Long Blooming Perennials

Spring, according to the calendar, will be with us shortly. Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!” which brings us to flowers as they always enhance a party. Let’s focus on long-blooming perennials which will give our landscapes more color and interest for longer periods of time and, also, give us more flowers to cut and bring indoors to enjoy.

Perennials bloom every year but not all perennials bloom for a lengthy time period. The weather conditions of any given year have much to do with amount of bloom and length of bloom. Also, deadheading and cutting back the plant will extend the bloom of many perennials. There are many lists of long-blooming perennials that you can access in books and on the Internet but for the purposes of this article I’m going to refer to only those perennials which I have grown in my own garden beds.

Achillea (yarrow): ‘The Pearl’ was the first yarrow I started from seed. I also have an unidentified red yarrow which was being removed from another garden. I think it is a common yarrow, possibly ‘Cerise Queen,’ as it is pretty aggressive. To keep it within bounds, I just dig up unwanted plants relocate them, or pass them on. Yarrow is easy to start indoors and will blossom the first year. It is available in a wide range of colors and heights and attracts butterflies. A sunny area is required. In very wet seasons, the foliage may turn brown as the plant nears the end of its bloom period. I just cut the plant back to the ground and new foliage appears.

Monarda (Bee Balm): It is native to the Eastern U.S. and is a favorite of bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Monarda makes a good cutting flower, spreads rapidly and is very reliable. Sunshine is preferable but light shade is tolerated. Powdery mildew is less of a problem with the newer varieties. Some varieties that are more resistant are ‘Garden View Scarlet’, ‘Marshall’s Delight’, ‘Mrs. Perry’, ‘Prarienacht’, ‘Sunset’ and ‘Violet Queen.’

Trivia: ‘Marshall’s Delight’ was named for plant breeder Henry Marshall who worked for Agriculture Canada for 40 years

Coreopsis Lanceolata (Tickseed): It flowers most of the summer, is easily grown, relatively maintenance free, attracts butterflies but doesn’t like to be disturbed. Full sun is a requirement. It tolerates windy locations and likes to be watered regularly. Coreopsis is occasionally bothered by aphids but just hose them off or use an insecticidal soap. The variety ‘Zagreb’ is the longest bloomer.

Campanula carpatica and C. glomerata (Bellflower): They are original to the Carpathian Mountains of eastern Europe and are among my favorite perennials. They will bloom in three months from seeds started indoors. There is a wide choice in colors and form. All prefer full sun to light shade. They perform well in cooler climates and dislike extremely high temperatures. They like to be kept moist at all times. Campanula do not like to be disturbed. The clustered variety is one of the hardiest bellflowers. They also spread quickly but are not overly aggressive.

Gaillardia x grandiflora (Blanket Flower): This plant is native to North America. I also started this plant from seed and it has self-seeded many times giving me a never-ending supply of new plants to replenish the original bed or replant in other areas. After flowering for many weeks, often until a hard frost, I cut the plants down to about six inches. The hard pruning encourages basal growth that will help the plant to winter over. Although I deadhead regularly, I always leave some faded flowers for reseeding.

Keep in mind that every garden and every garden year is different when it comes to long-blooming perennials. There is also a world of difference between varieties of the same plant species. The plants I have listed here have worked well for me over many years and I’m confident they will please you, too.

Betty Magnan

Beltrami County Master Gardener