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Plants with a very long flowering season

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Over the years I’ve been asked by my customers and other people on gardening forums about plants with a long flowering season and particularly those that will flower from early summer to the first frosts as many people seem to have lovely spring gardens but their gardens can be a bit lifeless ,flower wise,in autumn .

These are the plants that I have in my garden that flower profusely from early summer to late autumn. There are ofcourse many others but these are all very easy to care for,are largely disease free and have some of the longest flowering seasons of any plants I know. ( The plants are situated in mid latitude UK ie in North Cambridgeshire)

Below Rudbeckia… flowers from early july to mid november. No dead heading is necessary. Remove flower stems after it stops flowering in autumn and that’s it.Leaves are evergreen. Divide every few years.

Below – Hardy Fuchsia – flowers from mid june to mid november.Dead heading not required . Trim off about half of the stems after flowering finishes in late autumn and when new growth appears in spring trim off any shoots which have died over winter.

I recommend planting hardy fuchsias about 2 inches lower in the ground than they were in the pot you bought them in ,to give the roots frost protection. You can also mulch with bark or other organic matter if the weather is to expected to be particularly harsh.

Below – Coreopsis – Perennial – flowers Early July to first hard frosts – usually in November. Dead head to ensure continued flowering. Trim off all leggy stems in late autumn after flowering .

Below – Penstemmon.- Perennial – Flowers from early June until well after the first frosts.Dead head regularly. Take off one third of flowering shoots after they’ve flowered to encourage more flowering shoots to grow.

When all flowering has finished in late autumn remove the top half of each shoot to reduce wind damage over winter . When new shoots appear in spring remove all old shoots to the base. It has been known to flower in early December in my garden!

Below – Crocosmia – perennial – Flowers mid july to mid October.. sometimes even longer. Not evergreen – Remove all dead growth in early spring.

Below – Dahlia. – annual -Flowers from early July to the first hard frosts.

Dahlias are usually treated as an annual in the UK but I’ve left mine in the ground for the past 5 years with no losses. There are many varieties , some extremely exotic looking but I prefer the simple daisy like bedding dahlias.

The ones I buy are called Diablo. . To keep them flowering they require regular dead heading . After the frosts have killed the top growth just trim them off and leave in the garden or you can dig up the tubers, and keep them in a frost free dry spot and replant in spring

This is “Bishop of Llandsdaff

This photo shows the range of simple daisy like dahlias available . These were bought as simple bedding dahlia “Diablo” I had a few left and nowhere to put them so planted them altogether – hence the mixture of flowers!

Below – Cosmos – Annual. growing to about 2 to 3 feet tall. Good for the back of the border. Flowers from Mid july to the first hard frosts. Dead heading required to keep it flowering continuously. Grow from seed in spring.

Below – Verbena Bonariensis – perennial. Tall. good for back of the border. Flowers Early July to well after the first frosts. Evergreen. Trim off half the length of shoots in late autumn and any shoots that die over winter. Is not always fully winter hardy. Best grown in a sheltered spot or against a south facing wall.

Below – Tradescantia . Perennial – Flowers mid July to first frosts. Trim off half the length of foliage in autumn and cut back any other shoots that die over winter. Clump forming .Many colours available.

Here are two in my garden

Below – Japanese Anenome – Perennial – semi evergreen leaves . 3 feet Tall . Flowers early August to late October. Cut back stems almost to the ground in late autumn.

Below – Pelargonium ( often known as bedding geranium) Annual. Flowers early July to after the first frosts. Dead head regularly to keep it flowering .You can overwinter plants indoors .Usually it is easier to buy new ones in spring.

Below. There are many repeat flowering shrub roses with a long flowering period. This one ( which I think may be called “Lena”) Flowers constantly all through June and July and then regularly but not constantly (if dead headed) until early December .

If anyone would like to suggest other very long flowering easy to grow plants please do so and I’ll try to add them to this blog. If you have a photo of the plant you recommend please put a link to it in the comments below and with your permission I’ll copy it and put it on this blog so people don’t have to cut and paste the link. I will ofcourse say it is your photo.

