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Perennials with an Extended Bloom Season

Perennials with an Extended Bloom Season

By Justin Hancock, Monrovia Horticultural Craftsman
Photographs courtesy of Monrovia

One easy way to add more beauty to your perennial garden—even if you have a small space—is to select long-blooming or reblooming varieties. While many perennials bloom for a short period every year, improved varieties extend the show. Here are a few of our favorites.

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Sunstar™ Rose Coreopsis

Sunstar™ Rose Coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata Sunstar™ Rose) is a beautiful blooming machine. The show starts in late spring and continues practically nonstop all summer and into early autumn. Disease-resistant, it doesn’t skip a beat as it produces a profusion of creamy flowers with bright rose-pink centers. It’s loved by bees and butterflies, and once established, tolerates drought. Zones: 4-9

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Lemon Puff™ Shasta Daisy

Enjoy beautiful double daisies all summer long! Lemon Puff™ (Leucanthemum Lemon Puff™) begins blooming in late spring and continues through midsummer. The large, soft-yellow blooms pair beautifully with practically any other perennial and are excellent cut flowers for bouquets. Zones: 4-9

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Boulevard® Acropolis™ Clematis

We don’t usually think of clematis as being long bloomers, but improved selections like Boulevard® Acropolis™ (Clematis Boulevard® Acropolis™) varieties have been bred to bloom longer and stay smaller than their old-fashioned cousins. This beautiful selection features deep pink blooms from summer to autumn and only grows 4 feet. Zones: 4-9

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Rozanne Geranium

It’s no wonder Rozanne geranium (Geranium 'Rozanne') is an award-winning variety loved by gardeners everywhere. This beautiful groundcover starts showing off blue-purple blooms from spring all the way through the end of summer. The flowers are a lovely accent to its variegated foliage. Zones: 4-10.

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Lacy Blue Russian Sage

Lacy Blue Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia Lacy Blue) is a stunning selection that boasts deer and rabbit resistance; attractiveness to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds; and drought-tolerance in addition to its long season of bloom. It adds color and texture to hot, dry spots when many other perennials start to slow down. Zones: 4-10

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Sunset Snappy Blanket Flower

Sunset Snappy Blanket Flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Sunset Snappy’) is one of the longest-blooming perennials around! Each flamboyant bloom—and there are a lot of them—features pinkish-red petals with bold yellow edges. A selection of a North American native, this easy-care plant is perfect for butterfly gardens where it blooms nonstop from early summer through fall if deadheaded. Zones: 5-9

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Brakelights® Red Yucca

Outstanding drought tolerance (once established) makes Brakelights® Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora Brakelights®) a cinch to grow in practically any hot, sunny garden. It features bright red blooms that are practically irresistible to hummingbirds from midsummer through autumn. It blends beautifully with other heat-loving plants like sedum, blanketflower, and coneflower. Zones: 5-10

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Colorburst™ Rose Cape Fuchsia

Looking to attract hummingbirds to your garden? Be sure to include beautiful Colorburst™ Cape Fuchsia (Phygelius Colorburst™ Rose). It blooms from midsummer to autumn, attracting both hummers and butterflies. It holds up to heat, making it a standout in beds, borders, and containers, too. Zones: 7-10

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Baby Pete™ Agapanthus

Suitable as an annual in cold-winter climates or as a long-flowering perennial in warmer areas, Baby Pete™ Agapanthus (Agapanthus praecox ssp. orientalis Baby Pete™) thrills with its clusters of deep blue flowers that starts flowering before other varieties and continues blooming with them. It loves heat, making it ideal for container gardens, too. Zones: 8-11

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Radiant Skye™ Daylily

Daylilies top many perennial gardeners’ lists as easiest plants to grow. Reblooming selections such as Radiant Skye™ (Hemerocallis Radiant Skye™) make enjoying their beauty all that much better. This selection shows off ruffled pink petals dramatically edged in burgundy. It flowers all summer long. Zones: 4-11


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