The Perennial Path : Perennial Late Summer & Fall Bloomers

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Perennial Late Summer & Fall Bloomers

Balloon Flower

Part of the fun of having a perennial garden is looking forward to each plant as it blooms throughout the season. When a perennial blooms, flowering usually lasts about 3 weeks. There are exceptions, (such as my phlox and coneflowers that seem to flower all summer), but in order to have continuous color, early, middle and late season varieties have to be included. If the early varieties are cut back after blooming, I might get a second blooming in late summer. I noticed today that the yellow coreopsis that flowered, then was deadheaded in the spring, is now full of new buds again!

Some of the varieties in my garden that don't flower until late summer and fall are balloon flower, turtlehead, aster, mum, Joe Pye weed, sedum, ornamental onion, plumbago and iron weed.