On edit : the following plants have been suggested by readers of this blog

Below Gaillardia ( St. Clements variety) – suggested by and photo courtesy of Shirley Tulip

below is helenium pumilum ‘Magnificum’ – suggested by Andrewr. Photo by Spritzhenry.

below is a photo of Geranium ‘Rozanne’,suggested by spritzhenry. Photo by spritzhenry

below – Osteospermum jucundum – suggested by spritz henry – photo by myself

and below a photo by Spritzhenry of Erigeron karvinskianus – suggested by SpritzHenry

Below – Erysimum ‘Bowles’ Mauve’ – suggested by “Wibbleagain” on another forum.Photo by spritzhenry.

Below – Corydalis Lutea – suggested by Janey.Photo by Janey This flowers from late February to mid December. Is about 12-18 inches tall. Not evergreen. Prune off all dead stems in winter.

Argyranthemum – suggested by Shirley Tulip.First photo below by Shirley Tulip and the link below that takes you to photos of this plant grown by GoY members

http://www.growsonyou.com/plant/browse_photos/8366

Other plants recommended for their long flowering season by people on another forum :-

Below – Polemonium caerulium – photo by Spritzhenry GoY member

below is a photo of astrantia major( there are many other colours) taken by Spritzhenry and below that a link to Astrantia major plants grown by GoY members – Astrantia flowers from May to October.

http://www.growsonyou.com/genus/Astrantia

Below is a photo of Geranium psilostemon (, black-eyed, magenta flowers from May until October)taken by Annella

and below a link to other photos of the same plant by GoY membersby GoY members

http://www.growsonyou.com/plant/browse_photos/223

Below – Scabiosa – photo by Spritzhenry.scabious are long-flowering. Literally hundreds of pin-cushion flowers are produced. Dead-heading is unnecessary . Seeds are loved by many birds.

below – more photos of many types of scabiosa by GoY members

http://www.growsonyou.com/genus/browse_photos/1226

Below – Knautia macedonica – photo by Spritzhenry

Below Anthemis tinctoria ‘E C Buxton’(Photo by Spritzhenry) – lovely lemon daisies on big bushy plants. Trim hard if it gets out of hand. It will recover quickly and flower again within a few weeks

Below a link to a photo of Codonopsis Forrestii recommended by KarenSusan63 . Codonopsis is a climber and flowers from early summer until after the first hard frosts.

http://tinyurl.com/3xzg8mx

Below Leycesteria (pheasant’s berry)This shrub with rather exotic looking flowers seeds freely and grows to 6 feet in 3 years.It flowers from July to after the first frosts It does well in the Uk and seems very frost hardy. Little blackberry coloured berries appear in autumn and hang from below the pink parts of the flowers . The flowers in this photo are only a little larger than in real life.

It is very easy to care for. Just cut down to the desired size in spring. (It will accept very heavy pruning) It flowers on this years growth. If you prune after flowering you’ll miss out on the attractive blackberry coloured berries which the birds love.

In hard winters top growth may be killed by frost but it will regenerate from the base in spring and it can grow 6 feet in one year but will not get much above that height in total

Below Erysimum " Bowles mauve" Common name perennial wallflower. This is the longest flowering perennial I’m aware of in the Uk. It started flowering in March 2011 and is still in full flower in late July 2012 and has lots of new flower buds to come. It grows to about 70 cm tall with a similar spread and is evergreen and very frost hardy in mid-latitude UK

It propagates easily from 3-4 inch cuttings in Mid May.

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Comments

 

Very useful advice and information thanks Anchorman

20 Nov, 2010

 

Thanks for showing these Anchorman.I love theTradescantias,and The Japanese Anemones are already
a definite for next year in my long border.Something nice to look at from the kitchen window..Do you remember me telling you,that I did Fuchsia cuttings,by your method of a pot within a pot?.I said how quickly they rooted..9 days..
Sadly,one died,but the other 5 are doing well,and I have now removed the centre pot,and filled it with compost.They are also sitting on my kitchen window sill,and seem very happy to be there...:o))

20 Nov, 2010

 

Excellent news Bloomer.

I've got perhaps 200 on a board on a windowsill in an unused bedroom in my house. It's getting them through the last weeks of winter and early spring that can be difficult.It is so easy to over water them and they rot off.

