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These are the Longest Blooming Perennials in my Garden (I Tracked Them All Year)

Long Blooming Perennials

I tracked the bloom times of all of the flowers in my garden for the entire year to create the ultimate list of the longest blooming perennials in my own yard.

The results were quite surprising!

Over half of the plants on this long bloomer list are natives or native cultivars! This is great news because there are so many benefits to planting natives in your garden.

I was also surprised that many of the plants that I thought bloomed a very long time, actually weren’t at the top of the list. I think that when you love a particular plant, you can really skew the results.

So, I tracked… and tracked… and tracked. All year long.

Here are the details of my tracking.

Common NameBotanical NameZonesSunBloom TimeWeeks in Bloom
Butterfly WeedAsclepias tuberosa4-9Full Sun – Part SunEarly-Late Summer11
Catmint ‘Walkers Low’Nepeta faassenii4-9Full Sun – Part SunLate Spring-Fall8*
Purple ConeflowerEchinacea purpurea3-8Full Sun – Part SunMid-Late Summer10
Coreopsis ‘Early Sunrise’Coreopsis grandiflora3-9Full Sun – Part SunEarly-Late Summer12+
Crape Myrtle ‘Black Diamond Pure White’Lagerstroemia indica5-9Full SunSummer-Fall11
Daylily ‘Fragrant Returns’Hemerocallis5-9Full Sun – Part SunEarly-Late Summer12*
Joe Pye Weed ‘Baby Joe’Eutrochium purpureum2-9Full Sun – Part SunLate Summer-Fall7.5
Rose of Sharon ‘Azurri Blue Satin’Hibiscus syriacus5-9Full SunMid Summer-Fall11
Siberian Bugloss ‘Silver Heart’Brunnera macrophylla3-8Part Sun – ShadeSpring7
Spanish BluebellsHyacinthoides hispanica3-8Part Sun – ShadeEarly-Late Spring8
SpiderwortTradescantia virginiana L.4-9Full Sun – ShadeSpring8*
Veronica ‘Pink Potion’Magic Show® ‘Pink Potion’ Veronica hybrid4-8Full Sun – Part SunLate Spring-Early Fall12+
Yarrow ‘Apricot Delight’Achillea millefolium4-9Full SunEarly-Late Summer8*
From 2021 gardening season in Pennsylvania, Zone 6B
*this plant reblooms

Please note that these plants may not bloom for the same length of time where you live. They may not even perform the same way for ME next year. A lot can depend on the conditions where you live along with the climate in any given year. Regardless of this disclaimer, I still believe these are all excellent, long blooming plants that you should consider adding to your garden.

If you’re short on time, you can check out this quick 1 minute video with 7 of my favorite perennials with long bloom times.

Or keep reading to get the full long blooming flowers list.

Butterfly Weed

Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Orange butterfly weed with purple salvia. Photo courtesy of Larry Hansford.

Asclepias tuberosa
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Zones 4-9 | Full Sun-Part Sun | Blooms early-late summer
24-36″H x 12-36″W
11 weeks of bloom time

Butterfly weed is a small native perennial that glows with orange blooms from June through August. Crown-shaped flowers form clusters up to 2″ across. In the fall, upright pods of butterfly weed crack open, releasing seeds glistening with silky hairs. It’s one of the few host plants for the monarch butterfly.

Native in US and Canada. Ontario to Newfoundland; New England south to Florida; west to Texas; north through Colorado to Minnesota.


Catmint ‘Walkers Low’

Catmint 'Walkers Low'
Catmint ‘Walkers Low’ with alliums. Photo by PrettyPurpleDoor.

Nepeta x faassenii
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Zones 4-9 | Full Sun-Part Sun | Blooms late spring-fall
2-3’H x 2-3’W
8 weeks of bloom time, with multiple reblooms

Catmint is a long-lived, long-blooming border plant that puts on a show from late spring through fall in the garden. This mounding perennial has spicy fragrant leaves and features waves of cool, lavender-blue flowers that bring butterflies in droves. ‘Walkers Low’ bloomed for 8 weeks straight, then continued to rebloom throughout the entire season. Catmint is one of my absolute favorite plants in the garden.

Native to Caucusus and northern Iran.


Eastern Purple Coneflower

Echinacea Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea (Eastern purple coneflower). Photo by Pretty Purple Door.

Echinacea purpurea
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Zones 3-8 | Full Sun-Part Sun | Blooms mid-late summer
4’H x 3’W
10 weeks of bloom time

Purple coneflowers are one of the most beautiful US native plants and a must have for any easy care cottage garden. The pinkish-purple petals surround a large protruding dark brown center creating a graceful presence in the middle of the border as it’s visited by birds, bees and butterflies. Coneflowers grow in 3′ wide clumps on really tall stems (about 4′ high). The blooms last a long time — from midsummer through most of fall. Coneflowers can be susceptible to Japanese beetle, leaf spot and aster yellows disease. But, don’t let that deter you from trying them. They are very easy care and one of the most rewarding flowers to grow!

