Longest-Blooming Perennials: Gardeners' Top Picks for Nonstop Color

Editor's Note: Each week we pose a Garden Question and share the best reader responses.

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Perennials That Bloom and Bloom

We asked which perennials bloom longest in your garden. Here are the standout responses:

Susan Smith – Gloriosa Daisy 'Irish Eyes'

Yellow flowers with green centers bloomed from spring planting through summer drought, tall stems, excellent cut flowers lasting nearly two weeks.

'Goblin' Gaillardia

Color from early June through fall football season (September). Yellow with red rim, spreads and mounds well, drought-tolerant, barely touched by first frost. Great for large gardens or rock walls.

Nancy – Four Long-Bloomers

• Phlox carolina 'Miss Lingard': Mid-June to mid-July with huge fragrant heads; cut back for a second flush still going strong.
• Geranium 'Max Frei': 10 weeks from early May to mid-July (daily deadheading), then sporadic rebloom.
• Scabiosa 'Butterfly Blue': Mid-June to frost with deadheading.
• Coreopsis 'Early Sunrise': Blooming since early June, still going August 11 with deadheading.

Marjorie – Hibiscus 'Southern Belle'

Started blooming days ago, continues until fall. White, pink, red, rose. Hardy in south-central Nebraska.

Carmen – Clematis 'Nelly Moser'

Spring and midsummer shows, large fuchsia-pink blooms, virtually maintenance-free, just deadhead and remove dead leaves.

Diane – Miniature Carnations

Bloom early spring to frost; silver-gray foliage stays attractive through winter.

Elizabeth (Pittsburgh) – 'Moonbeam' & Coreopsis rosea

Near non-stop late June to fall; shear off old flowers with kitchen scissors to promote rebloom.

Astilbe Fan – Heliopsis

In short Zone 3 season, blooms July to frost. Sun or partial shade. Single and double varieties.

Lee Brewer – Tunic Plant (Petrorhagia)

Non-stop late May/early June into fall. Tiny flowers, slender foliage, light feathery look but tough in rain and drought. White flowers; seeks other colors. Grows in clay amended with peat.

Cathy – 'Stella d'Oro' Daylily

June–August, longer with regular deadheading. Hardy phloxes and coneflowers also persist in heat.