by Ken Lain, the mountain gardener
Readers Digest Condensed Version of this Article
- Perennials are known for resilience and longevity, but few bloom all season long.
- Autumn Sage, Catmint, Coral Bells Heuchera, Cranesbill Geranium, Daylily, Grace N Grit Roses, and Russian Sage bloom all summer and increase a garden’s beauty.
- Watters Flower Power plant food twice monthly and provides nonstop flowers all summer.
- Free Garden Class is offered every Saturday in June @ 9:30 am at Watters Garden Center, 1815 Iron Springs Rd in Prescott.
- If you’re to start a garden this summer, this article is for you. These guide you to the five most popular bloomers and tips to help them bloom even longer.
Here are the top 5 perennial flowers that bloom all summer.
Autumn Sage, Salvia greggii, is the longest-blooming sage in crimson-red. It signals spring with continual flowers broadcast right through Autumn. Hummingbirds and gardeners fall for this knee-high bloomer, which deserves a prominent location in the garden’s hotter spots.
Catmint – More than just a little herb for the cat to frolic in, catmint gained permanent cult status when the ‘Walker’s Low’ variety was named Perennial Plant of the Year. Delightful grayish-green foliage complements the nectar-rich violet blooms that appear throughout the summer months, and bees delight in them. Plants grow to about two feet tall but have a prostrate habit that looks attractive at the edge of a wall or path. Every garden needs at least one.
Coral Bells Heuchera– has a mounded shape and kaleidoscopic leaves. The leaves are heart-shaped or triangular, with a slight ruffle to each. You will find colors ranging from green, purple, bronze, and red throughout June.Each produces small, white flowers in the spring with tall spikes. If you like spiky plants, check out the birds of paradise as well.
One of the benefits of growing Heuchera is that it is low-maintenance. It is also drought-tolerant and can tolerate a wide range of soil conditions. Feed your blooming plants twice a month with Watters Flower
Power for an explosion of color all summer!
Cranesbill Geranium– They grow throughout the summer with very little maintenance. Geraniums are easy to grow and thrive in both sunny and shady locations. They are one of the most popular perennials for a few reasons. They are low maintenance. They have low water and nutrient needs and can tolerate all soil types. Additionally, they are resistant to most pests and diseases.
Daylily– Stella D’ Oro daylilies have become an office park landscaping staple, but everblooming daylilies have much more to offer than this popular gold variety. Although the color spectrum is limited to the warmer side of the color wheel, exciting color patterns and flower forms take the available cultivar numbers into the thousands. Full sun is best, although darker varieties may benefit from afternoon shade to prevent sunscald. Fertilization isn’t necessary, but an occasional deep watering during summer dry spells is beneficial.
Grit N Grace Shrub Rose – these are the roses you’ve yearned for, especially if you dream of a romantic garden full of colorful roses but struggle with diseases and too much fussiness. This new rose introduction blooms freely without special care. Just give it lots of sun; Flower Power plant food twice a month for continual flowers into November. You will fall in love with this new garden bloomer. It is disease-resistant, self-pruning, and super easy to grow.
Russian Sage– In neighborhoods with new construction, topsoil is stripped away, and the rubble left behind hardly qualifies as soil. What to plant in such a harsh environment? Start with this tough-as-nails perennial that features a cloud of sky-blue flowers for three months in its first season. The one-factor Russian sage can’t live without is full sun, which is essential for healthy bloom production. As we all know, “full sun” is generously bestowed upon our local area gardens!
Free Garden Class is offered every Saturday in June @ 9:30 am at Watters Garden Center, 1815 Iron Springs Rd in Prescott.
June 8 – Growing Better Berries & Grapes
This juicy, fast-paced class covers Berries, grapes, figs, and pomegranates. After this class, you will have bowls of fruit picked fresh from the gardens.
June 15 – Top 10 Flowers That Love Summer Heat
June is the Top month for perennial flowers in gardens. There is a special focus on native and heat-loving varieties that thrive in mountain gardens.
June 22 – Best Trees for Bushels of Fruit
Have your landscape and eat it, too! We’ll share tips, tricks, and recipes for a healthy, tastier yard. Fruit tree experts who know fruit trees and how to grow them will be on hand.
June 29 – Gardening for Newcomers
Are you new to Arizona or just new to gardening? This class is Gardening 101 for everyone hoping to turn a brown thumb green: garden zones, frost dates, best practices, and more. You will be a garden pro after this class.
Until next week, I’ll be helping local gardeners grow summer flowers here at Watters Garden Center.
