10 Long-Blooming Perennial Flowers for Endless Color

Stella D’Oro Daylilies

This sunny yellow lily adds a joyful infusion to any garden. “I love how it bursts into bloom with vibrant, reliable flowers,” says Brad Peterson, gardening expert and managing partner at Inverness Landscaping. “It flowers almost continuously from late spring through fall, providing months of color and charm.” Plus, it attracts butterflies, bringing even more life to the garden.

• Hardiness Zone: USDA Zones 2-9
• Soil Type: Adapts to most soil types
• Light: Can grow in all light settings
• Water: Average water needs

Coneflowers

Coneflowers, also known as echinacea, are a perfect choice for gardens thanks to their unique and playful shape and variety of hues in pink, purple, and white. 

This herbaceous perennial blooms later in the season, from summer into fall. They usually die in winter and emerge again in the spring, blooming from mid-June through September with daisy-like flowers.

“The echinacea plant makes a great addition to mixed borders, beds, cutting gardens, mass plantings, rock gardens and native landscapes,” notes Angalena Malavenda, Head of Operations at Palmstreet.

• Hardiness Zone: USDA Zones 3-9
• Soil Type: Well draining, fertile soil
• Light: Full sun 
• Water: Moderate water needs

Coreopsis

Who doesn’t love the bright pop yellow from coreopsis blooms? “It blooms from early summer all the way to the first frost,” says Laura Janney, expert gardener and creator of The Inspired Garden Masterclass.

No deadheading is required to encourage new blooms, Janney adds, but feel free to clean up her spent blooms by cutting down to the next lateral leaf.

• Hardiness Zone: USDA Zones 4-9
• Soil Type: Well draining, loamy/sandy soil
• Light: Full sun 
• Water:  Moderate water needs

Knockout Roses

Bright, beautiful, and a cinch to grow, knockout roses are the perfect way to add nonstop color and joy to your garden with minimal effort. They also come in a variety of colors—red, pink, yellow, blush, and even coral—and each offers vibrant blooms from spring until the first frost. 

“I love this perennial because it’s typically low-maintenance and good on disease resistance,” says Alex Frezza, landscaping professional and CEO of TGW Landscaping. “Knockout roses grow approximately three to four feet once matured, so I recommend planting them against walls or borders, or creating rose gardens with them.” 

• Hardiness Zone: USDA Zones 5–11
• Soil Type: Well-draining soil 
• Light: Full sun
• Water: Deep, infrequent watering

Yarrow

With a rainbow spectrum of delicate petals, this long-blooming perennial is an easy way to add color to your garden that’ll last through the season. “I love how incredibly hardy and drought-resistant it is,” Peterson says. “Its continuous summer blooms bring lasting color, and it attracts butterflies.”

• Hardiness Zone: USDA Zones 3-9  
• Soil Type: Adapts to most soil types
• Light: Full sun
• Water: Low water requirements

Peony

Peonies are dependable, incredibly long-lived plants that will bloom for generations with little attention. “As cut flowers, peonies have no rivals,” Malavenda says. “Alone or in mixed bouquets, they have an elegant natural beauty and a delicate, unforgettable perfume.”

She adds that peonies bloom in late spring through early summer, starting in April and through May and June.

• Hardiness Zone: USDA Zones 2-8
• Soil Type: Well-draining soil
• Light: Full sun 
• Water: Water deeply once a week

Phlox

If you are either lucky enough not to have deer or have a fence, phlox is a fantastic long-blooming perennial that blooms from mid-summer to early autumn.

“It’s a great pollinator and makes a wonderful cut flower. Phlox also comes in a variety of colors and heights to suit a variety of garden designs,” Janney says. “We love the big fluffy soft blooms that lend to a cottage garden vibe.”

• Hardiness Zone: USDA Zones 4-8
• Soil Type: Well draining soil 
• Light: Full sun 
• Water: Moderate water needs

Perennial Salvia

Craving a dash of royal purple in your garden? Opt for perennial salvia, which delivers gorgeous blooms from early summer all the way through fall.

“I love its long-lasting blooms, drought tolerance, and ability to attract pollinators,” says Peterson. “It’s an easy-to-grow favorite, even for beginners.” Along with purple, it comes in a variety of beautiful colors. 

• Hardiness Zone: USDA Zones 3-9
• Soil Type: Well-drained soils
• Light: Full sun
• Water: Drought tolerant but benefits from deep watering when possible

Veronica

Veronica is another cone-shaped, long-blooming perennial that adds unique texture and shape to gardens.

“We use it in practically all of our designs because the texture is so striking and plays nicely with most perennials,” Janet says. “We particularly love how Veronica contrasts the softness of other plants with more rounded foliage. It looks like paintbrushes in your garden.”

It blooms from late spring to frost; continuously deadhead to encourage more blooms. 

• Hardiness Zone: USDA Zones 3-8
• Soil Type: Well draining, loamy/sandy soil
• Light: Full to partial sun  
• Water: Low water needs; drought tolerant 

Lavender

Recognized by its upright purple flowers, lavender is world-renowned for its distinctive and calming scent. “It’s a great plant for garden design thanks to its potential to be used in various areas of the garden bed, such as borders and rock gardens,” Malavenda says. 

While lavender is usually regarded as a summer-blooming flower, some are early bloomers that appear early in spring while others are late bloomers with blooms lasting until late summer. 

• Hardiness Zone: USDA Zones 5-9
• Soil Type: Well-draining, slightly alkaline soil  
• Light: Full sun
• Water: Low water needs; drought tolerant