If you make wise perennial planting decisions, you can enjoy a flower-filled yard all summer, every summer. There are a number of long-blooming perennials that put on a bloom-filled show throughout the hottest months of the year. Explore ten options, each of which blooms throughout the entire summer season.
Blanket Flower
Blanket flower (Gaillardia) is a beautiful perennial that provides multi-tone red, yellow, orange, and/or peach (depending on variety) blooms throughout the hottest months of the year. These lovely plants can grow to two or three feet tall. They grow in clusters that can have spread ranging from one to two feet wide. Blanket flowers are hardy in USDA Zones 3 - 10.
Blue Clips Bell Flower
Blue clips bell flowers (Campanula carpatica) are beautiful, low-growing perennials that bloom all summer. They typically reach between eight inches and one foot in height and grow in compact clusters approximately 18 inches in diameter. They work great in polyculture garden beds, planted in front of taller flowers or shrubs. Blue clips bell flowers are hardy in USDA Zones 3 - 9.
Cranesbill
Cranesbill (Geranium), also known as true geranium or hardy geranium, is a perennial that blooms throughout the entire summer. This is not the same plant as annual geraniums (Pelargonium) that are used as bedding plants. Cranesbill will grow in full sun or partial shade. There are many varieties, which range in height from six inches to three feet. Most cranesbill varieties are hardy in USDA Zones 5 - 8. Limited varieties are also cold hardy in Zones 3 and 4, while a few others can tolerate Zone 9 heat.
Day Lily
Day lilies (Hemerocallis) are not only beautiful, but they are extremely low maintenance. These perennials prefer full sun but will grow and flower all summer even in partial shade. They spread aggressively and will periodically need to be divided after they finish blooming at the end of summer. There are many colors of day lilies, including yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, and more. They are hardy in USDA Zones 3 - 10.
Hardy Ice Plant
Hardy ice plant (Delosperma cooperi) is a low-growing perennial succulent that produces violet/red blooms throughout the summer. This plant can handle extreme heat, drought, and even does well when planted in rocky soil. This is a short plant, growing only to a height of between three and six inches tall. These plants are great for borders because not only are they short, they also grow together in a dense mat reaching up to two feet wide. Ice plant is hardy in USDA Zones 5-11.
Purple Coneflower
Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurera), also known as echinacea, is a beautiful perennial that puts on a show all summer long. A central brown, black, or orange cone rises above lovely light purple petals that droop back. This gorgeous flower also has medicinal properties believed to boost the immune system. Purple coneflower reaches three to four feet in height. This long-blooming perennial is hardy in USDA Zones 3-9.
Shasta Daisy
Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum superbum) are beautiful classic summer flowers that have white petals and a yellow center. These long-blooming summer perennials grow in clumps and typically range from two to three feet tall. They are heat and drought tolerant. They prefer full sun but will also do well in partial shade. Shasta daisies are hardy in USDA Zones 5 - 10.
Tickseed
Tickseed (Coreopsis) is a long-blooming perennial that produces lovely yellow or gold flowers throughout the summer months. Tickseed tends to grow in mounds. It typically reaches between one and two feet in height. Most tickseed varieties are hardy in USDA zones 4-9. If you live in the colder areas within those zones, check the label of any seeds or plant starts you are considering purchasing to verify hardiness in your area.
Whirling Butterflies
Whirling butterflies (Gaura lindheimeri), often referred to simply as gaura, are beautiful perennial wildflowers that are delicate in appearance but tough in constitution. This long-blooming plant can thrive almost anywhere. It loves full sun, but also does will in partial shade. It is tolerant of heat, humidity, and even-drought. It's hardy in USDA Zones 5-10.
Yellow Coneflower
Yellow coneflower (Echinacea paradoxa) is similar to purple coneflower, except that it has yellow petals and a dark brown cone in the center. As with purple coneflower, its petals droop back from the central cone. This beautiful perennial grows three to four feet tall. It blooms throughout the entire summer and even a bit beyond. It is hardy in USDA Zones 3-9.
Enjoy Plants That Flower All Summer
The 10 flowers above are known for blooming throughout the entire summer in most areas, but they are not the only options for bringing color into your garden layout during the summer. For maximum summer color, consider supplementing these plants with colorful summer annuals and.or other perennials that bloom for part of the summer.
