So you want flowers blooming in your garden all summer long. That’s a great goal and your garden will be riot of colors from spring to fall.
Don’t let anyone tell you it isn’t possible. With good planning and proper sequencing of your plants, it’s more than doable.
Perennials and Planning
What you need are the “the aristocrats of the garden.” Perennials. They’re strong and sturdy (good points in both people and flowers), and they’ll come back every year full of vibrant color and beauty. That’s the whole point of perennials.
Just keep in mind that while a small number of these beauties will bloom the first year if started early in the spring, most of them make their début in your garden in the second summer.
The key is picking the right perennials in the right sequence that will give you flowers, one after another, from the earliest spring until the first frost.
So without further adieu, here’s a good, solid list of perennials with their bloom season. And I should note that you don’t have to follow any one’s choice. Just make a list of the flowers that you like, find out when they bloom, and then choose as few or as many as you have room for, remembering to plan for something lovely every month of the blooming season.
And, of course, you’ll want to also check if the flowers take to your climate. Most seed packs, on the back, will give you that information.
Below we’ve listed the perennials to get you started. So consider this your first list of pretty hardy perennials with which you can start planning.
Perennials for a Whole Season’s Bloom
Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata)
- Color: White, Rose, Lavender.
- Bloom: April and May
- Hardiness Zone: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Lily-of-the-Valley (Convallaria majalis)
Color: White
Boom: May and June
Hardiness Zone: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus)
Color: White, Yellow, Pink, Red, Purple and Violet
Bloom: April to Frost
Hardiness Zone: 5, 6, 7, 8
Iris (Fleur-de-lis)
Common Color: White, Purple, Yellow
Bloom: April to July
Hardiness Zone: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Columbine (Aquilegia)
Common Colors: White, Purple, Blue, Yellow
Bloom: April to July
Hardiness Zone: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Peony (Paeonia officinalis)
Common Colors: White, Rose to Crimson
Bloom: May and June
Hardiness Zone: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Larkspur (Delphinium)
Common Color: Blues
Bloom: June, July, and September
Hardiness Zone: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Balloon Flower (Platycodon)
Common Color: Blue, Purple, White
Bloom: July to October
Hardiness Zone: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Phlox, Hardy (Phlox paniculata)
Common Color: Blue, Pink, Purple, Red, White
Bloom: June through September
Hardiness Zone: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata)
Common Color: Yellow
Bloom: August
Hardiness Zone: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Boltonia (Boltonia latisquama)
Common Color: Lilac
Bloom: August to October
Hardiness Zone: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Sunflower (Helianthus)
Common Color: Yellow
Bloom: July to October
Hardiness Zone: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9