Summer may not be such a pleasant time for us, but there are so many plants that bloom wonderfully in the scorching heat & the direct sunlight of Indian summer.
These are a few summer plants in India that are herbaceous in nature - summer annuals are known for their brightly colored, spectacular flowers, excellent for pot gardens & flower beds. Seed sowing grows most of these plants in seedling trays & later they are transplanted outdoors.
• Top 10 summer flowering Plants in India
1. Balsam
This pretty annual variety is a thing of great attraction for children and adults alike. It blooms in various shades of white, violet purple, rose pink, red & mauve, single & double.
- Height: 22 to 60 cm
- Spacing for Balsam plants: 8 x 8 inches
- Time required for blooming after seed sowing: 6-8 weeks
2. Cosmos
Feathery, light, soft foliage, star-like flowers, the most attractive feature of the plant is its delicacy & smooth texture. It flowers in white, shades of pink rose, and mauve. Its Orange coloured variety is the most popular.
- Height of Cosmos: 50 to 120 cm
- Spacing of Cosmos plants: 1.5 x 1.5 ft
- Time required for blooming after seed sowing: 8 weeks
3. Gaillardia
Very long blooming period of about four months. Common varieties are a combination of yellow & brown red color.
- Height of Gaillardia: 40-45 cm
- Spacing of Gaillardia plants: 1.5 x 1.5 ft
- Time required for blooming after seed sowing: 12 weeks
4. Gomphrena
A popular ‘everlasting’ flower, easy to grow, produces a mass of small globular flowers. Typical colour is purple. Others include orange, pink & off white.
- Height of Gomphrena: 45 cm
- Spacing of Gomphrena plants: 1 x 1 ft
- Time required for blooming after seed sowing: 10-12 weeks
5. Portulaca
Called as 10 O’clock flower, it opens when the sunshine is bright by office time & closes as offices close by the evening. It blooms in the most gorgeous colors of yellow, scarlet, crimson, rose, pink, magenta single & double.- Height of Portulaca: 15 cm
- The spacing of Portulaca plants: 4 x 4 inches
- Time required for blooming after seed sowing: 8-10 weeks
6. French Marigold
Trendy, comfortable to grow, excellent cut flower, very efficient as carpet & edging plants. Colours are yellow, orange, lemon dark brown & combinations of these shades.
- Height of Marigold: 15-20 cm
- The spacing of Marigold plants: 6 x 6 inches
- Time required for blooming after seed sowing: 8 weeks
7. Nasturtium
Excellent for rockery & covering wasteland, plant loves poor soil. Suitable for hanging baskets also. Flowers are yellow, orange, maroon, scarlet, single & double.
- Height of Nasturtium: 20-30 cm
- The spacing of Nasturtium plants: 8 x 8 inches
- Time required for blooming after seed sowing: 10-12 weeks
8. Sunflower
A very distinctive & attractive plant, as flower heads stand out uniformly much above the foliage in one direction. Iconic bright yellow colour with a black centre.
- Height of Sunflower: 1- 1.5 m
- Spacing of Sunflower plants: 2 x 2 ft
- Time required for blooming after seed sowing: 8-10 weeks
9. Verbena
A beautiful perennial with a large compact head of flowers on tall, bushy plants. Flowers are white, crimson, purple, magenta, blue in single colour or contrasting with white centres.- Height of Verbena: 25-30 cm
- The spacing of Verbena plants: 8 x 8 inches
- Time required for blooming after seed sowing: 10-12 weeks
10. Zinnia
Very easy to grow, exquisite for borders, pots, blooms for an extended period. Flowers of various colors- white, rust, dark brown, maroon, copper red, yellow, available in single and double.
- Height of Zinnia: 1 m
- The spacing of Zinnia plants: 1.5 x 1.5 ft
- Time required for blooming after seed sowing: 6-8 weeks