Vibrant Perennial Flowers That Bloom All Summer

By BH&G Garden Editors
Updated August 01, 2019
Credit: Mark Kane
Looking for summer plants that bloom all season long? Once planted, these summer-blooming perennials do the work for you and will show beautiful color all summer.
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Delightful Daylily

Credit: David Speer

Sunny gold Stella d'Oro daylily lights up the garden with its trumpet-shape yellow flowers all summer long. This tough summer perennial scoffs at hot, dry conditions. Here it creates a spectacular combination with blue ornamental onion (Allium azureum).

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‘Immortality’ Reblooming Iris

Noted for its reliable show of snowy-white flowers in spring and again in fall, this stunning tall bearded iris is among the easiest perennials to grow. The ruffled blooms are borne on 30-inch-tall stems above the swordlike foliage.

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Luscious Reblooming Lilac

Enjoy lilac's heady fragrance in spring, and again from midsummer into fall with Bloomerang. This compact variety fits neatly in any garden as it grows just 4 to 5 feet tall and wide. It bears a heavy crop of lavender-purple flowers that are perfect for cutting.

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Heavenly Hydrangea

Credit: King Au / Studio Au

Most hydrangeas bloom once and are done for the season. But Endless Summer bears blossoms on new growth—so you can enjoy the flowers several times each summer. For gardeners in cold climates where winter damage prevents other hydrangeas from flowering, ‘Endless Summer’ ensures a spectacular show.

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Reliable Repeat-Blooming Rose

Credit: Dean Schoeppner

Beautiful Knock Out roses are truly some of the easiest plants you can grow in your garden. They bloom almost continuously through the summer and are virtually disease free and hardy to boot. Shown here is Pink Double Knock Out; the series also includes red, double red, single pink, yellow, and more.

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Climb New Heights with Clematis

Credit: Doug Hetherington

Jazz up your garden with Jackmanii clematis. Its royal purple petals cover the plant in early summer, and it blooms sporadically the rest of the growing season.

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Deep Purple Delight

Credit: Peter Krumhardt

As you might guess from its name, May Night perennial salvia puts on a spectacular show of deep purple spires in late spring. However, if you cut off the flowers as they begin to fade, it blooms again later in summer.

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Bountiful Blooming Bleeding Heart

Credit: Peter Krumhardt

Fringed bleeding heart is the perfect size for semi-shady small-space gardens. And while the old-fashioned types flower just once in spring, this little dynamo blooms throughout the growing season. It slows down in the heat of summer but picks up the pace again in autumn.

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Rozanne Reblooming Perennial Geranium

Credit: Justin Hancock

Sporting clear purple blooms from late spring through fall freezes, Rozanne geranium makes a colorful statement in part shade to full sun. The spreading plant can reach 3 feet wide, making a mass of beautiful foliage to boot.

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Blanket Flower Bonanza

The orange tubular flowers of Commotion Tizzy blanket flower give the impression of exploding fireworks. This sizzling sun-lover blooms all season, especially if spent flowers are removed.

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Vibrant Valerian

Credit: Dean Schoeppner

Add a delightful dose of vivid pink to your yard with valerian. It blooms nearly nonstop from spring through fall in well-drained sunny sites. Deadhead the plant to prevent it from spreading by seed and to speed rebloom.

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Sunny Coreopsis

Credit: Denny Schrock

Coreopsis, also known as tickseed, produces scores of sunny yellow flowers in summer months. ‘Domino’, pictured here, has a mahogany band near the center of the bloom. Pluck off spent blooms to prevent seed formation and to keep the plant blooming profusely.

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Delightful Shasta Daisy

Credit: Denny Schrock

The pure white blooms of Becky Shasta daisy brighten the perennial garden with their cheery display. As flowers fade, cut them off and you'll be rewarded with a repeat showing.

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Constant Color from Catmint

Credit: Dean Schoeppner

Lovely purple flower spikes set off the gray-green foliage of Walker's Low catmint. Give the plant a haircut after its initial flush of flowers in late spring to keep it compact and initiate another cycle of bloom. Count on catmint to be low-maintenance and to stand up to hot and dry conditions.

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Sensational Speedwell

Credit: Denny Schrock

An unsung hero of the perennial garden, speedwell comes in a variety of shades of blue, pink, or white. All produce upright flower spikes on mounded plants. After the first set of blooms begins to fade, shear the plant to encourage branching and rebloom. This combination of spike speedwell, Knock Out rose, and Six Hills Giant catmint creates a spectacular season-long show.

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Versatile Rose Verbena

Credit: Dean Schoeppner

Rose verbena forms a cascading groundcover that spruces up a slope with season-long bloom. It flowers best in the cooler weather of spring and fall, but it is seldom without some splashes of color.

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Stick with Pincushion Flower

Credit: Mark Kane

Butterfly Blue pincushion flower is a nonstop bloomer in the sunny border. The cushion-like blue flowers are borne on slender stalks reaching 12 to 15 inches tall and are a surefire way to attract butterflies.

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By BH&G Garden Editors