10 Ornamental Perennials for a Year-Round Flower-Filled Garden

A gardener's ideal is a bloom-filled space from early spring through late autumn. Planting these tall blooming perennials in your garden will delight you with a garden full of flowers throughout the growing season.

Since all perennials bloom for the same length of time or in the same season, it can be difficult to put together a collection of flowering plants.

Choose some long-blooming plants that bloom for so long that when one plant is flowering, the other is just starting to bloom.

1. Ice Factory

"Snow plant" is heat and drought tolerant and grows even in stony soils. It thrives with little maintenance and is perfect for sunny slopes and rock gardens.

These plants are 3-6 inches tall. It grows quickly and covers the ground to form a carpet. It thrives in cold, harsh climates with sandy or rocky, fast-draining soil without any soil. It will not do well if the soil is too wet and it will not grow in heavy clay soil.

The most famous species of snowdrops are Lampranthus and Dilosperma. These plants are warm season perennials and come back every year. The leaves are fleshy and juicy.

"Ice plants" look fantastic as ground coverings, in rock gardens, on slopes, and in sunny but protected gardens. Plant them 15 to 18 inches apart as they spread quickly to fill in.

Snowdrops (Delosperma spp.) bloom in shades of purple, pink, orange, red, or yellow from late spring to early fall, depending on the species. It thrives well in moist, well-drained soil in full sun. Plant it in a sunny location with fast-draining soil. Sandy, loamy, or gravelly soils are good choices for ice plants. Water it regularly in the summer heat, but keep it dry during the winter months. These plants like gravel mulch and thrive when stems grow over gravel, keeping roots moist and leaves and stems dry. Fertilize only once in the fall with an organic or natural fertilizer.

2. Bee balm

'Bee balm' plants are perennials that bloom in summer and attract hummingbirds and bees. There are several species of these plants and they belong to the Monarda genus. The varieties sold in garden centers are usually hybrids and cultivars based on three species: Monrada didyma, Monradfistulosa and Monrada puntata.

'Bee Balm' is a fast-growing herbaceous perennial that often reaches full height and flowers in its first season. This plant is 10-48 inches tall and 10-36 inches wide. The leaf surface is less oval. The flowers are hairy clusters and bloom in shades of red, pink, purple, white, and lavender. The flowers consist of asymmetrical, two-lipped tubular florets borne in densely spherical terminal heads resting on an ornamental whorl. They bloom for up to six weeks, usually from mid-summer to early fall or late spring to early fall, depending on the species. Each flower is only 1-2 inches in diameter but can have up to 100 petals.

Bee balm propagates by rhizomes and can be self-sown. To avoid their taking over and to revitalise the plants, divide them every two to three years in the early spring. Add a layer of mulch on top of the soil to ensure this shallow plant stays moist.

'Bee Balm' plants grow best in rich, moist soil. Most garden soil is sufficient for these plants. However, they thrive best when the soil is consistently moist. Therefore, you should water the plants once a week and not allow the soil to dry out. For optimal growth, water bee balm every 7-10 days during dry spells.

Soak the soil to a depth of 6-8 inches when watering. Next, apply a layer of mulch around the plants to conserve soil moisture and reduce the frequency of watering.

Monrado didema species and cultivars are significantly more tolerant of dry conditions than Monrado didema and cultivars.

Deadhead flowers extend summer blooms for up to eight weeks. After flowering, monrado should be pruned to the ground to encourage the development of fresh, healthy stems and leaves.

'Bee Balm' plants are a great addition to borders, wildflower lawns, and lawns.

3. Roseanne Kranspell's Geranium

Commonly known as Millennium Geranium, Geranium Roseanne Cranberry can bloom for more than three months. It is one of the tallest flowering perennials in the garden. It blooms from late spring to mid-autumn.

This sterile variety does not self-seed and will only grow where you want it. It does well in both hot and dry weather. As a ground cover, specimen plant, or foreground plant in your perennial garden, it is a fantastic choice for your garden. These plants grow in a circular habitat. Each plant is two feet tall and two feet wide. The flowers are about 3 inches across. It blooms from late spring to mid-autumn. The leaves are deeply marbling in shades of Chartreuse. In fall, the leaves fade to shades of red and bronze, adding even more color to the garden.

'Geranium Rozanne cranesbill' thrives in full sun or partial shade with rich, moist, well-drained soil, but does best in full sun. These plants do not need to be decapitated because they are sterile. Instead, cut the stems back to three inches to encourage branching and smaller stems later.

4. False sunflower

'False sunflower' (Heliopsis helianthoides) is an easy-to-grow herbaceous perennial that blooms for 12 weeks from midsummer. This plant grows 3 to 6 feet tall and is great for the center or back of the border in your garden. It is very heat, drought tolerant.

