Get Non-Stop Summer Time Color (Zone 4 - 7)

Get Non-Stop Summer Time Color (Zone 4 - 7)

Come the dog days you may be hot, sticky, and over it. However, by choosing perennials that are low-maintenance with long bloom seasons, your garden will be happily flowering well into fall.

Here are two combinations (plus a few neutrals) to consider:

  • The first features pinks and purples that look so fresh in the slanted rays of early morning and late afternoon.
  • The second is all about oranges and yellows. These colors hold up well under the bright light of direct, overhead summer sun.
  • The third is a few of the great equalizers—purple, blue, and white. These work with either color scheme, and add dimension and contrast.

Of course, this is YOUR garden, so mix-and-match for the combination that makes your heart sing. You’ll be rewarded with plentiful blooms, loads of flowers for cutting, and provide treats for all kinds of pollinators, too. And, since these are perennials, next year they’ll come back, bigger and better than ever.

Check out the companion post for colder zones as some plants overlap (and who doesn’t love more options!)

Refreshing "Cool" Combo

Little Grapette Dwarf Daylily

Little Grapette Dwarf Daylily

Strappy leaves are hard-working elements that add architecture to a border, mixed perennial bed or in pots. Mass this carefree miniature for a stunning groundcover. Full sun. Zone: 4 – 11

Balmyâ„¢ Pink Bee Balm

Balmyâ„¢ Pink Bee Balm

No summer border is complete without these fluffy-headed, bee-seducing stalwarts. More compact and considerably shorter; Ideal between taller plants and tidy borders.  Partial to full sun. Zone: 4 – 9

Karley Rose Oriental Fountain Grass

Karley Rose Oriental Fountain Grass

Blowsy, rose-purple flower spikes glow when back lit by the sun. Improved variety with longer bloom season and better cold tolerance. Stunning in mass plantings. Full sun. Zone: 5 – 10

Pikes Peak Purple® Penstemon

Pikes Peak Purple® Penstemon

After delphiniums are done, you need something spiky to break up a flowering border. This one blooms for months and loves heat. Use in borders and naturalized landscapes. Full sun. Zone: 4 – 9

Sizzling "Hot" Combo

Tomato Soup Coneflower

Tomato Soup Coneflower

A fragrant coneflower! Brilliant red flowers attract birds and butterflies well into fall. Plant in wide swaths for eye-popping in a perennial border. Full sun. Zone: 4 – 9

Lil’ Bang™ Daybreak Tickseed

Lil’ Bang™ Daybreak Tickseed

This super-compact heat-lover provides a fantastic show from summer through fall. Perfect for smaller gardens, fronting borders, or in mixed containers. Full sun. Zone: 5 – 10

Red Velvet Yarrow

Red Velvet Yarrow

Drought-tolerant and beloved by butterflies, yarrows have a distinct texture and shape that helps add depth to flowering borders. Rich, velvety red flowers are the most fade resistant to date. Full sun. Zone: 3 – 9

Early Bird Gold Gloriosa Daisy

Early Bird Gold Gloriosa Daisy

New and genius! Not dependent on day length to induce flowering. Blooms early summer right through mid-fall. Wonderful in mixed borders. Partial to full sun. Zone: 4 – 10

We Fit In Everywhere

Lacey Blue Russian Sage

Lacey Blue Russian Sage

Easy-going and perfect in schemes from modern to cottage. This variety has been improved so as not flop over in the landscape! Colorful, easy care choice for accent, border or mass planting. Full sun. Zone: 4 – 10

Lo & Behold® Ice Chip Summer Lilac

Lo & Behold® Ice Chip Summer Lilac

Fragrant flowers attract butterflies and bloom continuously from summer to fall without deadheading. Dwarf, spreading habit makes it the perfect ground-cover. Full sun. Zone: 5 – 9

Rozanne Cranesbill

Rozanne Cranesbill

When you need to add oomph but not overwhelm a color scheme, this little tumbler is ideal. Let it spread in front of borders and soften the edges of lawns and patios. Partial to full sun. Zone: 4 – 10

Royal Candles Speedwell

Royal Candles Speedwell

Spikes of vibrant, violet-blue blooms and compact habit (only 1′ tall and wide) makes this shorter veronica perfect. Use in containers, fronts of borders, and cutting gardens. Full sun. Zone: 4 – 9

Image Credits: (top) GAP Photos/Clive Nichols

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2017-03-24 04:00:00
Non-Stop, Fuss-Free Summer Color for Zones 8 – 11 | Grow Beautifully
[…] out the companion post for colder zones as some plants overlap (and who doesn’t love more […]
reply Reply
Deb Lehman
Lots of great ideas. I'm ready to get started!!
reply Reply
Jen McL
Yesterday I bought four Monrovia "After Eight Oriental Lily" plants. I came on here to see what I could plant in the same bed to bloom after the lilies are done and lo and behold, Monrovia nurseries don't have them listed as one of their available plants, nor do they provide any information. Since Lowe's had many of these, either some other company is using your name, or you need to update your website. These are a spring blooming flower and I want to know what I can put in to bloom after they're done. Thank you.
reply Reply
JAN K
I was hoping for a more step by step process, i.e. what to plant tallest to shortest for the most appealing look and how many of what to plant, etc. I want to do it myself but admittedly I am not a landscaper.
reply Reply
Sunday Ramblings…
[…] would be great if it could somehow just look like this at the end of the […]
reply Reply
Devlin
In your 'Royal Candles' Speedwell grows to 1' not 1", I believe you meant to say... Perhaps you meant 12"...
reply Reply
Devlin
Royal Candles' Speedwell- grows to 1', not 1", I believe you meant to say... Perhaps you meant 12"...
reply Reply
Jennifer Evans
Very nice
reply Reply

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