By
choosing long-blooming
perennial plants, you
can capitalize on the
best of both worlds
- plants that persist,
or come back from growing
season to growing season,
and those that bloom
for an extended length
of time. This also means
that you'll have more
time to appreciate the
gardens that you create!
Here
is just a sampling of
long-blooming perennial
plants for the sunny
garden:
Achillea,
or Yarrow,
are very drought and
heat resistant plants,
once established. The
flower heads are long
lasting and many colors
are available from yellow,
gold, pink, pastels
in apricot, lilac, salmon,
cream and white. Plants
grow from 8" to
3' tall, depending on
variety. The flat-topped
flower heads grow up
to several inches across,
and make excellent cut
and dried flowers, especially
yellow. The fern-like,
gray to gray-green foliage
is somewhat aromatic
and attractive even
when the plant is not
in bloom.
Coreopsis,
Tickseed, is
one of the easiest and
most rewarding garden
flowers. The thread
leaf varieties are usually
the longest blooming,
typically from June
through fall. The pale
yellow, bright yellow
or rosy-pink daisy flowers
smother the slender
stems and thread-like
leaves. Plant height,
from 15 - 24",
is variety dependent.
A mid-summer shearing
of the seed heads will
keep these plants blooming
for many more weeks.
Echinacea
purpurea, Purple Coneflower,
is a sturdy, bold-textured,
dark green foliaged
favorite that grows
to 2 - 3' tall and wide.
The flowers are large,
daisy-like with unique
standings of dark-rose
purple and lighter in
color.
Rudbeckia,
Black-eyed Susan,
is an old-fashioned
garden favorite. It
is hardy, reliable,
insect and disease free,
and an exceptionally
long-blooming plant
- typically from July
through fall. This medium-green,
bold-foliaged plant
grows to about 3' tall
and bears golden yellow,
daisy flowers with dark
brown centers. Both
Echinacea and Rudbeckia
flowers make excellent
cut flowers and a wonderful
place for butterflies
to sit and eat.
Gallardia
or Blanket Flower
is an American native
plant which thrives
in the hot sun and has
beautiful yellow-orange
flowers, marked with
red. Height varies according
to variety. Some favorites
include "Baby Cole"
which is a dwarf only
8" high, "Goblin,"
a 12”-15”
grower, and "Burgundy,"
which reaches 18”-24”
and whose flowers are
a gorgeous shade of
burgundy red.
For
intense blue flowers
from mid-summer to September,
plant Plumbago
(Ceratostigma plumbaginoides).
Plumbago spreads quickly
to form a neat groundcover
and as an added bonus,
leaves turn a brilliant
red in the fall before
dropping. This excellent
perennial grows well
in light shade also.
Veronica, Speedwell,
has neat, attractive
foliage and abundant
flowers in densely packed
spikes. Look for the
cultivars 'Goodness
Grows' and taller 'Sunny
Border Blue' for a beautiful
addition of blue to
your summer garden.
Remember,
this is just a brief
glimpse of the long-blooming
perennials available
to choose from. Stop
by to see our wide selection
of perennials so we
can help you determine
the plants best suited
to your garden.
