As a new gardener, whenever I had extra time, one of my favorite things was to get up early on a weekend, grab a cup of coffee to go and head to the nearest nursery as soon as it opened to explore and pick up a few plants. I did that for a number of years before I realized to always have flowers blooming would require actual planning! Who knew?

Living in a community with older homes like Cleveland Park comes along with the benefit of so many huge, beautiful and old ecological powerhouse trees! And they bring shade! Shade does not mean you can't have flowers. Take a look at these shady bloomers. Plant a few and you can easily have a garden full of flowers in the shade all summer long!

These are all perennials, meaning once you plant them, they should return year after year. You may also have noticed some carry over two months -- those are the long bloomers, the very best kind of perennials if you are looking for flowers. Happy gardening and wishing you a summer filled with flowers, even in the shade!