A well-designed garden provides interest from early spring through late autumn, and beyond if you also select plants for winter structure. But, for the main growing season, much of that interest comes from flowering and foliage plants. Gardeners who want a lower maintenance landscape would be wise to look for perennial plants that are both easy-to-grow and offer a long blooming period. Most perennial plants flower for two to four weeks, but the longest flowering perennials, like coneflowers and catmint, measure their flowering period in months, not weeks.
The Longest Flowering Perennials
When planning a garden with long-blooming perennials, the same basic rules of design apply; choose a mixture of early, mid-season, and late-flowering plants. Of course, you can also affect both the bloom time and length of the flowering period with pruning practices; pinching, deadheading, and shearing. Read on to discover how to encourage months of blooms by combining clever pruning with the longest flowering perennials.
The Early Bloomers:
Catmint ‘Walker’s Low’ (Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’, zones 3 to 9). With its relaxed, trouble-free growth habit, ‘Walker’s Low’ catmint is a perfect fit for a cottage garden or rock garden, or the front edge of a perennial border or rose garden. Plus, the plants bloom their heads off from late spring until mid-autumn with a heavy show of purple-blue flower spikes that are extremely attractive to pollinators and beneficial insects. It’s no wonder this drought-tolerant, hardy plant was chosen as the 2007 Perennial Plant of the Year. Once the initial flush of flowers begins to fade, give the plant a haircut, shearing it back by about one-half. Without a trim, the plant will continue to flower moderately, but a good shearing encourages tidy foliage and plenty of blooms that will persist until frost.
Geranium ‘Rozanne’ (Geranium x ‘Rozanne’, zones 4 to 9). I don’t like to throw the term ‘low-maintenance’ around irresponsibility, but with ‘Rozanne’, it’s the perfect description. This hardy plant forms 12 to 18 inch tall mounds of spreading foliage, which is topped from early summer until frost with two-inch wide, violet-blue flowers. After its initial bloom, the plants will continue to pump out a moderate amount of fresh flowers for months. However, if you shear the plants back by one-third after the first blossoms fade, you’ll encourage another heavy show of flowers.
Bleeding Heart ‘Luxuriant’ (Dicentra formosa ‘Luxuriant’, zones 2 to 9). Long-blooming perennials for shady spaces are hard to come by, but this is where ‘Luxuriant’ shines! Growing just knee-high, this hardy selection produces clusters of reddish-pink, heart-shaped blooms throughout late spring and summer. The ferny foliage is also attractive, and makes a nice foil for the old-fashioned flowers. Plant this shade-tolerant perennial in a woodland garden, shady border, or along a tree-lined pathway. Clipping out faded flowers will ensure months of bloom.
Pruning Tip – Don’t be afraid to grab those pruning shears once that initial bloom of spring flowers starts to wind down. Many perennials, like Geranium ‘Rozanne’ will continue to produce flowers all season, but in a lesser quantity. If you want a heavier bloom, shear the plants back by one-third to one-half to push out fresh foliage and flowers.
The Mid-Season Superstars:
Ornamental Onion ‘Millenium’ (Allium ‘Millenium’, zones 5 to 9). The 2018 Perennial Plant of the Year, ‘Millenium’ is a showy selection with grassy foliage and two-inch diameter, rounded flower clusters in a cheerful shade of lavender-purple. The flowers bloom for around six weeks each summer, attracting every bee, butterfly, and beneficial insect for miles around. The one-foot tall and wide clumps are perfect for the front of a perennial border or a rock garden where the ball-shaped blooms can be appreciated. Technically a bulb, this plant is usually sold as a potted perennial and can be planted in spring or fall. Unlike many perennials, pruning doesn’t produce more flowers.
