Most perennials bloom for about 2 weeks. That means that, for a garden that is constantly in bloom, you have to plant a mix of very early, early, mid-season, late and very late perennials. And adjust the mix, again and again, until you get it right. That is doable, but… why not cheat and rely instead on perennials with a naturally long blooming season?
All the plants described below bloom for at least 6 weeks and most for 8 weeks and more. Even within this group, there are plants that bloom early, in the middle of the summer and late in the fall. So, with 3 or 4 with long-blooming perennials, it’s easy to cover the whole season.
This list is far from complete – to include all cultivars with prolonged blooming, would have required a list 10 times longer! – but at least it will give you a few suggestions you can build on when renovating a garden or start a new one.
Long-blooming perennials simply make a gardener’s life that much easier!
Variety Months of Bloom Hardiness zones
African Sun sundrops (Oenothera ‘African Sun’) 6-10 zone 4
Anise-hyssop (Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’) 7-9 zone 5
Anne Folkard geranium (Geranium ‘Anne Folkard’) 6-10 zone 5
Anne Thomson geranium (Geranium ‘Anne Thomson) 6-10 zone 5
Armenian geranium (Geranium psilostemon) 6-8 zone 5
Aster (Aster spp.) 8-10 zone 4
Baby’s breath (Gypsophila paniculata) 6-8 zone 4
Balloonflower (Platycodon grandiflorum) 8-9 zone 3
Becky Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum ‘Becky’) 6-10 zone 4
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) 7-10 zone 3
Bloody geranium (Geranium sanguineum) 6-8 zone 3
Broad-leaved bellflower (Campanula latifolia) 6-8 zone 3
Carpathian bellflower (Campanula carpatica) 6-8 zone 3
Catmint (Nepeta spp.) 6-9 zone 4
Caucasian scabious (Scabiosa caucasica) 7-9 zone 4
Checkermallow (Sidalcea spp.) 7-8 zone 4
Chocolate snakeroot (Ageratina altissima ‘Chocolate’) 9-11 zone 3
Cinquefoil (Potentilla spp.) 6-8 zone 3
Common sundrops (Oenothera tetragona ‘Fyrverkeri’, syn. ‘Fireworks’) 6-8 zone 3
Common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) 6-9 zone 2
Coral bells (Heuchera x brizoides) 6-9 zone 3
Corsican pansy (Viola corsica) 5-10 zone 3
Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginiana) 7-9 zone 3
Cupid’s dart (Catananche caerulea) 7-9 zone 4
Cutleaf coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata) 7-10 zone 3
Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) 7-9 zone 3
El Desperado daylily (Hemerocallis ‘El Desperado’) 7-8 zone 3
Elecampagne (Inula ensifolia) 7-8 zone 3
False sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) 7-9 zone 3
Fernleaf yarrow (Achillea filipendulina ‘Coronation Gold’) 6-9 zone 3
Field scabious (Knautia arvense) 7-9 zone 4
Firecracker loosestrife (Lysimachia ciliata ‘Atropurpurea’, syn. ‘Fire Works’) 7-8 zone 3
Fleabane daisy (Erigeron speciosus) 7-8 zone 3
Frosty Fire cheddar pink (Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Frosty Fire’) 6-9 zone 3
Gaillardia (Gaillardia x grandiflora) 7-10 zone 2
Gayfeather (Liatris spp.) 7-9 zone 3
Globe thistle (Echinops spp.) 7-8 zone 3
Golden Gate daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Golden Gate’) 7-8 zone 3
Golden marguerite (Anthemis tinctoria) 7-9 zone 3
Gooseneck loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides) 7-9 zone 3
Happy Returns daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Happy Returns’’) 6-8 zone 3
Himalaya fleeceflower (Persicaria affinis, syn. Polygonum affine) 6-10 zone 4
Japanese aster (Kalimeris pinnatifida ‘Hortensis’) 7-9 zone 4
Johnson’s Blue geranium (Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’) 6-9 zone 3
Knautia (Knautia macedonica) 7-9 zone 4
Largeflower coreopsis (Coreopsis grandiflora) 6-10 zone 3.
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) 6-8 zone 5
Maltese cross (Lychnis chalecodonica) 7-8 zone 4
Masterwort (Astrantia major) 7-9 zone 4
Mini Pearl daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Mini Pearl’) 6-8 zone 3
Missouri evening primrose (Oenothera missouriensis) 6-9 zone 3
Musk mallow(Malva moschata) 6-9 zone 3
Narrow-leaved sundrops (Oenothera fruticosa) 6-8 zone 4
Narrow-spiked ligularia (Ligularia stenophylla ‘The Rocket’) 7-8 zone 4
Obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) 7-9 zone 2
Orange coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida sullivantii) 7-9 zone 3
Orchid Candy daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Orchid Candy’) 6-8 zone 3
Pandora’s Box daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Pandora’s Box’) 7-8 zone 3
Pardon Me daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Pardon Me’) 7-8 zone 3
Perennial flax (Linum perenne) 6-8 zone 2
Perennial sage (Salvia nemorosa & S. x sylvestris) 6-8 zone 4
Pink coreopsis (Coreopsis rosea) 7-8 zone 3
Pink evening primrose (Oeonothera speciosa ‘Rosea’) 6-9 zone 5
Przewalksi’s ligularia (Ligularia przewalskii) 7-8 zone 4
Purple Waters daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Purple Waters’) 6-7 zone 3
Radiant Greetings’ daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Radiant Greetings’) 7-8 zone 3
Red valerian (Centranthus ruber) 6-10 zone 3
Rose campion (Lychnis coronaria) 7-8 zone 3
Royal Candles Speedwell (Veronica ‘Royal Candles) 6-8 zone 3
Rozanne geranium (Geranium ‘Rozanne’) 6-10 zone 3
Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) 8-10 zone 4
Sea holly (Eryngium spp.) 7-9 zone 3
Sea thrift (Armeria maritima) 5-7 zone 3
Showy stonewort (Sedum spectabile, now Telephium spectabile) 8-10 zone 2
Siloam Ury Winniford daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Siloam Ury Winniford’) 7-8 zone 3
Small scabious (Scabiosa columbaria) 7-8 zone 3
Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) 8-9 zone 3
Spiderwort (Tradescantia x andersoniana) 6-9 zone 4
Spike speedwell (Veronica spicata) 6-8 zone 3
Thread leaf coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata) 6-10 zone 3
Tree lavatera (Lavatera thuringiaca) 7-9 zone 4
Viola (Viola spp.) 5-9 zone 3
Wargrave Pink geranium (Geranium endressii ‘Wargrave Pink’) 6-7 zone 4
Water forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides ‘Semperflorens’) 6-8 zone 3
Yellow corydalis (Corydalis lutea, now Pseudofumaria lutea) 5-10 zone 4
Yellow loosestrife (Lysimachia punctata) 6-7 zone 3