You can also harvest the seeds from the coneflower in the fall. In the video below I’ll show you how to do this in under 1 minute! Then, you can share the seeds with your friends or plant even MORE coneflowers in your garden! The birds and bees will love you for it.

Collect coneflower seeds in less than a minute – I love this trick!

Native to Eastern North America

What Blooms with What?

Never know what to plant together? Find out with this FREE Plant Pairing Guide and become a pro at combining plants for the best garden design possible!

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Coreopsis ‘Early Sunrise’

Lanceleaf Coreopsis 'Early Sunrise'
Photo by PrettyPurpleDoor.

Coreopsis grandiflora
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Zones 3-9 | Full Sun-Part Sun | Blooms early-late summer
18″H x 12″W
12+ weeks of bloom time

Lanceleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis grandiflora) grows naturally in dry, rocky soils throughout North America. Bold, upright leaves support the sunny faces of its flowers, which feature deeply textured yellow petals. The blooms are held on long, skinny stems which dip and sway in the breeze. Like many other Prairie natives, tickseed is a great “wind dancer” and will bring a unique kinetic energy to your garden border.

75-80 Coreopsis species are native to North, Central and South America.


Crape Myrtle ‘Black Diamond Pure White’

Crape Myrtle 'Black Diamond Pure White'
The dark foliage of Crape Myrtle ‘Black Diamond Pure White’ sets off the white blooms that lasted 11 weeks in my garden. This crape myrtle is not full grown. Photo by PrettyPurpleDoor.

Lagerstroemia indica
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Zones 5-9 | Full Sun | Blooms summer-fall
10-12’H x 8’W
11 weeks of bloom time

Cheating a little bit on this one, as the Black Diamond Pure White Crape Myrtle is technically a tree or a very large shrub. It has dark, almost black foliage spring to summer white ruffled flowers all season. This is a small, multi-stemmed tree that’s even drought-tolerant once established. It’s contrasting deep maroon (almost black) foliage and pure white flowers are sure to get lots of attention!

Crape Myrtles are native from the Himalayas through southern China, southeast Asia and Japan, but have naturalized in the US from Virginia to Arkansas south to Texas and Florida. I believe the ‘Black Diamond’ series are hybrids.


Daylily ‘Fragrant Returns’

Daylily 'Fragrant Returns'
Photo by PrettyPurpleDoor.

Hemerocallis
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Zones 5-9 | Full Sun-Part Sun | Blooms early-late summer
12″H x 12-24″W
12 weeks of bloom time

‘Fragrant Returns’ daylily has sunny yellow flowers measuring 2.5″ across contrast against its forest-green, sword-like foliage. Daylilies are carefree and prolific bloomers all summer long. They prefer full sun and moist, well-drained soil. But if you live in a hot climate, give the darker colored cultivars some afternoon shade. When planted in the correct location, they will flower all summer long for years with very little care.

I have the variety ‘Fragrant Returns’ in my own garden, but I would imagine most of the daylily varieties will perform just as well if you have the right conditions for them. You can also easily divide daylilies to get more and more plants to fill up your garden.

Native to Asia.

If you’re loving this list of long blooming perennials, you should also check out this post: Incredible perennial plants for your garden.


Joy Pye Weed ‘Baby Joe’

Joy Pye Weed 'Baby Joe'
Photo by PrettyPurpleDoor.

Eutrochium purpureum
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Zones 2-9 | Full Sun-Part Sun | Blooms late summer-fall
4’H x 3’W
7.5 weeks of bloom time

Great for a late-season statement in the garden, Joe Pye Weed is a tall, late blooming perennial that’s native to much of the US that does best in part shade with moist soil. Foliage is coarsely-serrated, lance-shaped with green leaves (to 12” long) and stem, with purplish leaf nodes. Flowers are composed of 5-8 florets and bracts in dusty rose to mauve, giving the appearance of large clusters. In some plants, the leaves and flowers can give off a vanilla-like scent. Baby Joe is a dwarf variety of the native Joe Pye Weed, which can grow 7′ high and 4′ wide. Baby Joe is more “well-behaved” than the main variety, which tends to seed a bit aggressively.

Native to Nova Scotia south to the mountains of North Carolina and from Nebraska to British Columbia.


Rose of Sharon ‘Azurri Blue Satin’

Rose of Sharon 'Azurri Blue Satin'
This Rose of Sharon ‘Azurri Blue Satin’ is not full-grown yet, but still gets loaded with beautiful purple-blue blooms for about 11 weeks in my garden. Photos by PrettyPurpleDoor.

Hibiscus syriacus
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Zones 5-9 | Full Sun | Blooms mid summer-fall
8-12’H x 5-6’W
11 weeks of bloom time

‘Azurri Blue Satin’ Hibiscus is sure to provide some much-needed color to your mid-summer and fall garden. Flowers with lacy centers of purple-blue petals are accented with wine-red hues that streak out from the veins of the petals. This shrub is loaded with very large and unique flowers that bloomed for 11 weeks in my own garden. ‘Azurri Blue Satin’ is the first ever seedless/sterile variety. It’s hardy, easy to grow and does not become invasive. Rose of Sharon ‘Azurri Blue Satin’ is a larger shrub, but if you have the room for it, it will not disappoint.

