When creating a perennial sun garden or adding to an existing one, it’s helpful to know which ones will bloom the longest and add continuous colour throughout the season.
A darling hardy plant is Armeria (Sea Thrift). It only grows 10-12” and has long-lasting bright pink pompom flowers. Armeria ‘Dreameria Daydream is a new variety that is a vivid pink and has a lovely tidy habit in the garden and blooms from late spring to late summer. They attract butterflies and are deer resistant.
Gallardia (Blanket Flower) is a true workhorse, blooming all season. They attract butterflies and are deer and drought tolerant. Usually yellow and orange, Gallardia ‘Spintop Red Star Blast’ (8-12”) is a gorgeous red variety with yellow tips and makes a good cut flower.
Another good filler for the garden is Coreopsis (Tickseed). They are a terrific pollinator ,attracting bees and butterflies and are drought tolerant and require little care. They usually come in many forms and shapes of yellow, but the new one this year is Coreopsis ‘Solar Fancy’, which has large cherry red flowers with bright yellow edges. It is a real show stopper at 18-20” and has a neat mounded habit in the garden.
Not many people seem familiar with Echium amoenum ( Red Feather) (10-14”), which has bottle brush-like plumes with russet red flower spikes along each long bloom. It’s a super easy keeper and drought and deer tolerant. This unusual plant has an architectural quality to it that adds interest to the garden or containers. It becomes a hum of activity as it attracts hummingbirds, bees and butterflies all summer.
Everyone loves Dianthus(Carnations) with their spicy-sweet fragrance and continuous blooms throughout the summer when dead-headed. Two lovely varieties are Dianthus ‘Everlast Orchid (12-14”), which has double bubble gum pink flowers with fringed edges and Everlast Violet Blue, which is quite striking with its grey-green compact foliage. They make great cut flowers and can be placed in the garden or containers. My absolute favourite is Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm (Black-eyed Susan) with its sunny yellow daisy-like flowers. It brightens up any area, is low maintenance, deer and rabbit resistant and attracts a variety of pollinators.
Remove spent flowers and it will bloom all summer. The new variety is Viette’s Little Suzy (12-18”), which is a petite version, making it ideal for the front of the border or in containers. All Rudbeckia look spectacular when mass planted along borders, the seaside or tucked in amongst the cottage garden.
Creating a perennial garden becomes easy when you choose to anchor your design with hardy long long-blooming perennials. There are many to choose from and aiming for low-maintenance varieties frees up your time to enjoy the summer. Happy Gardening.
