Late Summer Blooming Perennial Flowers

Design and plant your garden in the spring for colorful late summer blooming perennial flowers to wrap up the gardening season.

Best Perennial Flowers For Late Summer Color

The exciting part of gardening is designing the perfect garden in your view, from early spring planting to flowers for fall color. Everything from colour, plant type depending on the sun exposure, layout, hardscape, and the most exciting one is planting time, must include in your gardening plan.

Of course, you can plant as you go or plan it. I mostly do both. Depending on your gardening zones, spend time in the spring or early fall to view the garden for what you can plant for late summer-blooming flowers.

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There are many plants, shrubs, trees, or flowers for their specific interest based on the season. For example, you can have a garden with continual blooms from early spring to fall.

You can get some inspirations from your morning walks, garden magazines, gardening books, public garden, or even garden catalog for seasonal garden interests. The goal is to have something bloom from early spring to fall if you are into flowering plants.

Plant a foundation planting with these low growing flowering shrubs. Then you can create a colorful garden bed with these easy to grow annual flowers. Some annual flowers like snapdragon or calendula will tolerate light frost, which is a typical forecast in the early fall.

To keep the cost minimum on gardening, you can only plant shrub and perennial flowers that keep coming back year after year. Some of these easy to grow perennial flowers blooms from late spring to fall with minimal care.

When To Plant Perennial Flowers

The best time to plant perennial flowers is in the early spring and late summer or early fall when the ground is workable and the day is warm. Typically between March to May, or September to October, depending on your gardening zones.

My garden is in zone 4, so I would plant bare-rooted plants in the middle of April through May. Perennial seedlings from indoor seeding or garden center planted in May after the last frost pass or late summer before the first frost comes, which is around September 12th.

This planting period will give more time to establish the root system before the winter comes. Most perennials will bloom in the second year and double their size year after year, which gives you more plants for free by dividing, root cuttings, or transplanting volunteer seedlings.

Late-Summer Blooming Perennial Flower For Part Shade

Part shade areas typically only get a few hours of sunshine during the day. That could be only morning sun or afternoon sun.

Goldenrod
This bright yellow plumed flower is one of the native wildflower cultivars. It is hardy to zones 2 to 8. Depending on the variety, goldenrod will bloom from mid-summer through fall. The common goldenrod or Solidago Canadensis will bloom in the late summer.

Goldenrod will grow in the well-drained soil and be somewhat drought tolerant once it is established. However, some regions might put goldenrod on the invasive plant list. So, it is better to gather information first based on your area before you plant it in your garden.

I plant the Solidago Canadensis in the front yard that gets afternoon sun only beside the lilac bush. The plant did not spread and stay on the same spot for over five years.

Joe Pye Weed
This perennial can grow up to 7 ft or 2 m tall and hardy to zones 3 to 9. The mauve color flower has a cluster of several florets.

The blooms attract butterflies making it one of the most popular late summer-blooming flowers. Joe Pye Weed grows in rich, moist, and well-drained soil.

Get your Joe Pye Weed seed here.

Lamium
The plant has silver and white leaves that are perfect for brightening up your shade garden. The variegated foliage makes this plant good as ground cover.

Lamium is hardy to zones 2 to 9. Depending on your region, the plant might be on an invasive plant list. Lamium is drought tolerant once it is established.

Mum
It is a hardier variety and great for cut flowers. Perennial mum is hardy to zones 3 to 9.

The flowers come in various colors from white, yellow, peach, red, orange, purple even bi-color. It is also famous as early fall blooming flowers to decorate the porch alongside pumpkins or any fall decor.

Here I grow mum on the plastic pumpkin container for quick fall decor in front of the porch.

Get you mum plant here.

Late-Summer Blooming Perennial Flower For Full Sun

Fortunately, you can grow so many perennial choices for the full sun garden as long as your garden site has well-drained soil.

Aster-Fall
It comes with purple, pink, and red color flowers, and it is hardy to zones 3 to 8. Aster attracts butterflies in the late summer and adds more color to the garden once most flowers begin to fade when frost is approaching.

Get your Aster plant here.

Rudbeckia
One of the garden’s favorites, rudbeckia or Black-Eyed Susan, is a low-care perennial and will brighten the garden with yellow petals.

Rudbeckia is hardy to zones 2 to 9. Rudbeckia is easy to grow from seed and the perfect companion late summer perennial to grow with any blue shade flowers spire, like Russian sage or catmint.

Get your Rudbeckia seed here.

Coneflower
Coneflower is one of the easy-to-grow perennial flowers and will grow in poor but well-drained soil. Coneflower is hardy to zones 3 to 9.

The flowers come in many colors, from pink, red, white, coral, and orange. Try to leave the seed pod during winter. It is one of the food sources for birds.

Get your coneflower seed here.

Russian Sage
Russian sage is one of the drought-tolerant perennials that bloom all summer. This plant also is one of the low care perennials you can grow and hardy to zone 4 to 9.

Russian sage has tall spikes of blue flowers and grey-green foliage. It is perfect for adding texture to the garden and pairing it with daisy-like flowers.