Coneflower ‘White Swan’ and ‘Magnus’ (Echinacea purpurea, zones 3 to 9). Coneflowers are the cornerstone of a summer perennial garden, blooming for months, even in dry, hot conditions, and providing food for butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. There are countless cultivars available to gardeners, but for months of flowers, it’s hard to beat old school selections like ‘Magnus’ and ‘White Swan’. ‘Magnus’ is a classic purple-flowering coneflower, while ’White Swan’ has large blooms with white petals and orange-copper cones. Both flower from early summer into mid-autumn, especially when deadheaded regularly.
Coreopsis ‘Full Moon’ (Coreopsis x ‘Full Moon’, zones 5 to 9). This eye-catching plant is among the longest flowering perennials with a season that stretches from early summer to early autumn. It’s also the first introduction in the new ‘Big Bang’ series of coreopsis, boasting large, soft yellow flowers that grow up to three-inches across. It also has excellent drought tolerance and is popular with the pollinators. ‘Moonbeam’ is another popular long-flowering coreopsis with pale yellow blooms that are smaller, but no less plentiful than those of ‘Full Moon’. With both cultivars, deadhead flowers as they fade to encourage new buds.
Astilbe (Astilbe species, zones 4 to 9). Astilbe stands out among the longest flowering perennials. Besides being super easy to grow, they thrive in both sunny and shaded gardens, and have feathery flowers that offers months of graceful color. And speaking of color, the blooms can be white, lavender, purple, bubblegum, deep pink, apricot, or red, often with bronze or purple foliage as well. The plants form tidy clumps with the flower plumes emerging in early to mid summer and persisting into winter. The plants do appreciate ample moisture and regular watering in dry summers can prolong the blooming period. Outstanding cultivars include ‘Bridal Veil’, ‘Pumila’, and ‘Fanal‘.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium, zones 3 to 9). A butterfly favorite, yarrow is a robust summer bloomer with pretty, flat-topped flowers that bloom for 6 to 8 weeks. The ferny foliage emerges in early spring and is followed by the two to four-foot tall flower stems in early summer. Yarrow is one of the longest flowering perennials that grows best in full sun with well-drained soil of average fertility; over-fertilizing can cause the stems to flop over. Flower colours can range from soft pastels to rich jewel shades. Deadhead spent flowers by clipping the flower stem back to the main foliage. Top varieties include ‘Moonshine’, which has pale, yellow flowers and ‘Cerise Queen’, a bright cherry-red bee magnet.
Pruning Tip – As summer flowers fade, deadhead often, cutting down to a fresh stem or set of leaves. This will push the plants to continue producing more blooms. Small flowered perennials, like ‘Moonbeam’ Coreopsis, can be quickly and easily deadheaded with hedge shears, rather than snipping individual blooms. In late summer, as flowering winds down, stop deadheading to allow some blooms to go to seed. Seedheads provide valuable food for birds and add interest to the winter garden.
Fantastic Fall Flowers:
Black-eyed Susan ‘Goldsturm’ (Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’, zones 3 to 9). Widely considered to be among the best perennials of all time, ’Goldstrum’ lights up the late summer garden with weeks and weeks of bold color that persists into October. Each coneflower-shaped flower has a raised chocolate-brown center cone that is surrounded by golden petals. The drought-tolerant plants grow about two-feet tall and offer the best visual effect when planted en masse. Deadhead faded flowers to prolong the bloom period.
Purple Flame Grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Purpurascens’, zones 3 to 9). Maiden grasses add striking form and texture to the perennial border all summer long. By late summer, many cultivars produce soft, feathery plumes that emerge above the narrow foliage. Purple Flame Grass is a medium-sized maiden grass, growing three to four-feet tall with foliage that turns from bright green to fiery reddish-orange in early autumn. The attractive plumes are silvery-white and persist on the plants throughout winter. Plant it in a sunny site with well-drained soil. Pruning is only necessary in early spring when the dried foliage and flower stems from the previous season are cut back before the fresh growth emerges.
Pruning Tip – In late spring, pinch out the tips of late summer and fall blooming perennials like sneezeweed, Joe Pye weed, Russian sage, and Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’. Pinching will slow flowering and produce bushier growth, which means more flower-bearing stems.