20 Nov, 2010

 

Good blog Anchorman :o)

20 Nov, 2010

 

lovely photos & blog Anchorman, 200 that must be a big windowsill. lol:o)

20 Nov, 2010

 

Very informative blog, how about Gaillardia too ? My St. Clements variety is still going strong, together with an Argyranthemum. They've flowered all Summer.

20 Nov, 2010

 

I'll add those to the list. Have you any photos? If so with your permission I could copy them and add them to this blog( including a note saying the photo is yours)

20 Nov, 2010

 

a very enjoyable blog. lovely photos too.

20 Nov, 2010

 

I'd add helenium pumilum 'Magnificum', a two feet tall helenium that started flowering in June and was still going strong right up until the end of October

20 Nov, 2010

 

If anyone with suggestions has photos of their suggestions to which they own the copyright they could put a link on here and with their permission i'll copy them and add them to the blog to save people having to cut and paste links

20 Nov, 2010

 

I agree - lovely informative blog.

May I suggest Geranium 'Rozanne', Osteospermum jucundum and Erigeron karvinskianus?

20 Nov, 2010

 

There are pics of Gaillardia and Argyranthemum to choose from on:
page 2 top row
page 7 middle row
page 14 " "
page 15 " " and bottom row !
Sorry to list them like this, best I can do right now. : o ))

20 Nov, 2010

 

Great advice/suggestions, Alan. Thanks for the trouble you have taken to include care instructions along with photos. I will favourite this so I can refer back to it when the spring is here and our garden is able to be planted :)

20 Nov, 2010

 

Thanks Whistonlass. I shall probably go back and add more details later as it took me quite a while to pull all the photos together and write the blog itself so in places it is a bit light on information.

20 Nov, 2010

 

The Heleniun Moorheim is still going strong too. I cut it right down thinking 'that's it' but it grew again and has a good show.

21 Nov, 2010

 

Brill blog with loads of info, enjoyed reading it and looking at all your flowers.

21 Nov, 2010

 

Good blog AM, I've saved this as its very good info for planting down the bowling green, where the season runs from April - Sept. Thats when I need my blooms going.

21 Nov, 2010

 

enjoyed the blog, nice photo's,answered a lot of questions on my mind.

21 Nov, 2010

 

Thanks Aman. Really interesting and informative, luckily I have lots that you've mentioned. Also for a low-growing ground cover perennial, the yellow flowered Corydalis lutea blooms from spring all through to the heaviest frosts. Easy to eradicate too if it seeds in unwelcome places. At the moment, it is at it's best in my garden.....:o)

21 Nov, 2010

 

I love the Corydalis Lutea. I used to have it in a garden at a previous home and one year it flowered from late February to mid December. I guess that must be the longest flowering season of any outdoor hardy plant in the UK.

21 Nov, 2010

 

Thanks so much Anchorman for this blog ... I'm going to change my garden slightly next year to make it more manageable & colourful when I come home after a day's work so this list is invaluable!

I already have some but others are a new idea for me so thank you! :o)

21 Nov, 2010

 

Thanks Fluff.

My own garden used to suffer a bit with late summer lack of flower so a couple of years ago I started researching late and long flowering plants and put them in my garden. I have two or three of all the plants in the initial part of my blog and now have a very colourful garden from early summer to late autumn. I intend to get hold of some of the excellent suggestions made by other GoY members but the problem is "How will I fit them all in!"

21 Nov, 2010

 

I've recently added to this blog a few more photos and links to photos of plants kindly suggested by other members of GOY

21 Nov, 2010

 

I did one have one plant that flowered for two and a half YEARS non stop! But that was through milder winters; the last two have nearly done for it but it has manged to regrow from the roots. It's abutilon megapotanicum

21 Nov, 2010

 

Outdoors and in the UK? Amazing!

21 Nov, 2010

 

that is very helpful thank you for this blog

22 Nov, 2010

 

Great blog! Many Thanks for the time and trouble you have gone to in its production.

22 Nov, 2010

 

Excellent blog! Going to faves for future reference!

