Summer Blooming Perennial Plants
If you want to keep your garden in bloom all Summer there are many perennial plants that can help you to accomplish this. Perennials are those plants which return year after year.
While there are other tricks to making the garden bloom all Summer, such as deadheading, pruning and fertilization, perennial plant selection is important.
A Few Of The Best Summer Blooming Perennials
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Daylilies - Daylilies have long been America's favorite perennial. Even though a daylily bloom lasts for only a day, they are exceptionally long-lived, not to mention very easy to grow. When it comes to daylilies there is a world of difference between varieties, and there are literally thousands of varieties within the species to choose from. Some varieties of daylilies bloom for about 3 to 4 weeks during summer, others go through a bloom cycle and then "repeat bloom", and then there is 'Stella De Oro': the yellow-flowering champion. The daylily 'Stella De Oro' was the first commercially released repeat blooming daylily - and repeat it does for up to 5 months! Stella is still the most popular daylily sold today. But there are many other exciting daylilies to choose from - in every color under the sun - and new varieties being hybridized every day. We've heard rumors there are many new varieties that rival or beat Stella in blooming period? If so, please let us now about them! One thing for sure, we know that many varieties of daylilies not known to repeat bloom will do so if the spent flowers and scapes are removed and the plants are fertilized more regularly.
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Lantana's - If you want guaranteed explosion of color in the garden all summer long it's hard to beat the perennial lantana's. Lantana's are heat and sun-loving plants which produce masses of flower clusters that will have the butterflies literally flocking to your garden. They are exceptionally east to grow so long as there's plenty of sunshine and well-drained soil. In the past, lantana's were primarily grown as annuals in the South but now there are several varieties that have shown exceptional cold hardiness. 'Miss Huff', 'Sonset', 'Pink Caprice', 'Mozelle', 'Trailing Lavender' and 'New Gold' are among the list of "most hardy" lantana, some being hardy to Zone 7.
NOTE: Do NOT prune lantana in the Fall as this will ensure death of the plant! Prune away dead branches and stems in Spring after new growth begins to emerge. A mid-summer light shearing is okay to remove seed heads and encourage extended and heavier flowering for the rest of the season.
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Salvia - Are they "salvia" or "sage"? Well, all salvias are sages but we're not sure if all sages are salvias? It really doesn't matter. What does matter is that salvias are some of the best summer blooming perennials you can grow to provide summer color in the garden. Not only do they provide color, many, such as Salvia Greggii 'Maraschino and Black & Blue Salvia (Salvia Gauranitica) are great for attracting and feeding hummingbirds and butterflies. Black & Blue Salvia, a/k/a 'Blue Anise Sage' is a large growing perennial plant (4-5' in height and spread) which produces an abundance of deep blue flowers that resemble a dragon head with mouth open. Many of the Salvia Greggi have demonstrated good cold tolerance and come in an array of colors with red being the most popular. One thing for sure, there probably isn't a better group of summer blooming plants than salvias for attracting hummingbirds to your garden! Make sure to check if they are hardy in your zone. If not, grow them as annuals - the hummingbirds will aprreciate you for it.
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Coneflowers - Coneflowers (Echinacea) produce some of the most spectacular flowers in the Summer garden. They get their common name from the tall or mounding center cones (usually in brown or black) that are surrounded by a row of elongated and often drooping petals. Used to be all we had was the purple coneflower but these days they are available in an array of showy color shades including purple of course, pink, red, yellow, white, and orange. 'Tiki Torch' is one of the newest introductions sporting some of the brightest orange flowers you've ever seen! Many are good for cutflowers, some are fragrant, and all attract butterflies. Once established, coneflowers are very drought tolerant.
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Russian Sage - This is perhaps one of the most under-used of the summer flowering perennial plants. If you want to bring a cool effect to the summer garden there's no better choice than Russian Sage (Perovskia). Soothing, sky-blue flower spikes are produced all summer long and rise above very attractive upright clumps of delicate, silvery-white foliage. But, other than it's soft appearance, there's nothing really delicate about this plant. Russian Sage is a very tough plant that will tolerate drought, intense heat, humidity and all-day blazing sun. An easy to grow perennial plant that's a must in gardens of the South, or wherever it will grow.
Below you will find a listing of many other summer-blooming perennial plants. Click on any link or thumbnail image to see an expanded Plant File that contains a detailed plant description, usage suggestions and instructions for care.
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