Get your Russian sage seed here.

Catmint
Catmint is one of my all-time favorite perennial plants. I grow Walker’s Low catmint for border planting along the walkway.

If you have difficulty growing lavender, you can substitute it with catmints. The plant has minty fragrances with blue spire flowers that attract bees and beneficial pollinators.

Catmint is a non-invasive mint family, one of the longest blooming perennial and drought-tolerant perennial flowers that bloom from spring and all summer long.

Pair catmint with chartreuse plants like spirea or elderberry shrub. Catmint is hardy to zones 3 to 8.

Get your catmint plants here.

Globe Thistle
One unique perennial with spiky globular shape flowers, globe thistle, is one fun addition to your garden. Pair it with pink yarrow for a showy late summer garden.

Globe thistle also has spiky foliage, which is hardy to zones 2 to 9. Globe thistle is a drought-tolerant plant that attracts bees and butterflies.

Get your globe thistle seed here.

Sedum Autumn Joy
There are many sedums from the low-growing sedum for ground cover and the taller ones to pair it with other summer perennial flowers.

Sedum Autumn Joy is a tall fall sedum variety that is popular for late summer-blooming flowers.

It is hardy to zones 2 to 9. Prune or pinch it back in the early spring to encourage bushier plants and fuller blooms in the late summer. Pair it with long-blooming flowers coneflowers, daisy, or gaillardia.

Gaillardia/Blanket Flower
Gaillardia is one of the long-blooming flowers for the full sun. This daisy-like flower is hardy to zones 3 to 10.

The blanket flower is a short-lived perennial. You can divide gaillardia in the late summer every 2 to 3 years. Gaillardia is easy to grow from seed by direct seeding in the early spring or 6 to 8 weeks indoors before the last frost.

Get your gaillardia seed here.

Shasta Daisy
Before you grow shasta daisy, make sure it is not the Oxeye daisy or the roadside daisy, a banned flower in many areas as these flowers can spread quickly.

Shasta daisy is hardy to zones 4 to 9. The flowers often come in white or creme color petals with a yellow center disk.

Get your shasta daisy seed here.

Yarrow
Yarrow has ferny leaves and clusters of small flowers. Yarrow is hardy to zone 2 to 9 and thrives in the dry, full sun and well-drained soil.

Yarrow comes in yellow, mauve, pink, white, and purple. Yarrow will bloom from mid-spring to late summer and is suitable for cut flowers or drying.

Get your yarrow seed here.

Tickseed/coreopsis
This bright daisy-like flower is hardy to zone 4 to 9. Tickseed or coreopsis is best to grow in full sun and tolerate some partial shade.

The blossoms attract bees and butterflies. If you leave the seed, it will be a good source of food for birds during fall and winter. Coreopsis comes in a variety of colors from yellow, gold, orange, white, red, and the creamy pink perfect addition to your cut flower garden.

Get your coreopsis seed here.

Anise Hyssop
Hardy to zone 4 to 9, anise hyssop is a fragrant perennial flower that can grow as an ornamental or herb in the garden. Anise hyssop is one of the short-lived perennial flowers, but it will self-seed readily.

Anise hyssop is one of the mint families without being invasive in the garden. The blue flower spike attracts bees and beneficial pollinators.

Get your anise hyssop seed here.

Liatris
Liatris or blazing star has a tall and long-lasting flower spike with grass-like foliage. Hardy to zones 3 to 8, Liatris will grow in full sun and well-drained soil.

Unlike other flowers, Liatris flower spike blooms from top to bottom, and it is perfect for cut flowers. Liatris comes in purple, pink, and white.

Get your Liatris bulb here.

False Sunflower
This tall perennial has yellow daisy-like flowers and a similar appearance to sunflower. False sunflower is hardy to zones 3 to 9.

False sunflower is easy to grow, heat and drought tolerant, also grow in full sun and light shade. The blossoms are perfect for cut flowers, and the plant is excellent for mass planting, perennial border, focal point, or container garden.

Get your false sunflower seed here.

Stargazer Lily
This one is easily one of my favorite lilies. Stargazer lily has fragrant and beautiful pink blooms that will last for a few weeks in the late summer.

Stargazer lily is hardy to zones 3 to 8, and it is one of the best cut flowers you can grow in your garden. Grow stargazer lily in the full sun to light shade.

Get your stargazer lily bulb here.

Phlox
Beautiful, showy, and sweetly fragrant phlox is hardy perennial to zone 4-8. Perennial phlox (phlox paniculata) is the tall variety that blooms in the late summer. Not to be confused with the low-growing creeping phlox that blooms in the mid-spring.

Phlox grow in full sun and light shade. The plant attracts butterflies, bees, pollinators, and hummingbirds. Grow phlox in a perennial border or add it into your cut flower garden.

Get your phlox seed here.

Add more colorful blooms before the frost comes with these late summer perennial flowers. Share on X

If you want to add more mature perennial flowers to your garden, you will find many perennial flowers on sale by late summer at most garden centers. The plant might not look at its best in appearance, but it will grow double in size in the following year with proper care.