A sterile variety of Hibiscus syriacus, native south-central and southeast China.


Siberian Bugloss ‘Silver Heart’

Silver Heart Siberian Bugloss Shade Plant in Garden
Silver Heart Siberian Bugloss is a shade loving perennial that’s topped with delicate cobalt blue blooms for 7 weeks in the spring. It has fantastic foliage that will brighten up any woodland garden and makes a great alternative to hostas, which are so common.

Brunnera macrophylla
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Zones 3-8 | Part Sun-Shade | Blooms in spring
7 weeks of bloom time
18″H x 18-24″W

Siberian bugloss is an herbaceous perennial native to Turkey with beautiful foliage all year long. Bold white and light green bordered heart-shaped leaves of Siberian Bugloss ‘Silver Heart’ provide a dramatic background for the delicate, cobalt blue flowers that adorn this perennial for over 7 weeks in the springtime. Siberian bugless will brighten shady areas in your borders or woodland garden. It also creates a lovely groundcover.

Native to Turkey.


Spanish Bluebells

Spanish Bluebells (Wood Hyacinth)
Photo by PrettyPurpleDoor.

Hyacinthoides hispanica
Zones 3-8 | Part Sun-Shade | Blooms early-late spring
12-16″H x 12″W
8 weeks of bloom time

Spanish Bluebells, also known as Wood Hyacinth, are fragrant, shade-loving bulbs with arching strappy green grass-like foliage adorned with beautiful purplish blue bell-shaped blooms. Spanish bluebells are very hardy and deer resistant. If given enough room they will naturalize beautifully. They also work well in containers, rock gardens, small spaces and woodland gardens.

Native to Southwestern Europe.


Spiderwort

Spiderwort, Virginia (Spider Lily)
Photo by PrettyPurpleDoor.

Tradescantia virginiana L.
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Zones 4-9 | Full Sun-Shade | Blooms spring-fall
18-24″H x 24-36″W
8 weeks of bloom time

Virginia spiderwort is a large mounding but dainty perennial to 3′ with long, bright green, narrow lance-like leaves. The thick clump of slender, branched stalks are topped by groups of 2″ blue or purplish (sometimes white), 3-petaled flowers.

Spiderwort flowers close by mid-day and last only one day. The flowers open only in the morning; the petals then wilt and turn to a jelly-like fluid. Spiderworts are so named because the angular leaf arrangement suggests a squatting spider. This is a very adaptable plant that prefers humus-rich soil but can grow in a wide range of soils and sun levels.

This bloomed for about 8 weeks in my spring garden. It also reblooms throughout the summer and fall when I’m not expecting it to. It does spread through rhizomes and needs the space to do that. Some consider it a weed but I find it quite charming in the shade.

Native from Virginia south to Florida and west to Missouri and Illinois.

If you love purple and blue flowers like this, check out this post, too: What to plant with purple flowers

Veronica Magic Show® ‘Pink Potion’

Veronica 'Pink Potion'
Photo by PrettyPurpleDoor.

Magic Show® ‘Pink Potion’ is a Veronica hybrid
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Zones 4-8 | Full Sun-Part Sun | Blooms late spring-early fall
12-18″H x 18-24″W
12+ weeks of bloom time

Baby pink flower wands are borne prolifically atop a rounded, low clump of deep green foliage of Veronica ‘Pink Potion’. Veronica is sometimes also called Spike Speedwell. ‘Pink Potion’ has bloomed in my garden for over 12 weeks straight. It grows best in average, humus enriched, well-drained soil and full sun. It’s also salt tolerant, deer & rabbit resistant and attracts bees and butterflies! Though it will survive in partial shade, Veronica flowers best in sun. Shear back after blooming to encourage reblooms.

I am very impressed by this plant and would definitely recommend it. It’s October as I write this and it’s still blooming… over 12 weeks now. Looks very similar in habit to salvia.

Veronica spicata is native to Northern Europe and Asia. ‘Pink Potion’ is a hybrid.


Yarrow ‘Apricot Delight’

Yarrow Tutti Frutti 'Apricot Delight' (Sneezewort)
Photo by PrettyPurpleDoor.

Achillea millefolium
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Zones 4-9 | Full Sun | Blooms early-late summer
18-24″H x 18-24″W
8 weeks of bloom time

Apricot Delight yarrow produces an abundance of apricot to dusty rose colored blooms all summer long on silvery green fern-like foliage. A great cut-flower perennial plant that’s carefree and beautiful. Apricot Delight bloomed for 8 weeks straight in my garden and also rewarded me with multiple reblooms. Once the flowers faded, the seedheads were also very attractive in the garden.

Common yarrow is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Asia and Europe and North America.

Wrapping Up

While every year is different in the garden, I was incredibly impressed by all of these long blooming perennials in my 2021 garden. My favorite types of plants are ones that work hard and look great with not a lot of maintenance. And, I believe that every plant on this list fits the bill.

If you liked this post, be sure to check out my free plant pairing guide. You’ll get a photo list of gorgeous plant combinations that you can try in your own garden.


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Long Blooming Perennials Photo Collage
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