10 Perennial Flowers List That Bloom in Midsummer
Looking for a perennial flowers list that blooms in midsummer? Wait until you see my top 10 perennial flowers that help the garden transition from summer to fall and look amazing in the garden.
If like me, you want to have a succession of blooms in your garden, it’s really important to pay attention to when and how long flowers bloom.
When I shop at the garden nursery, I always look at the plant tag to see what the bloom time is.
In addition to that, I look at what’s blooming in other people’s gardens throughout the growing season.
Today, I’m sharing a great list of perennial flowers that bloom in midsummer. They are mentioned in no particular order.
Since I am updating this post in from August 2020, be sure to check out my gardens from a few years ago!
So much has changed – including my photography and home!
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10 Perennial Flowers List that Bloom in Midsummer
While I’m a huge fan of planting annuals in flower gardens to help keep the color going throughout the season, perennials are a little less work as they don’t need to be planted every year.
I’m always on the hunt for a perennial flowers list that blooms well in sun, is low maintenance and easy to care for.
And if it looks amazing in a cottage garden border, I’m all for that too.
Here are my favorite midsummer perennial flowers list.
Echinacea
Is there really anything prettier than echinacea flowers?
With lots of varieties and shades to choose from and hardy to zones 3-8, echinacea is a wonderful midsummer flower that brightens up summer gardens.
In general, coneflowers grow to roughly 2-4 ft tall and are native to Eastern and Central United States.
A cottage garden favorite, echinacea has an upright growing habit that attracts pollinators such as bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies to the garden.
This year, I planted two new-to-me varieties in my new cottage garden by the pool and small cottage garden by the front porch.
Both are lower-growing varieties and have deeper hues than the coneflowers I grew in my former garden.
‘Kismet Raspberry’ has a beautiful bright fuschia color to them and only grows to about 24-30″ tall.
‘Powwow Wild Berrry’ is another low-growing variety that is closer in color to the average coneflower.
Growing Tip: Echinacea should be dug up, divided and replanted every few years to keep the plants vigorous as the plant has a tendency to get a little dense. If you see how my garden grew at the end of this post, you’ll see just how dense they become!
Coreopsis
Whenever I think of coreopsis, I am reminded of ‘Moonbeam’ which has dainty little yellow flowers on a compact perennial plant that grows roughly 24-30″ tall and wide.
Hardy to zones 2-11, cottage garden favorite coreopsis (tickseed) is easy to care for and maintain in flower gardens.
But there are so many other varieties out there than just Moonbeam!
I recently planted ‘Creme Caramel’ and the color on it is striking. With peachy yellow hues, this tickseed variety may be my new favorite plant!
Yarrow
Hardy to zones 3-9, Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is an herbaceous flowering perennial that looks amazing in both flower beds and herb gardens.
This super easy to care for perennial grows to about 24-30″ tall and wide. It has beautiful lacey foliage that adds texture and dimension to garden beds.
And the dainty flowers look beautiful both outside and in flower arrangements.
Yarrow can easily be propagated by division too.
Rudbekia
If you live in a climate that can grow black eyed susans, trust me, you need them in the flower garden for midsummer blooms.
Rudbeckia prefers full sun (greater than 6 hours of direct sunlight) but will tolerate partial shade. And they grow well in evenly moist, well-drained soils, but are more drought tolerant once established.
Hardy to zones 3-7, black eyed susans can grow about 1-2 feet wide and 2-3 feet tall.
Another cottage garden favorite, rudbekia is a true workhorse in the garden with bright yellow blooms that blend well with the heat of summer and transition to the cooler temps of fall.
Tall Phlox
Hardy to zones 4-8, tall garden phlox is a low-maintenance plant that adds bold beautiful color and texture to summer borders.
With panicle flowers on 3-4′ stems, tall phlox flowers have a mild scent that attracts both hummingbirds and butterflies.
After years of growing tall phlox in my gardening zone 6a climate, they tend to get a little powdery mildew as the nights get cool and day temps stay hot and humid.
