Flower ResourcesDiscover the right flowers for your garden.
After twelvemonth of designing gardens , Nick McCullough , of McCullough ’s Landscape & Nursery , has learned the toilsome style what plants he can rely on — not just to pull through , but to in reality star in the midsummer garden .
After the big glorious fire of spring bloom is over , there ’s usually a jumpy stretch for the garden . When temperature and humidity start climb , he counts on these 12 tried - and - genuine , mid- to late - time of year perennials and biennials that are perfectly at nursing home in a border or garden seam .
pic by : Doreen Wynja .
1 . SNEEZEWEED ( Helenium’Mardi Gras ' )
This perfectly named summer peak does just as it implies : it adds a company to the garden . It produces a richness of 2 - inch colourful flush from August to former October , with bright orange petals splash with yellow . This long - blooming , live - coloured perennial will liven up the dog sidereal day of summertime . I often use it as an dialect to drift of purple - blue-blooded flush like giant Hyssopus officinalis ' Blue Fortune ' ( Agastache ) , and the fine texture of a bluegreen grass like little Andropogon gerardii ' The Blues ' ( Schizachyrium scoparium ) .
Bloom color : yellow-bellied to red raysBloom time : August - OctoberHeight / Spread:24 - 36”/12 - 18”Zones:4 - 9
picture by : Marianne Majerus .
2 . FIRETAIL FLEECE ( Persicaria amplexicaulis’Firetail ' )
For a dada of red-hot colour that start out in June and lasts until the first frost , count no further thanPersicaria‘Firetail ’ . While not aggressive , this tough perennial likes a flake of way and will drift and weave amongst a molding planting . The bottle - brush - like ruby efflorescence swaying above thump of dark green lanceolate foliage add a textural property to a pond ’s edge or in a prairie - style planting . It pairs wonderfully with contrast - shaped flowers like purple coneflower ( Echinacea purpurea ) , hoary - mind coneflower ( Ratibida pinnata ) , or a finely textured grass like pink muhly ( Muhlenbergia capillaris ) .
Bloom color : CrimsonBloom time : June - OctoberHeight / Spread:36 - 48”/36 - 48”Zones:4 - 8
3 . RUSTY FOXGLOVE ( Digitalis ferruginea )
This elegantfoxglove , redolent with marvelous , golden steeple of tubular bloom , is often used as a free - seeding biennial in prairie style gardens . It make a big affirmation in early summer by graciously loom over its neighbors . Pair it with aboriginal prairie drop-seed ( Sporobolus heterolepis),bluestar(Amsonia tabernaemontana ) , andSiberian iris(Iris sibirica ) . As an added bonus , this summer prime is as beautiful in a vase as it is in the garden . It performs best in part tint and in soil that does not go bone dry .
rosiness color : Creamy yellowBloom clip : May - JuneHeight / Spread:36 - 54”/12 - 18”Zones:4 - 10
4 . GERMAN GARLIC ( Allium senescensssp.montanumvar.glaucum )
This compact perennial sports a profusion ( up to 30 per plant ) of globe - shaped lavender flower head perched on slender stems . Unfazed by acute heat , it adds a welcome splash of colouration to the front of the summertime border . The minute , slightly wrench , blue - green foliage blades are also attractive , creating swirling evergreen mounds . Bees , butterfly , and hummingbird adore the blossoms . As with allAllium , this plant life has a vague onion scent , so it ’s cervid resistant . It will expand for age if plant in an area with good drainage and full sunshine .
peak color : Lavender - pinkBloom time : July to former fallHeight / Spread:6 - 12”/12”Zones:4 - 8
5 . magniloquent VERBENA ( Verbena bonariensis )
This biyearly / perennial has slender stems top with tufts of pinkish - purple flowers . It ’s a favourite of all nectar feeders and the seeds appeal modest birds ( especially goldfinches ) , so plant it where you may observe it during the summer . Caution : It has been known to seed around a bit , and in warm zones it can be invasive .
Bloom colour : Rosy lavenderBloom fourth dimension : June to frostHeight / Spread:36 - 48”/8 - 12”Zones:7 - 10
6 . LARGE CONEFLOWER ( Rudbeckia maxima )
Not your grandmother’sblack - eyed Susan , this robust American prairie native is a tour de force-out in the summer garden . In June and July , the hefty bloom egress on stems that are about 5 to 6 feet , with drooping rays of sensationalistic petals surrounding the very attractive sorry chocolate-brown plaza strobile . The big flower is a favorite of many animal , such as monarch and swallowtail butterflies , and hummingbird . Though the flowers are often the focal point , the foliage is nothing to overlook with its powdery aristocratic , baccy - same leave-taking .
blossom coloration : YellowBloom meter : August - OctoberHeight / Spread:54 - 72”/36 - 48”Zones:4 - 9
7 . GIANT Hyssopus officinalis ( Agastache’Blue Fortune ' )
top with pissed bottlebrush of lavender - gentle efflorescence , jumbo hyssop is a showstopper . The numerous flyspeck flowers are packed with pick up quantity of nectar and pollen , so this plant life is sodding for any nurseryman who bask attract bees , butterflies , and hummingbirds . pair off it with dark - provide plants likePenstemon’Dark Towers ' andEupatorium’Chocolate ' because their wine-coloured - colour foliage complements the blue flowers so well . This light - to - grow perennial is also both heat and drought tolerant . Giant Hyssopus officinalis bloom from spring through summer . The leaves have a pleasant licorice scent and are cervid resistive .
