroon flowers are bowl-shaped and bring depth to beds and borders.
A sunny spot with moist but well-drained soil is best for these chocolatey blooms.
Verbena bonariensis
This is another popular plant for pollinators, and for warm and sunny community gardens
The plant has clusters of pink - purple flowers that last from summer into autumn.
They can grow up to 2.5m tall in a sunny spot. They are great for adding height and architectural interest to a community garden.
Once again, these flowers will be perfect for any visiting wildlife. Butterflies, bees and other pollinators will be spoilt for choice.
- Fruit and Vegetables-
Choose to grow crops that will flourish in the environment you’re working with. If you have a sun filled garden, these vegetables will thrive.
Cucumber
This crop grows best in a warm but sheltered spot, or in a greenhouse with plenty of warmth.
Seeds can be sown from March to June, ready for summer harvests from July.
Alternatively, buy young plants from garden centres rather than sowing seeds.
The cucumbers are usually ripe and ready when they are firm, and are bright to dark green.
Tomatoes
In a sunny spot, tomatoes will thrive.
Cordon types that grow tall and need support.
Alternatively, you can plant bush types which grow in containers. These types don’t require as much maintenance.
Sow seeds from February to April.
You can have harvests of cherry tomatoes or larger giant beefsteaks in summer.
Pumpkins
Get prepared for Halloween in your community garden by sowing pumpkin seeds in April and May.
Therefore, in a sunny spot with plenty of water and sheltered from wind, it’s a joy to watch pumpkins grow and ripen from green to orange.
Subsequently, in October they can be harvested and used to cook a Halloween feast or carved for the community garden.
Any of the vegetable or leaves that you don't use can be left for deer and other woodland creatures. It's perfectly safe, and above all, very good for them.
Carrots
Firstly easy to grow and so delicious, carrots are a firm favourite to grow in a community garden.
Sown regularly, you can have carrots pretty much all year round. A site with full sun and well-drained soil is best for this root veg to thrive.
Strawberries
These juicy summer favourites won’t disappoint in the community garden.
In fact, everyone will be racing to get the harvests through summer.
They don’t take up much space and grow happily in containers and hanging baskets. Strawberries are ideal if you’re saving floor space for other crops.
These juicy berries will be everyone's favourite!
Sounds Good, Doesn't it?
So, fill your sunny community garden with flowers, foliage and crops that will thrive in those conditions. What are your favourite sun loving crops to grow? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.