However, treating them with neem oil helps prevent powdery mildew and extends the bloom time of these gorgeous flowers.
So if you find your garden phlox having issues with powdery mildew, try treating it and see how they do.
While deadheading flowers can neaten up the plant or be used in cut flower arrangements when left alone in the garden, they will reseed and self sow with ease.
Liatris
Native to eastern North America, liatris is a long-blooming perennial flower that has unique flower heads shaped like upright bottle-brush spires with starburst- like blooms.
While there are a few varieties to grow, the most common is the purple flowers.
Also known as blazing star or gayfeather, this cottage garden flower is a favorite among butterflies and hummingbirds.
So if you want to attract more to your garden, be sure to plant some.
Blazing star grows about 2-4 feet tall and about 9-18 inches wide. It prefers moist well drained soil and is hardy to zoned 3-9.
Monarda
Bee balm, aka monarda, is a fast-growing perennial that can reach full height and flowering maturity in its first season.
Hardy to zones 4-9, this perennial garden favorite is brightly colored with flowers that attract pollinators.
Bee balm grows about 2 to 4 feet tall with oval leaves that are insignificant as it’s the flowers that make this a gorgeous plant for the summer garden.
Monarda can take over an area in a garden bed, so be sure to give it plenty of room to grow. It is also easy to dig, divide and transplant to other areas in the home landscape.
Echinops
Globe thistle is a unique summer blooming flower that graces borders with gorgeous texture and color.
Another true workhouse, you can’t beat its drought tolerance and deer resistance. But it’s also a bee and butterfly magnet as it produces a lot of nectar.
Echinops is a truly unique perennial garden flower insofar as it’s beautiful blooms and foliage have a rough spikey texture, so rabbits, groundhogs, and deer tend to leave them be.
Hardy to zone 3-9, globe thistle is a back of the border type of flower that grows to be about 2-5 feet tall and 1-2 feet wide. It prefers full drained acidic soil. blooms well into fall, and produces beautiful seedheads for birds.
Butterfly Weed
If you want to attract more butterflies to the garden, look no further than the beautiful summer blooming butterfly weed.
Hardy to zones 3-9, this beautiful cottage garden flower favorite produces bright orange or yellow flowers, grows to about 24″ tall and 12-18″ wide.
It prefers dry, well-drained soil and reseeds with ease.
Balloon Flower
Hardy to zones 3-8, balloon flowers are members of the bell flower family that grow to 1-2 feet tall and wide.
It prefers full sun to part shade and grows well in rich, loamy, well-drained soil.
I’ve grown this for several years and learned it needs some support in order to remain upright and keep a tidy appearance.
Tour My August 2020 Gardens to See What’s Blooming Today!
Welcome to my August 2020 Garden Tour!
Everything still looks gorgeous full and lush.
I had a big problem with scale that subsided after assaulting them with ladybugs and THIS.
In this garden tour, you’ll find several midsummer blooms from the above perennial flowers list.
Midsummer Flowers List in the Front Yard Garden
This border makes me so happy every time I walk by.
The pollinators are thoroughly enjoying it as well.
Monarchs and swallowtails, hummingbirds, dragonflies, and bumblebees seem so peaceful and content zipping from flower to flower to grab some nectar.
Bee Balm, Echinacea, Black Eyed Susans, Globe Thistle, and Balloon Flower are in full bloom.
Sedum Autumn Joy is starting to change and produce their flower heads.
As the chartreuse flower heads bloom and deepen in color, the garden will slowly transition to fall.
I just love how the front walkway garden looks in summer.
There are so many coneflowers!
They do so well here, but I need to thin these out in fall.
I would love to plant some new flowers next year.
If I don’t thin the coneflowers out, there won’t be anywhere to fit them!
When I thin them out, I’ll transplant them to another area of my yard.
Isn’t that the best?
I also love that wreath I have on the front door.
It’s from Hobby Lobby.
I love how bright and colorful it is.
If you are looking for a new front door wreath, check THESE out.
Midsummer Flowers List in the Mailbox Garden
The mailbox garden struggled a little bit this year from that deep freeze we had in spring.
