Summer heat is picking up. For gardeners who crave color all summer long, perennials that are long-blooming make their life easy. Through planning and careful selection, you can achieve continuous bloom sequence using a multitude of plants that are flowering for but a short time.
However, having perennial flowers blooming all summer will give you more room for error. The best thing to do is plant these workhorses in an area where they will be happy, let them do the work for you. Still, long-bloom perennials are very well worth the work and here are 16 of them to opt for:
Related: Flowers Similar to Dahlias | Flowers Similar to Carnations | Flowers Similar to Bee Balm | Gorgeous Perennial Garden Ideas
Canna lilies
Canna lilies are perennials that have bold foliage and bolder blooms. They start to blossom from early summer or late spring and continue throughout summer and fall, depending on the zone. Ample soil moisture and sunny location are ideal for flowering and lush growth.
Gaura
A North American native, this wildflower forming large perennial stands that crowd out all its competitors. It is also known as bee blossom, however, this four-petalled bloom has more in common with butterflies. Its tall spikes carrying white blossoms look like they’re covered in fluttering butterflies in a gentle breeze.
Dahlia
Dahlias need to be started afresh from tubers in most parts of the United States even though they are perennials in warmer areas that are reliably coming from the ground during spring. Dahlias will only be able to go in the ground whenever the temperature rises above 60F. However, if you’re starting them indoors several weeks ahead of spring ensures advance summer blossoms.
Bee balm
Also known as Monarda, the bee balm can planted in early spring or in fall. Make sure to choose a place with rich and well-draining soil. It does well in par shade as well as in full sun. It also attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. You can use the leaves and flowers to make a herbal tea.
Snapdragon
Another great annual with a long season of flowering is the snapdragon plant. It is an old favorite in summer gardens. Its pretty flowers in shades of peach, red, pink and yellow open in succession on terminal spikes. Its throats commonly have a contrasting or darker color, which adds to the variety. Medium-sized and dwarf types do well in beds and create great borders, while taller snapdragons are ideal as a neat backdrop for other summer plants.
Catmint
This aromatic plant makes a great addition to your summer garden, whether you have cats or not. It has tiny bluish-purple flowers that are borne in abundance on slender, long, terminal flower spikes, which stand above its silver-gray leaves. Its flowering season is quite long that starts from mid-spring to fall.
Rudbeckia
This plant is a perennial, but you can grow the smaller version called Rudbeckia hirta as an annual if you started early enough. In most locations, they start blossoming from early summer until fall. However, the flowering starts in fall all the way throughout winter in hot summer areas.
Daylilies
This plant blooms from spring until fall. Its flowers could last for just a day, however their succession open up day in and day out, making sure that your garden appears cheerful. Its flowers have long stalks, which rise above the leaves’ mound. Daylilies attract are really attractive wherever they are, which makes them the best blooms to brighten any garden.
Aster
Aster’s daisy-like flowers that go in purples, pinks, whites, and lavenders make your garden look lively from early summer to fall. It has a cut-and-come back nature that is keeping your flower beds bright and your vases full.
Eryngium (Sea holly)
Sea holly’s foliage and flowers in spiky, silvery blue are strikingly unique from other garden plants, so try adding it to your summer garden. Its flower spikes look great in both fresh and dry flower arrangements and last long. Consider growing a sea holly as bedding or specimen plants in sunny areas.
Purple coneflower /Echinacea
This plant is propagated by clump or root divisions. It flowers all through summer into fall. Purple coneflower’s blossoms can be harvested if you want to make a herbal tea.
Candytuft
Candytuft are ground hugging and hardworking evergreen plants that can brighten up any corner in the garden with its tiny flower clusters that are starting to appear in spring. It is a great filler in containers or anywhere in your garden.
Petunia
This plant has one of the longest flowering seasons, right from mid-spring into late fall.Purple Wave petunias, which are hybrid petunias that have trailing habit are extremely versatile and floriferous.
Zinnias
This plant loves warmth, therefore it is a reliable summer bloomer with long lasting flowers in jewel colors that you can fill your garden. It has a variety of choices, which is small, single-flowered daisy-type zinnia, and the large pom-pom type that has everything in between. Consider the hybrid variety called the Profusion Zinnias, which are great since they continue blooming into fall.
Gaillardia
This plant is ideal for filling up areas that are less frequented in the garden because neglect and poor soil make them thrive even more. Whether you deadhead the spent flowers or not, Gaillardia keeps blooming and this exercise keeps them neat. Opt for annual gaillardias for your summer garden.
Rose of Sharon/Hardy hibiscus
This is a perennial hibiscus for USDA zones 5-8. It goes in various shades such as peach, red and pink. Its flowers may not be as large as the tropical variety, but it makes it up by the sheer profusion of the blossoms they produce. Rose of Sharon flourishes from late spring until they die in winter.
Inspiration for this post: Natural Living Ideas (with permission)