Just a couple of plants will keep your kitchen stocked with this versatile veggie all summer long. Whichever pop in of summer squash you grow, keep in mind that its a warm-weather crop. you oughta wait for balmy spring weather to plant it. Credit: Christopher Hirsheimer In terms of pH, the plants are adaptable and grow in slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil. It is very important to match the summer squash variety to your available space....

This late-blooming native shrub attracts butterflies and hummingbirds but not deer. A North American native,summersweetmarks the ending of summer with its fragrant white flowers. In terms of soil pH, slightly acidic to neutral is best. Marty Baldwin. For perennial planting beds, there are compact varieties that add year-round structure and late-summer interest. How and When to Plant Summersweet Plant summersweet in the spring. Dig a hole at least twice the size of the root ball and just as deep....

Sundrops are heat and drought-tolerant native perennials that produce hundreds of cheery yellow flowers each spring. Sundrops(Calyophus berlandieri)are tough,low-growing perennialsthat thrive in the summer heat. In spring and early summer, hundreds of 2-inch-wide yellow flowers appear. Credit:Rob Cardillo Heres how to grow sundrops plants in your garden. The range extends south into Northern Mexico. A full-sun garden is a must for this plant, where it can soak up some heat....

When this colorful annual blooms in summer, the flowers nearly cover the entire plant. This ensures the plants produce the most flowers possible on dense plants. When planting in containers, use a planting medium ofpotting soil with vermiculite. Credit: Dean Schoeppner In the garden, they prefer a location with well-draining garden soil. Dig holes just large enough for the root ball and spaced 6-9 inches apart. Wait until after the last anticipated frost....

This low-growing plant blooms like crazy during mild spring and fall temperatures. Sweet alyssum is a cool-season annual with dainty blossoms on tidy mounds of foliage. Sweet alyssum flowers are most often found in a crisp, clean white. Credit: Justin Hancock However, sometimes you’ll see deep purple, light pink, or even soft peachy-hued varieties. Theabundant white bloomsgo with everything. Sweet alyssum is valued for its early spring flowers. Credit: Justin Hancock...

This low-maintenance perennial forms a dense grass-like groundcover in wet soil and grows even in standing water. Sweet flag is a genus of grass-like, low-maintenance perennials. Sweet flag spreads slowly over time via rhizomes and forms a dense groundcover. The foliage of sweet flag has a light, sweet scent when crushed. Sweet flag is happy with slightly acidic to neutral soil. Dig a hole that is about 1.5 times as wide as the root ball and about as deep....

These cool-weather annual spring bloomers add fragrance to gardens and bouquets. Sweet peasare among the gardenflowers it’s possible for you to smellbefore you see them. They love cool weather and will wither as soon as the heat of summer sets in. Gardeners collected and grew all colors and shapes of the boldly fragrant blossoms. Sweet peas are toxic to humans and pets. Because the vines need a trellis or a wire fence, sweet peas are usually grown in rows....

Slip some of these delicious, easy-to-grow veggies into your garden this year. Tropical sweet potato plants are related tomorning gloriesand are very easy to grow. They require a long, warm growing season to mature, which is why they’re a southern favorite. Credit:Dean Schoeppner Here’s how to plant and grow sweet potatoes in your garden. They will grow inless than full sunbut not produce as well. Your planting site should also be well-drained, or your sweet potato roots may rot....

Sweet potato vine comes in different colors and works well with flowering plants. A vigorous annual or tender perennial, it thrives in thesummer heat. Typically used as spillers in containers, sweet potato vines also make fantastic groundcovers. Credit:BHG / Kelli Jo Emanuel However, they won’t be nearly as tasty. Plant them in rich, well-drained soil. you’re free to plant sweet potato vines on asturdy trellisto add privacy to your garden....

Sweet woodruff is a shade-loving groundcover that’s sweetly scentedand tougher than it looks. Sweet woodruffmakes a big statement in almost any shade garden. For one, the low-growing groundcover is adorned with tiny white blossoms each spring. Credit: Peter Krumhardt Sweet woodruff is a coffee (Rubiaceae) family member and anherbaceous perennialhardy in zones 4-9. Sweet woodruff is unbothered. Sweet woodruff is often used as a quick-spreading groundcover in cottage and rock gardens....

This vigorously spreading native cool-season grass has a sweet vanilla scent and thrives in moist to wet soils. Sweetgrass is an aromatic perennial prairie grass prized for its fresh scent. Sweetgrass blooms between March and May, which is much earlier than most grasses. After the bloom, it forms small spikelets of bronze seedheads. Sweetgrass is considered sacred by many indigenous peoples in North America. Native Americans have long used sweetgrass for making smudge sticks as well as for weaving baskets....

It’s also pretty enough to add to a flower bed ormixed patio container. It outlasts most other leafy greens because it doesntbolt when summer temperatures rise. It creates a lush foil for flowering annuals or perennials. Credit:Bob Stefko Swiss chard is an attractive addition to container plantings for a sunny patio, deck, or balcony. Combine it with colorful flowering annuals such asdwarf zinniasormarigoldsfor a season-long display. Its boldly textured leaves create a pleasing contrast to annuals with small or delicate flowers....

This vibrant native plant won’t need much upkeep to look gorgeous in your garden. It spreads slowly over time and adds stunning vertical accents wherever it is planted. This warm-season grass blooms in mid to late summer. Peter Krumhardt. Some varieties and cultivars have foliage that changes color in the fall. Many of the recent introductions bring longer displays of colors with varieties in glowing red and burgundy. In the winter, the dried flower heads bring texture to the garden, especially when dusted with snow....