As we head into the summer months and temperatures continue to rise, we often get asked, “What plants should I install that will survive and perform well throughout the summer?”  As Landscape Architects, one area that we specialize in is planting design.  There are many considerations to take into account when selecting the appropriate plant material – size, sun exposure, drought tolerance, salt tolerance, color, time of year that it flowers, and so on.  Whether a project will have irrigation installed or not is another big factor to consider, especially during the summer.  We study all of these plant characteristics to select the correct combination of plants for the specific locations on a project.

Here are some recommendations for plants that are not only drought-tolerant and heat resistant, but could also aesthetically meet the needs of your project:

Perennials:

The plants chosen by The Kleingers Group for the landscaping at the GE EPISCENTER in Dayton are designed to look great even during the heat of the summer.

1. Moonbeam Coreopsis – Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’

Showy yellow flowers with a light airy texture. Tolerant of a wide variety of conditions including drought and heat.

2. Walker’s Low Catmint – Nepeta faassenii ‘Walker’s Low’

Showy periwinkle blue flower spikes with fragrant grey-green foliage. Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.

3. Black Eyed Susan – Rudbeckia fulgida

Bright yellow flowers and a bold upright texture make this plant pop in any landscape. An extremely hardy plant with seed heads that persist adding winter interest to the landscape.

4. Blazing Star – Liatris spicata

Vibrant pink flower spikes emerge in late summer/early fall. This plant attracts an abundance of wildlife anywhere it is planted!

Purple Coneflowers

5. Purple Coneflower – Echinacea purpurea

Large pinkish-purple blooms sit atop handsome dark green foliage. Extremely durable with many varieties available.

6. Autumn Joy Sedum – Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’

Dark pink blooms emerge in fall turning into a coppery color that lasts all winter long. Blooms sit on top of broad succulent stems and leaves.

7. Russian Sage – Perovskia atriplicifolia

Tall, airy, spike-like flower clusters create a lavender blue cloud in the landscape. Flowers sit atop a finely textured aromatic foliage. Extremely drought tolerant, hardy plant.

8. Daylily – Hemerocallis ‘Stella de Oro’

Bright yellow flowers emerge above a clump of arching, linear, blade-like leaves. Great in masses as it provides color all year long.

 Ornamental Grasses:

Feather Reed Grass

1. Feather Reed Grass – Calamagrostis acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’

An ornamental grass with strong upright vertical lines. The plant is valued for its early bloom time and strong ability to adapt to many growing conditions.

2. Switchgrass – Panicum virgatum

An upright landscape grass with lovely blue-green foliage. In late summer, light, airy, wheat-colored flowers emerge.

 Shrubs:

St. John’s Wort

1. Shrubby St. John’s Wort – Hypericum calycinum

A widely used low-growing evergreen shrub. The deep green glossy foliage is an attractive backdrop to the bright yellow pincushion-like flowers that emerge in early summer.

2. Blue Chip Butterfly Bush – Buddleia ‘Blue Chip’

Low-growing attractive shrub with great drought tolerance. The shrub features intense blue flower spikes that begin in June and last all season long. This shrub is incredibly fragrant and attracts many wildlife species.

As you can see, selecting the proper plant for the proper location is critical to plant survival and growth. Let us assist you in your next design!

When Joseph M. Allen, PE, PS of Development Planning, Inc. hired The Kleingers Group, he already had a conceptual grading plan in place and knew what he wanted to achieve for Greenshire Commons, a new subdivision on Cincinnati’s West Side.

But there were still some major details to work out. The plan for the 170-acre subdivision included moving more than 300,000 cubic yards of dirt and building a 15-foot wall more than 300 feet long at the entrance of the subdivision.

The Kleingers Group helped Allen turn his vision for the site into reality by ensuring jurisdictional standards were met, while still moving forward quickly.

The primary goal for The Kleingers Group was to ensure an earthwork balance on the site – meaning no dirt would have to be taken off-site or brought in – while still meeting Allen’s goals for the terrain.

The Kleingers Group used Autodesk Civil 3D to both design and model the proposed terrain surface

The Kleingers Group used Autodesk Civil 3D to both design and model the proposed terrain surface, providing not only the earthwork calculations but also provide a visual representation of the plan.

First, the roadway profiles were designed to meet both jurisdictional standards and the aesthetic requirements, hitting critical elevations as determined by the Allen. Then tools within Civil 3D allowed The Kleingers Group to model the roadways, sidewalks, walls, and green spaces along the roads. With this foundation in place, Kleingers was able to design the lot grades to accommodate different housing types while honoring drainage requirements and desirable driveway grades.

By using 3D modeling, The Kleingers Group was able to present images that made the suggested terrain easier to visualize and give very specific ideas about the final aesthetic. After each draft, The Kleingers Group worked with Allen to make changes to the grading plan to ensure his goals were met.

Once the systematic design was in place, Kleingers was able to adjust the entire design as requested in a small amount of time.

The final plan includes some dramatic changes to the terrain, including the 15-foot wall at the entrance.

By utilizing Kleingers to work out the details on this small but important piece, Allen was able to move forward quickly while still ensuring his goals for the site were met.

Each year, The Kleingers Group conducts the measurements for the Ohio Challenge Hot Air Balloon Festival, measuring the distance between dropped beanbags and the targets.

The Kleingers Group is pleased to once again sponsor The Ohio Challenge Hot Air Balloon and Skydiving Festival!

For more than a decade, The Kleingers Group has conducted the measurements for the event, measuring the distance between beanbags dropped from the balloons and the targets during the competitions.

This year, we will be out there again with the robotic total station to help make the measurements needed to declare a winner.

Each year up to 40 of the country’s best balloon pilots compete in the three-day challenge while tens of thousands of people enjoy the two-day festival.

In addition to the competition, visitors can enjoy a balloon glow, skydiving performances, balloon rides, a car show, games, entertainment, and food.

The 13^th annual Ohio Challenge Hot Air Balloon Festival will be held July 10 – 12 at Smith Park in Middletown.

Visit www.ohiochallenge.com for more information.