Bloom colouration : Lavender - blueBloom time : June - SeptemberHeight / Spread:30 - 36"/18 - 24"Zones:5 - 9
8 . DAHLIA ( Dahlia’Café au Lait ' )
' Café Astronomical Unit Lait ' is a must - have for anydahlialover . This highly sought after cultivar raise dinner - dental plate - sized flowers from June until rime . It place in colour from creamy ecru to not bad blush and has become a favorite of florist in late year . originate for cut heyday and combine it in a sweetness with ' Limelight ' hydrangea ( panicle hydrangea ) and black hollyhock ( Alcea rosea’Nigra ' . you could grow it as an annual in coolheaded zones , or dig tuber in the nightfall and put in for replanting the following spring .
Bloom colouring material : Creamy beigeBloom time : June - SeptemberHeight / Spread:36 - 48"/18 - 30"Zones:4 - 8
Photo by : Rob Cardillo .
9 . SEA HOLLY ( Eryngium’Sapphire Blue ' )
This sea holly cultivar scintillate in the garden , with starry , teazel - same flower heads in a brilliant steely drear color that continue on the stem and leaf . Like chicken feed crystals , the prickly blooms and leave project from plastered , branching stalk above spiny basal rosettes . Sea holly is ideal as an architectural focal detail and cool down full complement to live - colored flush likeHelenium’Mardi Gras ' andCoreopsis . While some ocean Holly reseed too vigorously , this one is sterile so is not incursive . They ’re very large-minded of poor web site , so plant ocean holly in well - drained soil , even arenaceous , in full sun . It will flop over if planted in a too - rich or too - shady localization .
blossom color : Steely blueBloom time : June - AugustHeight / Spread:24 - 30”/18 - 24”Zones:5 - 8
Photo by : Clive Nichols / GAP Photos / Getty Images ..
10 . BILLY button ( Craspedia globosa )
Also cry drumsticks , this indigene of Australia and New Zealand can be repeated on the West Coast but is generally replanted every year as an annual in other places . Its low-pitched tuft of silvery leaf , a foot tall or so , sport numerous leaf mustard - yellowish balls of heyday bobbing on thin , 2 - metrical foot stalks throughout the summer . A truly tough plant , Billy Buttons tolerate pitiable , lumbering dirt and drought . The flowers are beloved by florists and mould well in both fresh and dried arrangement . They make a playful , kinetic addition when tucked into a border .
blossom coloring : YellowBloom time : June - SeptemberHeight / Spread : Foliage 12 - 18”/6 - 10 ” ; Bloom 24”Zones:3 - 10
11 . GIANT THISTLE ( Cirsium rivulare’Atropurpureum ' )
Related to the artichoke and Cynara cardunculus , and not invasive like its cousin the bull thistle , this highly in demand thistle is absolutely stunning . In July and August , its deep crimson flowers hover above dramatic , deeply cut , blue - green foliage on robust , erect halt . Equally at abode along the water ’s border or in a prairie - style perennial border , this goliath thistle adds an air of whimsicality to a garden in pauperization of summertime colour , and also makes a grand cut flower . Pair it with a perennial that has smaller , rounded foliage , likeblue sour indigo(Baptisia australis ) for textural direct contrast . This is a must - have for all the plant nerds out there .
Bloom color : Dark crimsonBloom time : July - SeptemberHeight / Spread:36 - 48”/18 - 24”Zones:5 - 9
12 . CULVER ’S ROOT ( Veronicastrum virginicum’Fascination ' )
This is another hunky-dory instance of an American indigene that is perfectly at rest home in the design garden . Plant this refined perennial in the edge and you will be the invidia of the neighborhood . The stalks , which can be up to 5 feet magniloquent , are adorned with candelabras of slender , lilac - colored blossom spikes that emerge in July and August . Despite its height , it typically only needs staking if planted in too much shade . It combines well with other natives like large coneflower ( Rudbeckia maxima ) and tufted haircloth grass ( Deschampsia cespitosa ) .
Bloom colouring : Rosy lilacBloom time : July - AugustHeight / Spread:48 - 54”/18 - 30 ” ; salad days to 60”Zones:3 - 8
