A well-planned flower garden will provide colorful interest for most of the year. Bloom color, leaf texture, and ornamental berries can be visible in your flower garden from early spring through mid-winter with the right plant choices.
Long-blooming flowers will help keep the color alive and pollinators visiting your landscape for months. Plus, if you plant some of these 10 long-blooming perennials, it will mean less work in the flower garden for you.
Allium
Also known as blooming onions, alliums (Allium) come in a variety of bloom colors and plant heights, and will bloom from early spring until fall. When not in bloom, allium provide interesting leaf texture in the flower garden.
Plant in full sun or partial shade in well-draining soil. Allium bulbs can be planted in autumn or spring.
Astilbe
This long-blooming flower comes in a wide range of bloom colors that include red, pink, purple, and white. Astilbe (Astilbe x.) produces colorful spikes of flower plumes that can last well into the winter. Plant astilbe in full sun and keep soil moist to encourage the plant to continue blooming.
Black-Eyed Susan
The raised black center of the flower surrounded by yellow blooms gives the appearance of an eye. It’s how this long-blooming flower got its’ name. Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) will start blooming in the heat of summer and last until late autumn. Plant in full sun and well- draining soil. Keep plants deadheaded to encourage more flowers.
Coneflower
These flowers will bloom for months and thrive in the hot, dry conditions of summer. Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) come in a wide range of bloom colors and produce large, open-faced blooms that attract butterflies, bees, and birds. Deadhead spent blooms to encourage the plant to produce flowers.
Coreopsis
This hardy perennial flower produces blooms from early spring until early autumn. Coreopsis (Coreopsis x.) is drought-tolerant and attracts pollinators with its large, open-faced yellow flowers.
Plant coreopsis in full sun and deadhead spent flowers to keep the plant producing new blooms.
Geraniums
Geraniums (Geranium x.) come in many forms, bloom colors, and growing heights. They produce blooms from early summer until the first frost of autumn.
Plant in a sunny location in well-draining soil. Easy to grow in containers or in-ground. Geraniums are technically an annual plant but they can be removed from the soil, placed in a paper bag, and over-wintered indoors in a cool location. In mild climates, cover geraniums with 4-6 inches (10 – 15 cm) of mulch after the plants die in the autumn and they will return the following spring.
Russian Sage
Tall, stately stems of fragrant lavender-blue flowers are produced by Russian sage (Perovskia Atriplicifolia). The plant has a long blooming season and easy care personality. Russian sage forms a small shrub-like plant and after the leaves have dropped in autumn, the silvery stems will shine and add interest to the winter landscape.
Spanish Lavender
Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas) is a hardy perennial that will remain in constant bloom from spring through the first killing frost of autumn. The fragrant flowering plant thrives in a hot, humid climate and full sun. However, it will grow in any climate that provides it with a long, hot summer.
Also known as butterfly lavender, prune immediately after the first flush of blooms fade in spring to encourage the plant to continue blooming.
Sedum
Autumn Joy sedum (Hylotelephium telephium) is an upright-growing sedum that produces reddish-pink flowers in late summer that last until the end of autumn. The plant leaves add garden interest during the early part of the growing season. Sedum is hardy, drought-tolerant, and will adapt to most soil and climate conditions.
Yarrow
This plant is easy-to-grow and long-blooming, producing white, yellow, or pale purple flowers all summer. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) thrives during drought and spreads rapidly via underground stems. The fern-like foliage adds textural interest to the flower garden and flat-topped flowers are a favorite of many pollinators. Plant yarrow in full sun and do not fertilize.
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