Showstopper flowers in early summer
Let’s look at some showstopper flowers in early summer. May and June are colourful months in the ornamental garden. Plenty of lush green growth provides a backdrop for some showstopping floral stars. Choose one or two star plants for your garden beds for pops of drama, or fill your borders with showstoppers to create a feast for the eyes. Most of this selection are easy to grow and easy to care for and all earn a place on my ‘must-have’ list for their eye-catching qualities.
Papaver orientale Coral Reef
A clumping forming herbaceous perennial that have showy, but short-lived flowers. Luckily an established clump will continue to bloom over a period of weeks. Probably most well-known with pillar-box red papery petals with a dark or black centre, other colours are also available. Try ‘Coral Reef’ for peachy-pink petals. Propagate by dividing clumps every 3-4 years.
Or try Papaver Orientale ‘Black Peony’ (above). Height 90cm. Easy to grow on all soil types. The oriental poppy requires full sun and it will fail to thrive in very dry or waterlogged soils. Propagate by dividing clumps every 3-4 years. For a muddy mauve colour, try Papaver Orientale Patty’s Plum.
Phlomis russellania
Phlomis earn a place on my list of showstopper flowers for early summer for their shape and form as well as their colour. A fast-growing herbaceous perennial that spreads quickly forming a weed-suppressing mat of leaves. It starts flowering in late spring and produces strong stems with whorls of yellow flowers up the stem. They make a strong colour statement and I particularly like the candelabra effect of the positioning of the flowers.
Leave some flower stems throughout the winter to add interest to the winter garden. Will fail to thrive on clay soils, but I’ve noted that it copes well in our raised beds which lift the roots out of the clay soil in our garden. Height and spread 90cm.
Papaver somniferum
An annual that is easy to grow from direct sowing and reaches round 120cm height. The eye-catching blooms are fleeting, but most plants produce several flowers. Available as single, semi-double or double flowers. For maximum number of petals, look for varieties that are described as peony-flowered.
I particularly like purple poppies like ‘Lauren’s Grape’ (a deep purple single flower) and ‘Candy Floss’ (mauve, peony-flowered). Collect seeds once seed heads have dried or allow to self-seed.
Peony
The showy flowers of peonies add drama and large pops of colour to the garden. Some varieties are scented, adding another dimension to their beauty. Peonies flowers can be single, semi-double or fully double. Very popular is Peony ‘Bowl of Beauty’ with pink petals and a creamy gold centre. Others offer layers of frilly petals, making the flowers even more showstopping.
Try ‘Monsieur Jules Elie’ (above) for a mass of petals that form a fragrant flower, up to 100cm height.
Do not plant peony crowns below the soil level as this inhibits flower production. They prefer moist, but well-drained soil in a sheltered position in full sun or partial shade. You may want to provide support as the flowers can become heavy when fully open.
Rosa Zephirine Drouhin
What could be more of a showstopper than a climbing rose covering a pergola? Rosa ‘Zephirine Drouhin’ is a thornless rose, making it ideal for growing next to areas that you walk. It’s a vigorous climber, reaching 3m height and width. A Bourbon rose with highly scented, bright pink, semi-double flowers. It is repeat flowering and will continue to produce flowers over a long period each year. Unfussy about soil or situation, but it does require full sun to give the best flowering performance. This dramatic display is located in a valley garden in South Wales.
Wisteria floribunda f. alba ‘Shiro-noda’
What a statement this white Japanese wisteria makes! The white flowers hang down around 60cm in length below the fresh green leaves. Wisteria floribunda f. alba ‘Shiro-noda’ has an eventual height of 9m and spread 5m. If grown across a pergola, you can walk under the flowers enjoying their sweet scent. Grow in full sun in moist, but well-drained soil. Despite its delicate appearance, Wisteria floribunda f. alba ‘Shiro-noda’ is fully hardy across the UK.
Allium Globemaster
There are plenty of Alliums to choose from. I like to plant smaller flowered Allium in large groups to build impact and to plant a large headed Allium at intervals across a bed to provide repeating focal points. The strap-like leaves of Allium ‘Globemaster’ grow to 1m long and it produces a globe of flowers up to 20cm across, on an 80cm high stem. Grow in full sun in a sheltered spot, or among other plants that will provide some protection. They prefer west- or south-facing position and may fail in clay soils.
Knautia macedonica
Individually these pincushion flowers are not hugely significant, but en masse they make a statement! Every year, this plant is the one that I’m asked about most in our garden. It forms a scruffy, straggly mound of leaves above which the flowers stand on wire stems. Height and spread 80cm. Deadhead faded blooms very regularly to encourage continuous flower production right through the summer and autumn. Grow in full sun on any soil, except heavy clay in a west- or south-facing position. That said, it grows well in our open, north-facing garden. For paler pinks, try Knautia macedonica ‘Melton pastels’.
Cephalaria gigantea
Here’s another plant with flowers that aren’t hugely showy individually, but the plant as a whole, shouts its beauty. The pale yellow, scabious flowers about 6 cm diameter are held on upright stems that tower above our heads. A plant for the back of the border or the centre of an island bed. Cephalaria gigantea forms an untidy clump of leaves from which the flower stems appear. Height 2m and spread 1m. Grow in full sun or partial shade, but otherwise it is unfussy about soil, site or situation. Stake to avoid wind damage. I place a plant support just above the foliage during early spring and the foliage grows through to hide the support by early summer.
Rosa
Can there be more classic showstopper flowers for early summer than roses? There are so many shrub roses that make great showstopping plants. I am reluctant to pick a favourite, but here are a couple of suggestions.
Rosa ‘The Poet’s Wife’ is an unfussy plant that grows to 110 cm height and spread. It has large, fully double, highly scented, rich yellow flowers and is repeat flowering. Deadhead regularly to encourage further flower production.
Rosa gallica ‘Versicolour’ produces only one flush of highly fragrant blooms. It grows to 90 cm height and spread with dull, grey-green leaves. The semi-double flowers are striking with red and white stiped petals, occasionally some flowers are purely red. The flowers are followed by small, orange-red rose hips.
Lupinus
If you want vertical accents and pops of intense colour, lupins will fit the bill well. and as showstopper flowers for early summer, they really make a statement! Available in a very wide range of colours and sizes, there is likely to be a lupin that suits your needs. Lupins prefer loam or sandy soils on a sheltered site, but usually still put on a show in conditions that are less than ideal. Hardy across the UK and Ireland, except in the most severe of winters. Deadhead regularly to encourage continued flower production.
Try ‘Gladiator’ for an orange and yellow flower spike on a bushy plant up to 75cm height and ‘Masterpiece’ for an intense red-purple with a fleck of orange.
Globe artichoke
For an edible showstopper, Cynara cardunculus (Scolymus Group) make a striking statement in the garden. Commonly known as globe artichoke, these plants have large silvery leaves and produce a huge thistle-like flower later in the season. But in early summer, the flower buds make a great display, and can be harvested for eating the central part, the ‘choke’. This herbaceous perennial grows to 1.5m height and 1m spread. They prefer not to be on clay soil and need a sheltered position in full sun.
Further information
The article about Showstopper flowers in early summer was written for Amateur Gardening magazine in spring 2025. I may have updated some of the specific varieties and images and included more suggestions and varieties. Additionally, links are included to help you find the suggested plants. For more ideas of planting themes for your garden, try Romantic garden ideas in June.
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