Perennials that bloom all summer

by Doug
(Somewhere in his garden)

Perennials that bloom all summer are (quite unfortunately) a rather short list. But here's the list with links to how to grow these perennial flowers.

And it depends by what you mean by "all summer".
If you're talking about from early spring to late fall as an annual flower (impatiens for example) would - then there's pretty much nothing that will fit that bill.

If on the other hand, you're asking about the longest blooming perennials that will either remain in bloom or stay in bloom from late-spring or early summer right through to fall, then there are a few plants to search for.





Corydalis lutea. This is a short, yellow-blooming plant for shade to semi-shade. Self-sowing, you only have to buy it once and you'll have it forever. Some folks consider it a weed. In my own gardens, I'd simply yank out the plant where I didn't want it and allow it to thrive where it would.




Coreopsis: There are several species on the market but all are very long-season bloomers. The C. lanceolata varieties are taller and have wider leaves and if you deadhead them regularly, they will bloom from early-summer right through to fall. On the other hand, if you do not remove the spent flowers, then the blooms will slow down or stop.




Campanula - C. carpatica is a shorter plant but one that blooms for a very long time. Early to mid-summer to late summer or early fall. Again, not a perennial that will bloom all summer (spring to late fall) but still, very close. A cool season will prolong the blooms while a hotter summer will shorten the bloom time.





Chrysanthemum or Shasta Daisy - this is a very long season bloomer and plants such as 'Becky' (an award winning plant) are reliably long-blooming and will lead the list of perennials that bloom all summer. Again, it's almost mandatory that you cut off the spent flowers as they die or the plant will slow down production.




Gaillardia or Blanketflower is a short-lived perennial (lasting 2-3 years at maximum and depending on self-sowing to survive in your garden) but one that will indeed bloom from early summer through to mid-fall. Again, like many of these daisy family plants, do prune off the spent flowers.




Geranium 'Rozanne' this geranium (annual "geraniums" are actually pelargoniums) blooms from late spring or early summer right through to mid-to-late fall. An excellent plant, an award winner for full sun or light shade.




Hemerocallis or Daylily. There are modern hybrids that are everbloomers. This means form early to mid-summer right through to fall with 3 flushes of bloom. So this plant won't bloom from early spring to fall but close enough that it should qualify. You will have to spend some extra money to obtain the better and newer hybrids but those extra blooms more than make up the price difference.