Some perennials perform far better during hot spells than others
and, as we enter the next phase of warm, dry days, not only will they perk up a tired summer garden, many will carry their colour into early fall. Our list of ‘best performers’ that we can plant right now and enjoy year after year include:
Rudbeckias: Magnificent rudbeckias are in full bloom now in so many gardens. The most well-known variety, R. ‘Goldsturm’, is the standard bearer that will bloom until late September. A shorter version, R. ‘Little Gold Star’, has smaller blooms and is quite at home in containers and smaller spaces. These are summer and fall showstoppers that no sunny garden should be without.
Coreopsis: Two of the best for long and continuous blooms are the lacy foliaged, short yellow variety C. ‘Zagreb’ and the slightly taller creamy yellow C. ‘Moonbeam’. Both are simply amazing in terms of colour, all weather tolerance and continuous performance until October. Some interesting reds, like C. ‘Red Satin’ offer rich, deep red colour. They match the yellows for adding new richness to our summer and fall gardens. Make sure to plant them in good, well-drained soil, as they do not like to have ‘wet feet’ in winter.
Geranium ‘Rozanne’: No other perennial geraniums perform like the famous G. ‘Rozanne’. It has a low-spreading habit and can be kept more compact with a little pruning. This purple-blue flowered jewel blooms from June until we run out of fall weather.
Sedums: Another mainstay of August and September gardens, their strong upright blooms add a fresh autumn look. Their flowers now come in a wide range of colours, including lime, yellow or rose, and some offer neat foliage in shades ranging from black and burgundy to a nice pinky grey. Being succulent-like, their drought resistance is outstanding, making them welcome summer companions (again, they need good, well-drained soil!).
Achillea: The sleeper of all perennials, this is a heat tolerant, drought tolerant, pollinator friendly plant that comes in a wide range of colours and newer varieties repeat bloom for continuous summer through to fall. They also make a wonderful cut flower!
Perovskia: Russian sage checks quite a few boxes. Not only is it heat and drought tolerant, it is long blooming, attractive to pollinators, resistant to deer and rabbits, and has unique aromatic foliage.
Kniphofia: Remember the ‘red hot poker plants’? Their thin spiky foliage looks amazing combined with grasses, and their blooms of yellow, white, orange and bi-colours keep producing until fall. The ‘Popsicle Series’ is one of the best and wow! do they perform. Having quite a different look, they earn gold stars all around.
Heleniums: The first true fall-coloured perennials with those red, orange and bicolour small flowers that herald late summer. ‘Hay Day’ grows only 18” high and blooms a long time in places heleniums could not grow before. It’s a superstar!
Agastache: Varieties such as ‘Rosey Posey‘ and ‘Guava Lava’ are all terrific. They need a little pruning to keep them in shape, but they bounce back within a few days with massive blooms. Agastache is very attractive to pollinators.
Gaillardia: Coming in a wide selection of warm tones (yellows, oranges, reds and bi-colours) with uniquely beautiful large flowers, they have an almost desert-like look and are both sun and drought tolerant (be sure to plant in good, well-drained soil though!). As a bonus, bees love them!
These perennials will work overtime on your behalf to get back that colour your garden deserves after such a challenging year, and they will do it again year after year!
