What flowers bloom all or most of the summer???

I was just wondering what plants flower all or most of the summer.What plants that bloom at least a month.I'm trying to see what to plant in between perennials,that don't have long bloom periods.To keep the color going. I know my black-eyed susan vine bloomed until it was killed by a freeze.Thanks,Jody

Oh Jody, there are TONS of flowers that will bloom most of the summer. How about you give us a little more info, so that we can list appropriate plants for your area?

What perennials did you have that you want companion plants for?
Full sun, part sun, shade?
What heights do you need? low growers, medium (12 -24 inches high), medium tall (24-36 inches), tall (over 36 inches)?

I always use lots of annuals as fillers in the garden. They bloom pretty much all summer long and until first freeze. Cosmos and snapdragons are two of my favorites. Minature roses are also very usefull and practically carefree. The list of annuals you can use is just about endless.

Anne

nathalyn-I'm in zone 5/6.It will be in full sun.Clay soil.I must start adding horse manure.LOL.I have several lilys and coneflowers different kinds.Need something for color while they aren't doing anything.Any size is fine.Thanks,Jody

Color preferences? Height?

color reds,purples,blue's.Height 6 in -36 inch.Thanks,Jody

Jody,
All of these that I am suggesting are easily grown, not fussy about soil or water, and don't require a super long growing season.

For medium height for all summer blooms, I like Lady in Red Salvia and Victoria (blue) Salvia. These both will bloom until hard frost and don't require a lot of deadheading. Also the "dwarf" cosmos - "Sonata" (which is 36 inches for me) is a nice bloomer - - but does need to be deadheaded to prolong blooming. The taller snapdragons are also nice - - but need to be staked. I prefer the "Rocket" varieties.

Another good choice are dwarf sunflowers - - "Tebby Bear" and "Sunspot" are favorites of mine.

For low growers with a long bloom time, I like ageratum, tiftonia, dwarf zinnias (Dreamland series and Profusion series).

There are also lots of poppies that would do well in your zone with the cooler temps.

You may want to think about adding some other perennials that have a longer bloom season. My shasta daisies and daylilies bloom for over 2 months.

Here you can see ageratum peaking out from other plants, with my Shastas in front. The red is Lucifer crocosmia.

I recommend that you go to some of the major seed suppliers and sign up to receive their catalogs. Even when you don't buy, you get lots of good ideas. A couple that have great variety with pictures are Parkseed and Thompson & Morgan.

Nat



This message was edited Dec 10, 2004 2:42 PM

Any type of marigold or zinnia will do well outside - they bloom virtually all summer, even here in Texas. They are easily grown from seed and even when direct-sown. I use LOTS of these as they provide lots of color and big bushy plants with lots and lots of flowers for little effort between the "perennials". There are many varieties available nowadays, and the color range is bigger than ever. These plants also tolerate, and even love hot conditions, and don't have huge water requirements. In addition, both types of plants will readily self-seed (especially zinnias) and produce new plants to replace the old ones, especially in areas with long growing seasons.

This message was edited Dec 16, 2004 5:55 AM

Thanks everyone. Jody