While it still bloomed, the flowers were much smaller than in prior years.
Right now, my jackmanii clematis, marigolds, calibrocas and euphorbias are blooming.
The daylillies didn’t do so well in this bed, but sedum autumn joy is starting to take over the show.
Isn’t that clematis something?
It has been here for so many years!
A little tip about clematis is the roots need to be shaded.
So keep something planted in front of it so keep the roots cool.
There is a tiny garden that sits on the other side of my driveway.
This sedum autumn joy has been here since we moved in 22 years ago!
Last year, I added some pumpkins to my fall decor here and just left them through winter.
Check out the happy accident growing in the street!
I love happy gardening accidents, don’t you?
I leave them to enjoy.
Now let’s hope the squirrels don’t hollow them out on me!
Midsummer Flowers List in the Side Yard Garden
The woodland garden in the side yard is looking very lush right now.
My oakleaf hydrangea just finished blooming and joe pye weed is starting to flower.
Notice the foliage of my cranesbill – it’s already starting to transition to fall color!
Midsummer Flowers List in the Backyard Garden
I have a lot of sedum autumn joy and joe pye weed in the backyard borders.
The fall vibe is getting stronger in the backyard while these midsummer flowers bloom and take over the borders.
Although the sedum hasn’t bloomed yet, those chartreuse flower heads are adding some serious autumnal texture.
And joe pye weed has become quite the butterfly magnet since it started blooming.
Each plant gets about 5-6 butterflies per day!
I grow a succession of flowers that keep the butterflies happy.
You can get a list of what to plant HERE.
And if you want to grow a garden for butterflies, CLICK HERE.
I love how pretty all this shade garden foliage looks, don’t you?
If you focus on foliage as well as blooms, you’ll always have lots of colors in the garden.
My hydrangeas are doing so much better this year than they did last.
If you recall, my hydrangeas did not bloom.
But not this year.
This year they are doing fabulous.
To learn all about hydrangeas, their care and their flowers, CLICK HERE.
A friend of mine gave me this pretty Japanese anemone a few years back.
Isn’t it so pretty?
I love the dainty pink blooms.
They grow really well here in my New Jersey garden too.
Do you grow anemones?
We had a great harvest of tomatoes this year in the vegetable garden.
There is nothing better than fresh homegrown tomatoes.
They are the best, aren’t they?
Outdoor Living Spaces in Midsummer
We just love hanging outside during the warmer months don’t you?
It’s so important to have a casual and comfortable place to hang.
The outdoor dining space on our upper deck is our favorite place for dining and entertaining.
It feels like we are a country club!
And the gazebo helps keep us cool from the hot summer sun.
I made a quick wildflower-inspired arrangement from some blooms that were falling over after a summer storm.
This arrangement contains black eyed susans, tall phlox, echinacea, hostas and ferns.
This is our lower deck area that will get a major facelift next year.
While I still love it, we’ve had this outdoor furniture for about 18 years and it’s time to refresh the space.
Shop for Outdoor Living Space Ideas
Looking for More Flower Garden Ideas?
If you love flowers and want to grow more in your garden, here are some posts that will get you on your way.
From tucking in flowering plants that are deer-resistant or ones that attract more butterflies and hummingbirds, to shade-loving flowers like the lenten rose, these posts will get you on your way to growing a garden that will bring joy for years to come.
Here are more cut flower and cottage garden growing tips, tricks, and design inspiration.
- 5 Quick Ways to Grow a Cottage Garden
- Why and How to Divide Perennials
- Perennials vs Annuals
- Flowers that Bloom in Midsummer
- How My Cottage Garden Grew in 2021
- Cut Flower Gardening for Beginners
- The Complete Guide to Roses Care
- The Basics of Hydrangea Care
- Everblooming Cottage Garden Design Ideas
- The Secret to Growing an Everblooming Cottage Garden
More Related Posts You May Enjoy
More Gardens to See!
Check out my friend Kim’s beautiful cottage garden in the pacific northwest. She has the prettiest midsummer blooms right now too!
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