I would love to have plants that bloom in the summer and return every year. Would you have any suggestions for me?

Thank you.
Maggie

Dear Maggie,

You might want to consider herbaceous perennials. They are plants that bloom for more than one year. Woody perennials include trees and shrubs. Herbaceous perennials die back to the ground in the winter and although the tops of these plants are dead, their roots remain alive (but dormant) throughout the winter.

Match your plants to your site. Keep in mind the climate/USDA zone (Wayne, NJ is in Zone 6b), sun versus shade, and soil conditions (anywhere between soggy and dry). Then you can think about the colors that you like, and then the flower shape and size of the plants. I know. It’s a lot to consider.

I will provide a short list of sun and shade perennials that bloom in the summer (June or July):

SUN

[su_row][su_column size=”1/2″]Achillea – yarrow
Agastache
Allium – ornamental onion
Asclepias –  butterfly weed/milkweed
Callirhoe – wine cups
Campanula – bellflower
Centranthus – valerian
Coreopsis – tickseed
Echinacea – coneflower
Gaillardia
Gaura
Gypsophila – baby’s breath
Hemerocallis – daylily[/su_column]

[su_column size=”1/2″]Lavender
Leucanthemum – Shasta daisy
Lychnis – rose campion
Monarda – bee balm
Nepeta – catmint
Oenothera – sundrops
Penstemon
Phlox
Salvia – sage
Scabiosa – pincushion
Stachys – lamb’s ear
Tradescantia – spiderwort
Veronica[/su_column][/su_row]

SHADE

[su_row][su_column size=”1/2″]Alchemilla – lady’s mantle
Astilbe
Dicentra – bleeding heart
Geranium[/su_column]

[su_column size=”1/2″]Heuchera
Hosta
Lamium
Thalictrum – meadow rue[/su_column][/su_row]

Good luck, Maggie. Visit Laurelwood Arboretum and watch the seasonal changes in our gardens.

Sincerely,
Elaine Fogerty, Executive Director