Perennials That Bloom in Summer

One of the easiest perennials to grow, daylilies can give you years of reliable color. Each bloom lasts for one day, but a stem can easily produce two dozen or more buds, and the plant continues to send up new scapes throughout its bloom cycle. There's an embarassment of variety among cultivars, and besides color, height, petal texture and other things, they vary in period of bloom. So if you plan it right, you can have daylilies in bloom from early summer to fall.

Bee balm blooms in mid to late summer, producing red, white, pink or blue flowers, depending on cultivar. A member of the mint family, bee balm can be aggressive about spreading. Place it where it can comfortably naturalize. A good companion for daylilies, coneflowers and yarrow.

You'll appreciate coral bells (Heuchera sp.) for its flowers in late spring to early summer, but also for its foliage, which varies in texture and color and adds interest to the garden from spring to fall. USDA Zones (3)4 to 8(9), depending on cultivar.

When deadheaded regularly, pincushion flower blooms from late spring to early fall and attracts butterflies and bees. There are annual, perennial and biennial types: the perennial form (Scabiosa columbaria) is hardy in USDA Zones 3 to 9.