The 'false sunflower' plant has erect clumps with branching stems and grows in a bushy habit. The yellow-orange, double or single, daisy-like flowers feature a conical, golden-brown central disc, and measure 2-3 inches in diameter. These plants are not invasive or toxic, and are therefore pet-friendly.

False sunflowers grow well in moist, well-drained loamy soil or any reasonably fertile soil. The yellow flowers bloom for six weeks from summer to early fall.

These plants thrive in full sun to partial shade. They are an excellent choice for permanent borders and ideal for cutting gardens. Attracts bees and butterflies and is deer resistant. Deadhead spent flowers to grow new flowers.

5. Gentiana True Blue

'True blue gentian' is a tall-flowering herbaceous perennial that grows 24 to 30 inches tall and can flower for eight weeks or longer.

The plant grows in dense, highly branched mounds. The blue flowers are tubular and grow along the branches and bloom from early summer through fall. The leaves are smooth, green, and lance-shaped. These plants attract pollinators such as butterflies and hummingbirds and are deer resistant. They are ideal for group plantings, rock/alpine gardens, and borders.

'Gentiana true blue' plants thrive in rich, acidic, moist soil in full sun to partial shade. Apply a thick mulch around the roots during the growing season to retain soil moisture.

6. Moonbeam Tickseed

'Moonbeam Tix Seed' is an herbaceous perennial and grows to 18 inches tall with a spread of 24 inches. The plant has fern-like leaves, and the flowers are soft buttery yellow.

These plants are easy to grow and form a compact mound that blooms in early summer and continues into late fall. They also provide multiple flowering seasons as a ground cover, are drought tolerant, deer and rabbit resistant, and grow in a variety of soils and conditions.

'Moonbeam ticksed' is a sterile cultivar that will not overwhelm the garden. It can grow in poor, sandy soil, the flowers are perfect for cutting, and the leaves stay emerald green all season. These plants are ideal for group planting, border edging, ground cover, and planting in rock/alpine gardens.

7. Happy Daylily Back

'Happy Back Day Lilies' plants are creeping deciduous perennials. It produces an abundance of round, canary-yellow flowers that are slightly wrinkled and bloom atop a mound of arched, blade-like leaves. The flowers are 3 inches across and bloom from early fall to late summer.

These plants are 18 inches tall with a spread of 18 to 24 inches. It reproduces by rhizomes, is heat and drought tolerant, and can grow in most hardiness zones. It's perfect for a permanent bed, garden border, or container.

'Happy Return Day Lily' grows best in full sun and shade in medium-moist, but well-draining soil. Although it can grow in a wide variety of soils, it thrives in fertile loamy soil.

These plants can tolerate the heat and humidity of summer, but must be well watered to keep the leaves looking fresh. It attracts hummingbirds and butterflies but is toxic to cats and rabbits.

The best time to plant a 'Happy Return Day lily' is early spring or fall. Remove spent flowers and seeds to encourage the plant to die back.

8. May night salvia

'May Night Salvia' (Salvia x sylvestris) is a fast-growing, erect perennial that produces dense spikes of deep purple flowers. A clumping plant 15-18 inches tall with long leaves that are fragrant when crushed.

These plants bloom in late spring and bloom again in the summer if they die. Do not cut back until the last seasonal bloom to allow for reseeding.

They do not require fertilizer and are very easy to grow. If you wish to fertilize, apply it after the flowering season. It is suitable for borders, beds and containers. These plants can be grown from seeds or cuttings.

'May Night Salvia' plants grow well in full sun and acidic soil, attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, and are deer and rabbit resistant.

9. Sedum Autumn Joy Stonecrop

'Sedum Autumn Joy Stonecrop' is a vigorous perennial that reaches 18-24 inches tall. Leaves are light green, flowers are raspberry-pink and bloom in mid-to-late summer, dying back to a decadent rosette and later a coppery rust.

These plants have sturdy stems that support large flower heads with drought-tolerant foliage.

'Autumn Joystonecrop' plants are drought and heat tolerant, can grow in below average soil, attract butterfly bees, and are resistant to rabbits. It grows well in full sun, medium to medium moisture soil that is well drained and is suitable for group planting in borders, beds and rock gardens.

10. A fringed bleeding heart

'Fringed bleeding heart' (Dicentra exima) is one of the best long-blooming perennials for shady gardens with fern-like leaves. These plants will continue to flower for about three months during the growing season.

The plant is a bushy perennial with fern-like, deeply cut, gray-green leaves that persist throughout the growing season and do not go dormant in summer if watered properly. It grows 12-18 inches tall and spreads by rhizomes and self-seeding.

It blooms for a long time from early spring until frost. The buds are small and pink and topped with deep pink flowers with heart-shaped flowers. Blooming will not stop in the hot summer and may resume in late summer or early fall.

'Bleeding fringed heart' plants grow best in partial shade and in fertile, humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil. They are an excellent choice for shade beds, gardens, rock gardens, woodland gardens, or ground covers.