Meet more long-flowering perennials in this video:
For more info on growing great plants, check out the following articles:
- Rudbeckias Powerhouse Plants
- 24 Perennials with Purple Flowers
- Learn How to Start Perennial Seeds by Winter Sowing
- Early-blooming Perennials: 10 Favorites
- The Best Plants for Beneficial Insects
What are the longest flowering perennials in your garden?
Phlox. Cutting it for vases encourages more flowers below the cut. I’m trying to collect all colours and sizes.
Aconitum (monkshood) in fall, one of my latest bloomers.
Hydrangeas, of course, have pretty dead heads.
I’m in Ontario. I’ll try some on your list, if I can find nurseries for them.
Great suggestions, thanks! I could easily have added another 10 to the list. 🙂 – Niki
Throwing in a vote for Salvia greggii. In the NC Piedmont it can go from mid March to late October. Astilbes don’t seem to re-bloom much in our heat. It would be fantastic if they did!
Agreed. I live in the Triangle area. I’ve had Astilbe in my garden almost fifteen years now, and I didn’t know it was supposed to bloom for more than two weeks in the spring. Love how it smells though, like ‘antique’, somewhere between sweet and dusty. Between that and the reliable, pretty foliage, I’m happy to keep growing it.
Here in South Carolina zone 7b, from my experience, astilbe would never make this list. Lenten Roses would most definitely be included.
I would add phlox and aster to that list. My phlox started late June and still have a few blooming in October. Asters begin in my area (KY) late Sept., early Oct. and last well into Nov.
Yea Phlox . I was hoping Phlox would be at the top of the top ten so I could reason just how the others might stack up and worth trying.
what perennials grown best under trees
Hi Peggy… good choices include hostas, perennial geraniums, coral bells, astilbe, brunnnera and hardy ferns. – Niki
caladiums,oxalis,daylilys,iris,lambsear,coleus,bleeding heart,ajuga,as long as its high shade,not dense.
Lenten rose (NOT a rose) is great for even dry shade, and is evergreen and deer resistant. They bloom for ages and come in white or pink. What a great plant!!
violets, primroses, christmas rose, lilly of the valley are all very good for under deciduous trees. Not under coniferous trees though.
It’s so helpful to get a zone or a city and state ! Also, sun or part shade – yes, no ?
I am in Zone 9 – Lincoln, CA, outside of Sacramento. I have 4 maples on our golf course lot that do very well, in addition to a large crepe myrtle that gets pruned heavily every winter. and blooms all summer. I have a huge loropetalum (green variety) 15 ft. across that blooms twice a year with a mass of fushia. 6 White iceberg roses and red rocket roses bloom, get dead headed with electric shears, and bloom again 4 times from May to Oct. I’m planting a sago pine this week and a 3 gal. variegated yucca. All these plants do well in Zone 9, full sun. I’m always looking for long blooming perennials in full sun,
Dee I live in zone 9 -10 in Deep South Louisiana… I have 40 to 60 foot bamboo in my back yard (love it!) & am looking for some variegated or blooming plants that can grow in the shade.. 4 foot tall to 2 foot…. do you have any suggestions.. it’s pretty hot here & in August it’s Hades…
Thank You !! Cynthia Russell
You have to love the Dahlia – it’s absolutely stunning and sticks around until the absolute last day until you have a frost.
I love it so. It’s so easy. You just dig up the
tubers and you have so any more than you started with. You can share or leave them in the ground depending on where you life. I’m in zone 9.
Totally agree, dahlias are garden superstars, but only perennial in zones 8 and up which is why I didn’t include them. But I’m glad you mentioned them as gardeners in mild climates should definitely be growing them. 🙂 – Niki
HI. I live in northern Ohio. I have never had luck with phlox, they always eventually get mildew. I do love dahlias though. I leave them in the ground and every spring they come with more plants and lots of blooms. It takes them awhile, but once they start blooming, it continues until it frosts. I don’t strip my garden of plants in the fall, but clean it up in the spring.
