Whether you’re trying to sell your home quickly or you simply want to upgrade your home’s exterior, upgrading your home’s curb appeal is a smart investment in its value and livability. And there’s not much that’ll make your home pop more than planting some colorful, eye-catching blooms that brighten your summer. 

Take a look at these five popular summer-blooming flowers and consider adding them to your home’s garden and landscaping. They’ll brighten up your property beautifully. Flowers are also a great way to stage your home’s exterior, raising that curb appeal and helping you sell your home yourself more quickly. 

1. Zinnias

Available in bright and cheery hues of red, pink, orange, yellow, purple, and more, the humble zinnia is an annual with a strong shape and profile, as well as intense hues to elevate your garden into a lush oasis. Because it’s an annual, you’ll have to plant them again in a year, but their stunning beauty is worth the extra effort. 

As a bonus, zinnias attract bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies to your garden. They’re also a great choice for vibrant arrangements of cut flowers. Just remember to start cutting with the center blooms first. That way you can enjoy their beauty while still encouraging the plant to sprout more blooms. 

2. Bougainvillea 

These bright, vivid blooms may first launch into full blossom in spring, but they’ll often last well into summer. Once in full bloom, they love to climb and burst forth into intense shades of red and fuchsia in large, lush clusters. Put them near trellises or fences to give them somewhere to go. They look great and grow well in large containers, too, making them one of the most flexible summer flowering plants around. 

On the other hand, they don’t tend to do well outside their ideal climate, which typically sees low temperatures of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Bougainvillea plants love the warm summer sun! 

3. Sunflowers

If you’re working in a sunny spot and looking to make a big statement with your summer blooms, why not plant sunflowers? These beautiful, cheerful blooms make a huge impact on your yard and garden and they’ll never fail to bring a smile to the face of anyone lucky enough to spot them. Best of all, they’re fairly easy to grow and low-maintenance, making them an ideal choice for beginning gardeners. You will, however, need to keep an eye out for damage done by squirrels and birds seeking out those tasty seeds. 

The original sun worshippers, do best in full sunlight so that their bright daisy-like faces can follow the sun’s path throughout the day. With a peak blooming period of anywhere between eight and twelve weeks, they’ll be around for you to enjoy for a huge chunk of the summer. Remember that sunflowers tend to grow fairly tall—most standard varieties can easily reach ten feet or more!—so look for a place in the rear of your garden or yard if possible, so that they don’t obstruct your view of smaller blooms and ground cover plants. 

4.  Hydrangeas

A lush bloom that’s not afraid to take up space, hydrangeas can show up either pink or blue (or lavender). The difference? Believe it or not, it’s the soil’s pH levels! When the plant’s soil is more acidic, the blooms tend towards shades of blue and pale purple. If the soil is more alkaline, however, the blooms tend to be pink. 

You can find lots of different varieties to choose from if you like the overall look and shape of hydrangeas. If you’re new to growing hydrangeas, consider the Endless Summer variety. It does well in a range of light exposures, from full sun to light shade. Bonus: they produce a very pleasing scent that can heighten your enjoyment of these lovely flowers. 

5. Larkspur

Also known as delphinium, larkspur produces tall, stately plants with brilliantly colored cone-shaped blooms. These perennials prefer full sun and slightly cooler summer climates. Given those optimal conditions, larkspur can reach three to four feet in height. That means they’ll tower over the floor of your garden bed, so keep that in mind when planning out your garden. Also, due to that height and the general structure of the plants, they tend to appreciate some supportive structures to help them stand up straight. 

Larkspur is a perennial, and as such, they’ll come back year after year with proper conditions and good care. If you cut those first blooms early, you can even get a second blooming to grace your garden before the summer’s over. 

partnered post by Annie Sisk • cc-licensed image