Summer is quickly winding down but that doesn’t mean your gorgeous backyard has to! There are so many neat plants that will give you wonderful color through the end of summer and into fall. Today, we are going to bring our top favorite plants, within our yard, for late summer blooming!
Our cone flowers have absolutely exploded over the years and offer so many different colors in our landscaping. An excellent group of plants with native genes. These long season blooming plants come in colors of Red, Yellow, Orange, Purple, White and all shades in between. Most cone flowers will reseed to add to your bounty. An excellent butterfly plant and the remaining seed heads in the fall are great for birds!
Turtlehead is a top notch native plant that is excellent for a wide range of sites. We have it in a location that once was full shade but after a tree was removed, it now sits in full sun. This plant continues to thrive and is also very tolerant of wetter locations. Add it next to a downspout and watch it explode with life. Blooms often start in late August and continue on through September.
I have always been in love with Hibiscus plants, whether they are tropical or not! The bonus to this plant is that these gorgeous flowers come back every single year. They are oversize, vibrant and stunning! The deep purple color is perfect for welcoming fall! Be patient with these plants in the spring, they are slow to wake up. We have two in our landscape. One came up June 10 and the other did not come up until June 20. They love warm summer days and enjoy some good moisture.
Most people would not think of a Lilac for late summer blooming, but that is what makes Bloomerang so great. It will bloom in the spring with other lilacs. Then it re-blooms from the end of July to September in our yard. It is amazing to have the hint of lilac in the air in August. I also really like the structure of this plant. If you cut it back after the initial bloom in the spring, it will give you slightly arching branches on the late summer bloom. I feel it gives it a similar look to butterfly bushes but is much hardier for us.
I know we have said this before in our previous post but Hydrangeas are one of my absolute favorites. The gorgeous white color is now slowing changing over to shades of pinks and reds. We now have 13 different varieties in our landscape, ranging in size from 2’x2′ to 8’x6′
They make for the perfect summer blooming plant and help transition into fall. I can’t wait to cut more of these gorgeous stems and add them to my home and winter spruce tip pots.
Baby Joe and Little Joe Joe Pyeweed are wonderful native plants. Our’s reach heights of 5-6′ tall and wide. They are a pollinator favorite. We often see several species of butterflies and bees working these gorgeous plants over in the late summer. With its large habit and sturdy stems it creates an informal barrier between yard space.
We can’t wait for our transition into fall and we hope that you can bring some of these wonderful plants into your yard. Just because school is back in session, doesn’t mean your backyard nights have to end! We would love to hear from you with questions or comments about your backyard living space!
Backyard Blooms & BBQ 