23 Nov, 2010

 

I also have Corydalis ochraleuca, A/m. That's a very good plant, and it's still in bloom. You'll find photos of it in 'my garden'.

23 Nov, 2010

 

Yes i saw it when i was searching for the Corydalis Lutea. I didn't realise there were colours other than yellow until I did the search. The trouble with being on here is I see so many lovely plants and want them all!

23 Nov, 2010

 

I have some bulbous ones, too - but they flower in the spring, and not for a long period. Corydalis solida - two different ones!

23 Nov, 2010

 

Excellent blog, many thanks.

23 Nov, 2010

 

Thanks Valadel :^)

23 Nov, 2010

 

Added to my favourites for future reference, many thanks you have put a lot into this blog.....

24 Nov, 2010

 

I've always admired those who painstakingly and against all odds grow flowers that are 'difficult' but the flowers you've shown us are for me. There's enough to do in the garden as it is and if you can achieve such amazing colour without so much effort, then that's my favourite flower. Thank you for putting it all together Anchorman. I have most of them but for a newcomer your blog will be very useful indeed.

24 Nov, 2010

 

Beware Corydalis Lutea in some gardens......Not all. In our garden it would reign supreme, if it could, it is pretty. the leaves are decorative. It is easy to pullout but it pops up in the middle of shrubs or protected by a thorny rose bush. It's a survivor.

24 Nov, 2010

 

Thanks Heron. I'd love to grow some more difficult things but by the time I've finished doing my customers gardens there's not much time left for my own. I just want simple,reliable easy to grow plants with a long flowering season.

24 Nov, 2010

 

I agree Corydalis can be a bit invasive Dorjac but as you say it is easy to remove and in its favour it probably has the longest flowering season of any hardy plant in the UK.

24 Nov, 2010

 

What a fantastically helpful blog! Thank you very much, Anchorman . . . if I lived nearer north Cambs I'd come round with a good bottle of red!! :)) In fact, was in Cambridge shopping today, then came home to find this - much more exciting than shopping. Can only add one idea to this comprehensive list: I've found that ordinary trailing Verbena, and Bacopa, flower all summer, till October, but obviously they are annuals.

24 Nov, 2010

 

Thanks Sheila :^)

24 Nov, 2010

 

Anchorman, I've just recalled that I used to have Codonopsis (Forrestii??..I think it was Forrestii but I can't swear to it) in my two pots of bamboo. It's a climber, but mine just used to scramble and trail and it was truly beautiful. It would flower all summer and right up until the heaviest frost totally finished it off. Sadly, it didn't survive last winter, but I had it for about four years and I would grow it again without hesitation. I've only just found out what it was by coming across it in a seed catalogue! It was easily as long flowering as Geranium Rozanne, but I think it started much earlier than that.

24 Nov, 2010

 

Thanks Karen . I'll add Codonopsis to the blog

24 Nov, 2010

 

enjoyed this blog A, man stunning pics and flowers, really cheared me up to see all that colour on a winters day,:o)

24 Nov, 2010

 

Great blog for reference here!
How about Campanula's. Also, the ever reliable Eschscholzia (an annual, but reliably self seeds for the following year).
And then there are the climbers; Aserina is a prodigious bloomer (you have the seeds), Eccremocarpus scaber, Rhodochiton, Sollya heterophylla etc.
Small shrubs maybe? My Clerodendrum ugandense has been in flower all year to some degree or other with frequent heavy flushes. Abutilons if given winter "love" can flower for extended periods too.
Feel free to dip into my garden for pics if you wish.

25 Nov, 2010

 

Funny you should mention Bacopa Sheilabub. This year is the first time I ever grew this trailing plant. It is still in full bloom now, even though we have had several frosts over the last weeks. I checked the tub it was in, a while back, for possible vine weevil attack, administered some TLC, it suddenly had a surge of blossom.

25 Nov, 2010

 

Thanks for your suggestions Meanie. I'll add them to the blog asap.

Another shrub that I find flowers for months and then has berries which the birds love is Leycesteria( common name - pheasants berry)

In my own garden it started flowering on 14th of July and is still in flower today (25.11.10)

25 Nov, 2010

 

More photos added to this blog today.

