Summer Blooming Perennials

Make perennials the focal point of your garden.  Featuring vivid, long-lasting flowers that can handle the heat, summer is the season to make a statement and these blooming perennials will give you plenty to talk about.  Our outdoor garden center offers a wide selection of summer blooming perennials to choose from.  Here are some of our favorites.

Daylily – Known for their generous blooms and striking grass-like leaves, daylilies are low maintenance and considered one of the easiest perennials to grow.  Their attractive, fragrant flowers attract both butterflies and hummingbirds.  Daylilies bloom over a 4 to 12 week period when planted in full sun.  They are available in double and triple flowers, and vary in size from 12 to 36 inches tall. 

Blanket Flower – These vivid yellow flowers with dark maroon or orange-banded petals are members of the sunflower family.   Blanket Flowers are perfect for sunny perennial borders or cottage gardens.  They bloom from early summer through fall and tolerate a wide range of soil types.  Blanket Flowers will reach 24 to 36 inches tall with foliage spreading 12 to 24 inches.

Astilbe - These shade-loving perennials feature upright blooms in a wide variety of colors.  Plant them in groups in shade gardens, woodland gardens, cottage gardens or shaded areas of flower bed borders.  Astilbe can also be planted along pond or stream edges.  They grow to an average of 24 to 36 inches tall. 

Purple Coneflower - Popular drought-tolerant perennials characterized by their large, daisy-like purple flowers.  Purple Coneflowers grow to an average of 3 to 5 feet tall and bloom summer through early fall.  They make excellent cut flowers.  Plant them in full sun in rich, well-drained soil.

Rudbeckia  – Nostalgic, wildflower perennials featuring stunning flowers in orange, rust, magenta or gold, and unique rough, slightly hairy foliage.  Rudbeckia will attract birds and butterflies to your garden.  They are commonly found in wildflower meadows, natural gardens and cottage gardens, and can be planted in containers among mixed annuals or used as cut flowers.  Rudbeckia typically bloom from July to August and have been known to bloom as late as October.  Their flowers average 24 to 36 inches tall and foliage spreading 18 to 24 inches.  Plant them in full sun in well-drained soil making sure to remove perished flowers to encourage fresh blooms and prevent unwanted self-seeding. 

Kobold Blazing Star – These perennials grow in clusters and feature fluffy, dense spikes of rosy purple flowers.  Kobold Blazing Stars are stunning in border or prairie gardens.  They attract hummingbirds, other birds, and butterflies to your garden.   Kobold Blazing Stars bloom from August to September with flower stalks averaging 18 to 24 inches tall with grass-like foliage spreading 15 to 18 inches.  Plant them in full sun in well-drained soil.

Turtlehead - Named after their intriguing blooms that resemble a turtle’s open mouth, turtleheads boast scarlet-pink, tubular flowers and dark green foliage.  Turtleheads bloom August to September and flower stalks grow 24 to 36 inches tall.  They are perfect in border and meadow gardens or as cut flowers.  Turtleheads are known to attract butterflies.  Plant them in rich, moist soil in full to part sun. 

Obedient Plant – Named after their unique ability to remain posed in a given direction when something pushes against them; Obedient Plants are appreciated for their late-season bloom.  Their lance-shaped foliage features dense spikes of white or purple-pink flowers.  They are ideal for wildflower gardens, prairie gardens or meadows, and are known to attract hummingbirds and butterflies.  Obedient Plants bloom from July to August.  They grow to an average of 24 inches high and spread 24 to 30 inches.  Plant them in rich, well-drained soil in full sun to part sun.

Serbian Bellflower  -   Characterized by attractive, loose sprays of star-shaped, lavender-blue flowers, Serbian Bellflowers bloom June through August.  These mound-shaped plants spread 24 to 36 inches with flowers reaching 8 to 12 inches tall.  Plant them as edging or ground cover in woodland or rock gardens, allowing them to sprawl over walls or along banks.  Serbian Bellflowers should be planted in part sun to part shade in average, well-drained to dry soil.

Upright Sedum - Upright Sedums feature delightful pale blue-green foliage with large, dense, flat-topped clusters of small, star-shaped, bronze-red flowers.  They bloom August to September and the attractive, bronze-red seed heads remain through the winter. Plant these low maintenance perennials in mixed border gardens or in decorative containers with ornamental grasses and asters for a late season display.  Upright Sedums attract birds and butterflies and thrive in average, well-drained soil in full sun to part sun.  These plants reach 18 to 24 inches tall and the foliage spreads an average of 24 inches wide. 

Summer blooming perennials add a burst of color to your landscape throughout the summer and into early fall.  Visit our garden center today to select the varieties that are right for you and your family. 

Sources: www.gardenguides.com, plantsbulbs.suite101.com/article.cfm/summer_blooming_perennial_plants