Favorite Long Blooming Perennials and Shrubs

Morning!

Like for many of you, my garden takes as much of my time during the summer months as it can get.  Most day's spending time watering and weeding somehow doesn't feel like work at all.

Throughout my scattered garden beds I've come to rely on a few plants to add interest and color month after month with minimal effort on my part.

Today I'm like to share my favorite long blooming plants with you.

I've come up with four favorites that my garden feel empty without.

#1:  Hydrangea's

Not a big surprise on this one I'm guessing.  Hydrangea's seem to be a favorite of so many of us.  With good reason!

Hydrangea's fill in big chunks of space, bloom for a long time - often changing colors in the meantime, and if you can bring yourself to do it; make great cut flowers.

Throughout my backyard I have a total nine Hydrangea's in three varieties:

Annabelle

Limelight

Forever and Ever

Once I figure out a place for more you can bet I'd add more without any hesitation at all!

Here you can see my "Limelight" Hydrangea is just starting to bloom - - so exciting!

#2:  Knock Out Roses and Carpet Roses

For years I stayed as far away from Roses as I could get after hearing stories about how much time they took to maintain but then I as introduced to Knock Out Roses and it was all over.  It didn't take me long to add Carpet Roses into the mix.

I now grow a total of nine gorgeous plants between the two varieties ranging in color from the palest pink to a hot pink almost red color.  Unfortunately, I didn't write down the plant names so I can't tell you for sure which variety I have planted.  

The thing a like the most about these two plants are first there size:  Ranging from one to four feet tall they are the perfect size for my garden. 

And secondly: Their bloom time.  My plants start blooming by the end of May and continue all the way into October or whenever we receive our first hard frost.

Yes the thorn's are a little troublesome at times, but nothing one can't overcome.  LOL.

#3:  Tickseed

I purchased my first Tickseed three years ago and it instantly became a favorite.  The variety I have in my garden in called "Zagreb Threadleaf Tickseed.  

Let me just say this plant is amazing.  

Super hardy and covered in pretty yellow flowers from spring til fall it's just gorgeous.  I grows about two to three feet tall and just as wide and it's steams have an airy, wispy look to them up close . . . but don't be fooled, this plant is strong.

I love it's rounded shape, which looks like a perfectly pruned shrub when not in bloom.  

The best thing about this plant I think is the fact that you don't have to do much more than water it and it's a happy camper.  No pruning necessary!

Did I mention how hardy it is?  

Every two years or so I have to split the plant otherwise it dies out in the middle a little.  I have found that it works best to water down at the soil level because it's such a full plant it tends to get a little floppy over time if it gets too waterlogged.

#4:  Potentilla

Potentilla's in my opinion are the most overlooked long blooming shrub around.

There are so many sizes and colors of this shrub, there is sure to be one that will work in any garden to provide summer long color.

Once established in your garden this shrub is there to stay.  

I prefer the smaller varieties.  They have a rounded, compact shape that is the perfect size to use in a mixed garden bed.

I currently only have one of these plants and it has been amazing for the past four years.  A little shaping in the spring is all it needs to keep itself looking pretty.

I think I've found a spot for a couple more in my backyard but the white variety is hard to find in my area for some reason.  I'm on the lookout though.

So there you have it, my top four long blooming plants I  couldn't do without.

Hope you enjoyed,

Bye now,

Robin


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