25 Nov, 2010

 

Yes, Dorjac, Bacopa is amazing . . . ours is still in flower now (without even having been fed!), and we had a sprinkling of snow this morning.

25 Nov, 2010

 

Fantastic blog, AM! :-)) Even though I can't grow all these plants on my balcony I enjoyed reading your blog & know a lot of the plants, but there were also some I'd never heard of!

I've add your blog to my favourites! Thanks for all the very hard work you put in making up this blog, it will become a reference work for other people to look back at!

25 Nov, 2010

 

Thanks very much Balcony. It will be a reference to me too as many people have suggested plants I've never grown and I hope to try some of them next year.

25 Nov, 2010

 

wow what a brilliant blog as I was going through your lovely pics its baffles me how some people do not love flowers. I was so pleased that I have quite alot of what you have shown. I also have a splash of colour in my garden at present from my Nerines they are a lovely light pink and seem to flower for a good length of time. Spritzhenry had a wonderful pic of Astantia major and I have planted several of these and have no joy:( such a shame as they are beautiful. Thanks again awesome blog.

25 Nov, 2010

 

Thanks Jewells. One of my customers has nerenes but the foliage looks rough just as the flowers come out.

25 Nov, 2010

 

Many good ideas.

25 Nov, 2010

 

Thats fab. I shall be planting plenty of these in the Higgledy Garden next spring. I'm not far from you, in Cambridge. :)

26 Nov, 2010

 

So really no one has the excuse of a non floriferous garden come late summer into autumn. I shall book mark this so i know in future!

Thanks

26 Nov, 2010

 

Great blog Anchorman, luckily I have quite a few of your plants in my garden including astrantia 'Shaggy' agree with Meanie about campanula, campanula Takesmania 'Beautiful Trust' is still flowering as is the astrantia, or they were 2 days ago, covered in snow now, also grew a lovely corydalis from seed this year 'Bronze Beauty' lovely coloured leaves that are bronzes and pinks and yellow flowers, has been great in its first year only recently finished flowering,never grown them before.

28 Nov, 2010

 

My Helenium, Moorheim Beauty, has finally shut down for the winter after this prolonged assault in the frost and snow. The strange things is that the later flowers had less russet on them.

4 Dec, 2010

 

One of my rudbeckias still has flowers but they're really struggling

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31559373@N00/5217410709/

4 Dec, 2010

 

an excellent list thanks for sharing, some very nice ideas indeed

22 Jan, 2011

 

A shrub that has a long flowering period in a mild winter is the Camellia.....from somewhere near Christmas to late April. Last year they all flowered together and, so far, this year not one single flower on the oldest one, which always flowers first.

22 Jan, 2011

 

Thanks for that suggestion Dorjac

22 Jan, 2011

 

I lost the trickle effect of Camellias continuously in bloom 2009/10, over a long period, Anchorman; looks like its on track to go the same way this winter too. There was a wonderful display, though, that lasted about 2/12. Thank you so much for initiating this very useful blog.

23 Jan, 2011

 

Thanks a most informative blog, will add to favourites.

24 Jan, 2011

 

Thanks, very informative. I really appreciated the added information.
Clementine

19 Jun, 2011

 

I have enjoyed looking through this blog again after following your link :o)

14 Nov, 2012

 

Terrific advice. I had a nice cup of tea, took down some suggestions and will go and find some plants. Thank you

19 May, 2013

 

Glad you liked it

:^)

19 May, 2013

 

I'd like to extend my grateful thanks for an extremely detailed & enlightening blog.
Having joined Goy in March of this year, as a 1st time gardener, I was at a loss as to how to keep my garden full with colour the year through.
Your blog has helped enormously.
Naturally, it has gone straight to faves, so I can refer to it often.
Thank-you, Anchorman!

18 Sep, 2013

 

I'm very pleased you found it useful.

19 Sep, 2013

 

Leucanthemum Wirral Supreme flowers endlessly till frost if regularly deadheaded.

16 Aug, 2016

 

How about good old Antirrinhum or snapdragons. sorry don't have a picture. good range of colours and bloom from spring til late autumn.

4 Apr, 2017

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