Seven Perennials For Blooms All Summer Long
When we’re designing gardens for clients, the most common request (other than “low maintenance”) is for the garden to feature something in bloom through each of spring, summer and fall.
While there are great options for every season, some heavy-hitting plants offer blooms that last through two or more seasons. We incorporate these longer-flowering perennials for extended blooms that you just can’t get from other perennials.
Here are seven of my favourites – tested through two decades of gardening experience in the Toronto area, on thousands of client properties. I think you’re going to love them.
Happy gardening –
Michael Chudy,
General Manager, Gardenzilla
Catmint
Catmint is my favorite perennial two years running – drought-tolerant, pollinator friendly, and with bright purple blooms that last all the way from late spring through the fall. We most commonly plant Walker’s Low Catmint, but there are countless beautiful cultivars, and they perform equally well as a mass border planting, a long-flowering garden perennial, or in raised planters. Plant in partial sun to full sun.
Echinacea
Echinacea, also known as coneflower, is a true garden classic. Most commonly seen in pinks and purples, they are available in a rainbow of colours, and are loved for their long bloom, their bold visual impact, and their adaptability to a wide range of conditions. We love them in mass plantings, but they do equally well planted in groups of 1 or 3 to add a pop of colour to any garden. Give them full or partial sun, and look forward to a treat mid-summer.
Caradonna Sage
For strong purple blooms, nothing beats caradonna sage. Their rich hue and prolific flowering make them exceptional border plants, and we often plant them along driveways or walkways as a colourful alternative to low hedging. Caradonna sage is drought tolerant and pollinator friendly, with exceptionally long bloom times that can be extended further by cutting them back to re-bloom once the flowers start to fade. Plant them in full or partial sun.
Limelight Hydrangea
One of our all-time favourite plants, limelight hydrangea (and its cousins Quickfire Hydrangea, Little Lime Hydrangea, and Little Quickfire Hydrangea) offer huge impact and long-lasting blooms that run from mid-summer through late-fall. We love them as mass plantings on large properties, as hedges under front windows, or as feature plants in smaller gardens. They do best in full or partial sun – if your garden tends towards shade, consider more tolerant annabelle hydrangea or oakleaf hydrangea as other great options.
Rozanne Cranesbill
Rozanne cranesbill is often called the “perennial annual”, because its flowering is as prolific and reliable as most annuals. Rozanne cranesbill is widely available, and rambles in the garden, sending out masses of delicate purple flowers that make exceptional border plantings (we often pair them with hydrangea), or a perfect addition to any sunny perennial garden. Blooming continues from late spring through fall – we find they do best in full or partial sun – while supplemental watering isn’t necessary, it can help.
Threadleaf Coreopsis
Threadleaf coreopsis is a beautiful contradiction in the garden – its delicate yellow flowers contrast its unbeatable adaptability to dry, hot conditions. It’s a native species and a pollinator that pairs best in borders in less formal gardens, but can also find a home in more modern gardens to soften and lighten the design. Best of all, it flowers prolifically from late spring through fall, benefiting from occasional deadheading to nudge it along.
Lavender
This list wouldn’t be complete without lavender – one of the most iconic perennial border plants, lavender brings a nostalgic scent, old-world charm, and long-flowering purple blooms. It loves the sun and is salt resistant, so it becomes a good choice closer to sidewalks and driveways where other plants might be less adaptable to the road salt. Although bloom times vary widely by cultivar, our favourites bloom continuously from late spring all the way through late summer.
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