Get Non-Stop Summer Time Color (Zones 8 – 11)

Get Non-Stop Summer Time Color (Zones 8 – 11)

Come the dog days you may be hot, sticky, and over it, but by choosing perennials that are low-maintenance with long bloom seasons, your garden will still 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, colors that 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—that 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

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Baby Pete™ Lily Of The Nile

Agapanthus, huh? Trust us. When you want bright color, kicky form, and bullet-proof temperament, you can’t do much better. This unique compact variety blooms weeks earlier than others! Partial to full sun. Zone: 8 – 11

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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

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Pretty Belinda Yarrow

Finely textured gray-green foliage creates a soft background for lilac-pink flowers. Best when massed for an abundant look. Lovely cut flower for cottage bouquets. Attracts hummingbirds. Full sun. Zone 3 – 9

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Moench Frikartii Aster

Plan ahead! Asters give you masses of colorful blooms (and stunning cut flowers) from mid-summer through fall. Butterflies flock to them and they’re ideal in lush borders mixed with grasses and other low-maintenance favorites. Full sun. Zone: 5 – 9

Sizzling "Hot" Combo

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Tropicanna® Canna

Exotic, striped foliage and large flowers provide bold color and lush texture to garden beds, or as a featured container specimen.Yes, it needs regular water, but where you can, do!  Full sun. Zone: 7 – 11

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Werner Arends Avens

An underappreciated little mid-sized wonder for filling in between taller plants and groundcovers. Bright blooms provide dynamic color over a long season. Partial to full sun. Zone: 4 – 9

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Flame Thrower Echinacea

The name tells the tale. Fantastic color for naturalized gardens, traditional beds, borders or containers. A hummingbird favorite. Will tolerate periods of drought. Full sun. Zone: 4 – 10

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Columbus Montbretia

Month and months (and months) of arching spikes drenched in rich color loved by butterflies. Excellent cut flower and adds delicate-but-dramatic impact and scale to borders. Full sun. Zone: 6 – 10

We Fit In Everywhere

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Becky Shasta Daisy

You haven’t planted this? You should! These snow-white daisies are an essential for containers, borders and in cut arrangements in schemes from formal to cottage. Sturdy flowers hold up to hard rain. Full sun. Zone: 5 – 9

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De La Mina Verbena

Months of fragrant purple flowers—nearly year-round in mild climates. A butterfly-friendly, drought tolerant native, ideal for borders, natural gardens and meadows. Beautiful in mixed containers. Full sun. Zone: 7 – 9

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Endurascape™ Purple Verbena

Beats all verbenas for summer performance – it takes the heat better, and stays in flower longer! Lasting color and excellent powdery mildew resistance. And, super pretty, too. Full sun. Zone: 7 – 10

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EveryDayLily™ Cream Daylily

Do you know about this new series of daylilies? Dwarf, colorful, hardy, and re-blooming, they’re perfect in perennial beds, massed to create a swale of color, or in patio containers. Partial to full sun. Zone: 4 – 9

Image Credits: (top) GAP Photos/Richard Bloom

Love the Look? Bring it Home!

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2017-03-24 03:02:00
Judy Biegler
1920 Juneau lane north
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Marit Brynildson
I am unable to sign up, it won't take my password "annika" its lowercase and six letters as requested???
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Susan l. Riley
I love all the plants. Will buy some of these beautiful stunning plants.
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Summer Color for Your Garden (Zones 4 - 7) | Grow Beautifully
[…] out the companion post for warmer zones as some plants overlap (and who doesnt love more […]
reply Reply
kedra sugg
Love the idea of "perfect plants" being delivered free just for me - in my area!
reply Reply
Carol Ainsworth
Always have good results with Monrovia plants. Saw some new ones I will have to purchase!
reply Reply
Cecile Adams
What gorgeous flowers and a beautiful website. I came over to your lovely site from the Stone Gable blog. She definitely has a green thumb and has done a magnificent job of photographing and presenting some of your flowers. She seems to always have a great eye for color and how to mix and match them in a pleasing way. I do have a few blank spaces that I would like to fill with your beautiful flowers and I hope my local Lowes carries them, but if not, I know I can get the help I need and place an order from your site.
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BETTYE REECE
I will definitely be looking for De la Minature Verbena at my nearby Lowes in Tucson. Since it is drought tolerant and loves sun it would withstand our warm summers. It would look so pretty in big pots on my patio while encouraging butterflies to join us there. I will also be looking for Fountain Grass to plant to add some softness and color. It can also be grown in pots and will looks fresh cool on the patio.
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Rose Ann
What are the exact flowers in the large picture above? I would love to duplicate it exactly. Also are the Warner Arends a bright orange double petal flower?
reply Reply
Donna Morgan
very informative
reply Reply
Dr.jaffar almahdi
Very interesting site
reply Reply
Cathy
Im perplexed as to which plants for zone 8 , sandy soil under a large magnolia tree that has westren exposure. I had hope to have a year around explosion of color. Any suggestions? Thanks so much Cathy
reply Reply
Laurie Forare
Would love to see your plants in our local Tallahassee Lowes garden centers this spring.
reply Reply
Claudette Arnold
Beautiful
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