Having a garden full of spring-to-fall-blooming perennials may seem like an elusive dream. Most perennials put all their energy into flowering over a few spectacular weeks in spring, summer or autumn, while some briefly manage to bridge two seasons. The good news is that other perennials start blooming in spring and continue until fall’s shortening days send them into dormancy. These botanical marathoners ask only for the right growing situations to keep them at their peak.
Fortnight lilies and African irises (Dieites bicolor, D. iridioides) thrive in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 11. The sword-leaved, evergreen perennials like sunny to partly sunny sites with averagely fertile, well-drained soil. Intricate, iris-like flowers of white with yellow markings and pale-blue inner petals crown fortnight lily's rigid, 2- to-3-foot stalks. African irises produce soft-yellow, maroon-spotted blooms. While the blossoms last only 24 hours, new ones open as older ones fade. Removing the seedpods as they appear encourages continuous flowering. The plants spread by fleshy roots called rhizomes to form 3- to 4-foot clumps. Root division every three or four years maintains their vigor.
Daisy-flowered tickseed cultivars set the perennial border ablaze from front to back. Dainty "Tweety" (Coreopsis "Tweety"), suitable for USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 9, produces 14- to 16-inch mounds of dark-green, finely-cut foliage covered in chrome-yellow blooms. Red-centered, golden-yellow flowers adorn 2 1/2-foot "Gold Nugget" (Coreopsis "Gold Nugget"), a good choice for USDA zones 6 through 10. Stately, 4-foot "Rising Sun" (Coreopsis "Rising Sun") grows in USDA zones 4 through 9, with golden-yellow flower petals that have red-spotted bases. These drought-tolerant, butterfly-attracting perennials flourish in full sun and dry, loose, well-draining soil. Deadheading their spent flowers keeps the new ones coming.
Sun-loving, heat- and drought-resistant guaras (Gaura lindheimeri) bloom from spring to fall in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. Standing 20 inches to 3 feet high, the vase-shaped plants produce loose clusters of elegant, butterfly-shaped flowers from dense pink buds. Their narrow, lancelike green leaves sometimes have maroon speckling. The "Geyser White" and "Geyser Pink" cultivars (G. lindheimeri "Geyser White, G. lindheimeri "Geyser Pink") offer silver-white and deep-pink flowers, respectively. Guaras relish sandy or loamy well-drained soils.
Alstroemeria (Alstroemeria spp.) lilies, reliably hardy to USDA zones 8 through 11, produce azalealike blooms rising on clumps of arching, deep-green leaves. Happy in moist, deep loam, they need regular spring and summer irrigation tapering off in fall. These non-stop performers bloom in a host of white, yellow, orange, pink and purple shades, often with variegated spotting or streaking. The Princess alstroemeria series, ideal for border fronts or containers, grow 8 to 15 inches high and wide. "Zapriamin" (Alstroemeria x "Zapriamin") bears glowing, solid orange blooms. It makes a festive display mixed with royal-purple "Zaprinous" (Alstroemeria x "Zaprinous" P.P. # 15987) and orange-striped, golden-yellow "Zapridapal" (Alstroemeria x "Zapridapal" P.P.A.F.). Alstroemerias like full sun in coastal areas and partial shade where summers are hot.
Your Planting Articles
- Sunset New Western Garden Book; David E. Clark
- Monrovia: Fortnight Lily
- Monrovia: African Iris
- Monrovia: "Tweety" Tickseed
- Monrovia: "Gold Nugget" Tickseed
- Monrovia: "Rising Sun" Tickseed
- Monrovia: "Geyser White" Gaura
- Monrovia: "Geyser Pink" Gaura
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Gaura Lindheimeri
- Monrovia: Amina Princess Lilies: Alstroemeria x "Zapriamin"
- Medioimages/Photodisc/Valueline/Getty Images