Wow! You live in northern Ohio and leave your dahlias in the ground over winter?! I live in Illinois, west of Chicago, and I’ve been digging up my dahlias in the fall. Maybe I will leave some in the ground this fall to see if they survive.
LindaD here
Hi,
I live in zone 7 and grow dahlias…they are not fragrant but oh SO BEAUTIFUL!!!
I left them in the ground last Winter and mulched them heavily!!!!! They are somewhat protected close to the house.
Mind you all 20 of them came back up this Spring! And actually the plants were even stronger and seemed more robust than before!
They must be deer resistant as we have lots of them here and knock on wood my dahlias have been fine!
The only thing with Dahlias, they need to be staked! But worth every bit of the beauty! Wish I could post some pics of them here!!!
I would add false sunflower to your list. I love it because it really does flower from spring to autumn. In fact I have it in several places in my garden and wouldn’t be without it.
I am happy to say I have 8 of those in my garden. Live them all!
I’m in zone 5, Colorado. I have two very large pots of “Red birds in a tree” in full sun. They flower all summer; June – late September. They are a shrubby looking perennial, with tender looking leaves and blooms with thousands of tiny red tube like flowers on long lacy flower stems. They are drought tolerant and grow rather fast. At night, Luna moths love the flower nectar as do hummingbirds. Highly recommend if you can find them. Would be really pretty as a stand alone shrub next to a mail box as well as row of them along a fence or wall. Grow up to 3′ w x 4′ tall.
I’m surprised daphne wasn’t mentioned! I live in Zone 8b in Oregon. My daphne only stops blooming for one month in late winter, produces a showstopping early spring bloom, then blooms nicely for the rest of the year. Love it!
What Daphne cultivar do you have?
Sorry! Just realized that daphne is a shrub, not a perennial! But it’s beautiful, easy care and long-flowering.
I love ROSES coz they bloom from April til October – I have 100 of them — I am crazy about mini roses now!!!
Yes I used to grow roses behind my house full sun but then I moved into townhouse smaller house and my mini rose is just outstanding never disappoints.
I live in Texas in Zone 8 of the “hardiness zone”. Can you tell me if lavender, thyme, oregano, or any of the perennials would be available down here ? I think we just had our seasonal monarch butterflies fly thru
So glad I found this site. What a nice group of people. I live north of Atlanta zone 7b. Just redoing a 10 x 10 garden, facing south. Any suggestions for perennials?
I live on zone 6 I believe, in Eastern Washington, cold winters, hot summers. What some of the best plants to grow for long blooming.
Echinacea
Salvia microphylla ( eg. hot lips variety)
Agastache rupestris ( light orange, corals, pinks)
Black eyed Susan
Autumn joy sedum
Erigeron annuus
Gamma grass Blonde ambition
Tall Verbenia (purple)
Russian sage
Jeruselum sage
Sea Holly (Eryngium)
I live in Nashville ,Tn
I want to have a design for a straight line full sun perennial border to replace
Some holly boxwoods I think are dead ! Should I use any evergreens for structure ? I never hang in that area and thought about just growing grass there but I also thought about this can be a time I can have a little of everything or an experimental bed and hit and miss ! I am not good with design ! Thanks
Thanks for this great info! I have a very steep bank that abuts to a road. Very hard to weed safely. Thinking of a plant that would spread well and drown out the weeds. Crown vetch seeds was suggested by a friend. Looking for other suggestions! Too old to weed that area! Live in CT zone 6
Thanks!
Crown vetch will grow, and grow, and grow. A friend of mine that works for the Vermont highway department suggested it for my side hill that’s mostly grey clay and slate. At least at my house (western Massachusetts) it spread and took over everything. Don’t worry about soil quality or watering (once it’s established) with this stuff.