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One appeal of perennial flowers is that they return year after year, relieving you of the duty of replanting each spring. The drawback is that most perennials bloom for a shorter period than do annual flowers. Some perennial species bloom for only a week or two before fading. If you want a garden where something is blooming at all times, it can be hard to accomplish this if you are using only perennial plants.
If you’re looking for the best flowers that offer vibrant color all summer long, check out these dozen no-fail, flowering plants.
Hardy Hibiscus
Hardy hibiscus loves full sun and attracts both hummingbirds and butterflies. It starts blooming late in the summer producing huge flowers in shades of red, pink or white. The plant dies back in the winter and is very late to break dormancy. It’s usually mistaken for dead, but give it time and you’ll be rewarded with spectacular color!
Coneflower
Coneflower is a mid-summer bloomer that’s a great cut flower. There are many different varieties of plants, you’re sure to find one that’s right for your garden. Coneflower is deer resistant and attracts butterflies. Plant in full sun.
Black-Eyed Susan
Your garden needs these pretty blooms, which appear from mid-summer to fall. Read the tag because some are perennial, and some only last two years (which is called “biennial”) so they’re treated as annuals and replanted every year. Give them full sun.
Astrantia
Here’s a perennial that’s always been a cottage garden favorite but is not as well-known these days. But it deserves a space in your garden! Its beautiful flowers bloom for a long time from early summer to early fall. Pollinators adore it, and the flowers are lovely in a cutting garden or dried.
Coreopsis
Coreopsis has sunny daisy-like flowers that bloom in a variety of colors, such as yellow, pink, red or bi-color. The flowers blossom early summer to midsummer. Deadheading spent blooms will increase bloom time. They attract birds and butterflies. Grows about 1 to 3 feet tall.
Hydrangeas
Nothing can beat these perennials when it comes to filling up your garden with a profusion of long-lasting blooms starting from spring. The large flower heads keep coming all through summer and continue to adorn the plants long after the blooming season is over.
Daylily
If you have trouble growing anything in your soil, give daylilies a try. They multiply year after year. Each bloom only lasts one day (thus, the name!), but they flower profusely. Make sure they are in full sun for best blooms.
Lavender-scented linens, sachets, and potpourris provide a nice touch in a home and are ridiculously easy to acquire. But even people with no interest in such domesticity grow lavender plants, since they bring a touch of class to the landscape, too. English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) blooms from June through August on plants that grow 2 to 3 feet in height.
Phlox
Garden Phlox has fragrant, showy blooms in pink, purple, white or red. It’s great for cutting or tall borders. Plant in sun to part shade. Phlox attracts butterflies.
If you travel back through the mists of history, you will find that “daisy” was once spelled “day’s eye”—a metaphor for the sun, and very much reflective of the ambiance created by this plant. It is difficult to contemplate a daisy and not come away with a sunny outlook on life.
But this classic flower is more than just eye-candy. Becky Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum × superbum ‘Becky’) are among the best of the Shasta daisy cultivars—they are tough plants, displaying resilience and endurance which belie their delicate appearance. They bloom from July through September on plants that can grow 3 to 4 feet in height.
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