Even Though the Heat is On, You Can Still Have Colorful Summer Gardens

The temperatures may be soaring outside, but you can still have a bounty of beautiful perennials that will continue to bloom this summer – and for years to come. These plants can take the heat, and are hearty and resistant, even in lower moisture levels.

Here are some great perennials that will keep your garden looking great even during the dog days of summer.

Asters

Perfect for late summer and fall, the star-like flower of the aster bursts in late summer and fall. The flowers can reach five feet, with colors like rich blues, pinks, purples and reds. They are excellent for beds and borders, and you can cut them and bring indoors.

Beard-Tongue

Beard-Tongue features striking spikes of tubular blue, lavender, pink and red flowers. The variety ‘Red Husker’ has red flowers and purple leaves for a gorgeous contrast when combined with light green plants. Give this three-foot plant plenty of sunlight after planting in the middle or back of the bed.

Black-Eyed Susan

This American icon blooms from midsummer until nearly winter, with orange or golden yellow blooms proliferating again and again. Black-Eyed Susans are sun- and drought-tolerant and can reach two feet, making it perfect for the middle or back of the bed.

Blanket Flower

Blanket Flowers are heat- and drought-tolerant perennials that offer lots of color in a sunny border area of your bed. Red, gold or brown blooms are about three inches wide and thrive into the fall. They are easy to grow from seed, and they flower the first year.

Siberian Iris

Siberian Iris adds color and vertical accents to flowerbeds throughout the summer. Once established, they handle dry soil well. Blooms of white, blue, yellow and violet rise up from two-foot-tall grassy foliage. While brightening the garden, they are also great to cut and display in a vase.

Purple Coneflower

A wildflower from the prairie that dazzles by throwing out its petal out horizontally, much like a daisy. The Coneflower tolerates heat and drought, and it will bloom all summer long. Plant this 30-inch-tall beauty in the middle or back of the bed.

Pincushion

One of the longest-lasting perennial bloomers, Pincushions are dainty flowers that flourish all summer and into the fall. The flowers do best in sun or partial shade, and do their best blooming when placed in the front of the bed.

Tall Garden Phlox

Garden, tall or border phlox grow up to four feet tall with fragrant flowers blossoming through late summer and early fall. This long-time favorite is renowned for its eye-catching color and sweet fragrance. Plant these in the back of the garden bed.

Russian Sage

Perennial SageIf you have a large garden, make room for this stunning perennial. At three feet wide and five feet tall, you’ll love seeing the sage’s clouds of blue flowers in late summer. Give these beauties room and plant them in the sun, and don’t worry about drought or heat.

Perennial Sage

This hybrid perennial is an eye-catching combination of 18-inch blue, white or purple flowers and attractive gray-green foliage. Plant sage in the front or middle of the border in a sunny spot. Some varieties also do well into the cool temperatures of the fall.

Japanese Silver Grass

These showy ornamental grasses are perfect as accent plants, hedges, or screens. These warm-season perennials bloom in mid- to late-summer and fall. You’ll love the attractive feather plumes of silver, tan and red as they become fluffy and white in winter. In winter, the leaves take on a reddish or bronzy color.

Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’

A popular perennial with fleshy leaves and bright flowers. This fool-proof bloomer offers spectacular colors when most others are fading. The 18-inch upright produces rosy, flat-topped flowers that persist into late fall, fading to a red brick color in cold temperatures.

Speedwell

This perennial’s seven-inch spikes bloom atop plants that grow up to two feet tall in shades of blue or red from early summer through fall. If you live in the North, give this bloomer sun, but in the South it prefers a bit of shade. Plant it at the front of the bed.

Threadleaf Tickseed

Tickseed comes in a wide range of sizes and colors. Varieties like ‘Moonbeam’ and ‘Limerock Ruby’ produce blankets of small daisy-like flowers into fall in pink, yellow or red. This show-stopper deserves a starring role in the center of any perennial bed.

There’s still time to get these plants down and beautify your garden for the rest of the summer and into fall. If not, remember these breeds next year when you’re making your garden plans. Good luck!