Five Delightful Late Spring-Blooming Perennials

Perennials

Five Delightful Late Spring-Blooming Perennials

Whether you’re an expert plant hobbyist or simply looking to spruce up your outdoor space, gardening is sure to offer a variety of benefits for your mental and physical health—not to mention your landscape’s curb appeal.

Keep reading for some of our favorite late-blooming perennials to keep your garden looking vibrant all summer long!

Perennials vs. Annuals: What’s the Difference?

You don’t have to know much about gardening in order to appreciate a flower in full bloom. That said, it’s important to understand the growing and blooming seasons of the florals you want to incorporate into your garden so you can plan your planting accordingly.

Perennials are flowers that only need to be planted once and can live for several growing seasons, blooming each year.

Annuals, on the other hand, are flowers that need to be re-planted each year as they only live for one growing season.

While perennials live for multiple growing seasons, they tend to have shorter blooming seasons than annuals. Annuals, while only living for one growing season, tend to remain in bloom for a longer period of time.

As a result, many gardeners opt for a combination of the two in order to get the best of both worlds!

Five Late-Blooming Spring Perennials

When it comes to your garden, you have a seemingly endless list of flowers, herbs, and vegetables to choose from. Even when narrowing your selection down to just perennials, you have 100+ options to choose from!

That said, here are a few of our favorite late-spring bloomers to enjoy in the spring and summer:

  1. Peony

These garden classics bloom from late spring to early summer and last until the fall, making a great addition to any hedge or walkway lining.

While peonies require relatively little maintenance, be intentional about where they’re initially planted as these perennials don’t do well when moved. Look for a spot with full sun, ideally allowing for 6 to 8 hours of sunlight per day.

While undeniably beautiful, peonies tend to be a bit top heavy with their thick, large blooms—they may need some additional shelter from strong winds, or even stakes to keep them vertical.

Another concern is the foliage may look untidy after the long, hot summer months end. To combat these concerns, plant Itoh Peonies, which are much heartier and rarely require the necessary support of standard peonies.

  1. Daylily

With thousands of varieties to choose from, daylilies make a beautiful addition to any garden. They’re low-maintenance, practically pest-free, and can even survive in less-than-ideal conditions—what’s not to love?

That said, their individual flowers come and go frequently, with each lasting only one day. Plant a variety of daylilies ranging from early, mid-season, and late-blooming to have a rotation of flowers in full bloom all season long.

We recommend the Stella D’oro, Happy Returns and Purple D’oro varieties, which bloom on and off throughout much of the summer with some additional deadheading.

Fun fact: contrary to what their name implies, daylilies are not actually part of the lily family.

  1. Salvia

Salvas, also known as sage, are colorful, spike-like perennials that bloom from summer to fall. Not only are they great for attracting pollinators such as butterflies and hummingbirds, but they can also act as a natural pest repellant due to their minty aroma.

For best results, plant your salvias in areas with lots of sunlight with well-draining soil. While they can survive in shade, their blooming will be less noteworthy.

We also recommend cutting salvia back after it blooms, as this will produce a second flush of foliage and flowers.

Did you know that you can even propagate your salvia cuttings for a practically endless supply?

  1. English Lavender

Lavender isn’t just a pretty plant—it’s well-known for its culinary and medicinal benefits, often used in calming essential oils. Like salvia, spring and summer-blooming perennial is also great for attracting pollinators.

Because lavender is somewhat difficult to grow from seed, we recommend purchasing a nursery plant to transplant into your garden. Plant your lavender in an area with lots of sun and well-draining soil for best results.

After harvesting your lavender, try drying it to make great-smelling lavender sachets.

  1. Bee Balm

Bee balm, as its name implies, is a wonderful addition to any pollinator-friendly garden. Native to North America, this vibrant flower blooms in mid-to-late summer.

For the best blooms, plant your bee balm in an area with full sun and healthy, well-draining soil. Choose a spot with good air circulation too, as this plant is prone to mildew.

Because bee balm is part of the mint family, this aromatic plant can be used in herbal teas or salads, or as a garnish. Be mindful of placement; however, bee balm can quickly spread—just like mint.

Grow Your Dream Garden With Us

Here at Garrett Churchill, our expert landscapers have 22+ years of experience bringing landscape and garden designs to life.

Our start-to-finish landscaping process includes an on-site consultation plus soil analysis, custom project design, design review and analysis, all-inclusive installation, and spotless cleanup.

Visit http://garrettchurchill.local/planting to learn more about the ways we can help you transform your garden.

Professional Landscaping Services in Fort Washington, PA, and Throughout Montgomery County, Philadelphia County, and Bucks County

Bala Cynwyd

Bala Cynwyd

Blue Bell

Blue Bell

Chestnut Hill

Chestnut Hill

Dresher

Dresher

North Wales

North Wales

Spring House

Spring House

Plymouth Meeting

Plymouth Meeting

Wyndmoor

Wyndmoor

Fort Washington

Fort Washington

Jenkintown

Jenkintown

Meadowbrook

Meadowbrook

Rydal

Rydal

Flourtown

Flourtown

Gladwyne

Gladwyne

learn more about the services we offer.

From solving drainage problems to creating elegant outdoor living areas, our experienced team can manage even the most complex outdoor projects. For specialty elements, we bring in our trusted partners and monitor their contribution to ensure they meet our standards, allowing you to continue working with one point of contact. This is what we can do for you:

Landscape Design

We take the time to truly understand your objectives, whether that is to create an outdoor oasis for your family, increase value and curb appeal, save water and energy with low-maintenance solutions, or all of the above. Our designs account for every detail of your space. Visit our Landscape Design page to learn more.

Landscape Installation

Our talented craftspeople and experienced horticulturists specialize in elegant plantings, pergolas, water features, patios, walkways, and so much more. We maintain industry certifications and affiliations, including ICPI, NALP, PLNA, and PCH, among others. Visit our Landscape Installation page to learn more.

Landscape Maintenance

Our full-service maintenance programs are customized to meet your property needs with services like weeding, mulch installation, deadheading, pruning, bed care, seasonal cleanup, seasonal flower installation, and lawn mowing. Visit our Landscape Maintenance page to learn more.

Outdoor Living

By designing an outdoor living space that matches your interests and accommodates your desired lifestyle, you make better use of your property and spend more time outside. Consider what an outdoor kitchen, fire pit, fireplace, or paver patio could mean for your daily life. Visit our Outdoor Living page to learn more.

Landscape Lighting

The right landscape lighting can increase visibility, increase value, deter trespassers, and create a specific ambiance in your backyard or front yard. It is a simple way to upgrade your existing landscape or make it a part of your holistic outdoor transformation. Visit our Landscape Lighting page to learn more.

Drainage

Without proper drainage, your plants, hardscaping, and home's foundation are at risk of water damage. Drainage solutions can be built inconspicuously into the landscape to protect your property. Visit our Drainage page to learn more.

Commercial Services

We offer snow removal, landscape design and installation, drainage solutions, and landscape maintenance for commercial properties of all shapes and sizes. Visit our Commercial Services page to learn more.