July brings blooming color and bountiful garden harvests. Before the dog days of summer set in, we can infill our gardens with durable perennials. There may be gaps in the display, declining plants that need replacing, or enough room to add a few more to the collection.
For July additions, choose heat-loving perennials. Our list is full of native species and their cultivars, among others, with rugged adaptability and high ornamental value. The selection features those with a long bloom season that lasts into late summer and fall.
Spring and fall are ideal for planting perennials, with cool temperatures and moderate moisture. Adapt in summer to create the least stress on the plant in more extreme conditions. Plant in the coolest temperature of the day, like morning and evening. Ensure regular moisture according to cultural requirements. Purchase sturdy nursery-potted specimens.
These mid-summer additions reenergize the garden. It will continue to buzz with bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators with late-season flowers in a plume of color. Note that areas with hot summers may not be the best for planting in July. In these climates, try planting indoors or on a shady patio, and make sure to keep your seedlings well-watered!
Coreopsis
Double Sunburst Coreopsis Seeds
Anise Hyssop
Anise Hyssop Agastache Seeds
Yarrow
Colorado Blend Yarrow Seeds
Agastache
This perennial attracts pollinators with its aromatic summer blooms.
Agastache, also known as anise hyssop, is a North American native and an old garden favorite. Purple-blue tubular blooms line upright stems above aromatic gray-green foliage.
Anise hyssop is a rich nectar source for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. Plants bloom profusely in summer through frost.
This rugged perennial thrives in the heat and can handle various soil types, making it amenable to July planting. It needs well-draining soils. Cut back spent blooms to enjoy late-season flowering.
Black-eyed Susan
This adaptable wildflower blooms nonstop, thriving in various conditions.
Black-eyed Susan blooms nonstop from summer through frost and won’t disappoint with a mid-summer planting. Golden daisy-like flowers with chocolate centers rise prolifically on single stems.
Black-eyed Susan is a long-blooming perennial native to parts of the South, Central, and Western United States. It grows naturally in meadows and prairies. This adaptable wildflower thrives in various conditions, including heat, humidity, and drought.
Rudbeckia is an easy-care perennial. Its cheerful flowers brighten the perennial bed in groups, along borders, and in naturalistic and cottage gardens.
Mexican Bush Sage
Velvety bicolor blooms attract pollinators in late summer.
Mexican bush sage features velvety purple and white bicolor blooms in late summer through fall. The vibrant, tubular blooms attract pollinators at a time when other flowers fade. Foliage is silvery gray and aromatic.
Salvia leucantha blooms profusely on slightly arching stems. Cultivars include ‘Danielle’s Dream’ with pink flowers, ‘Santa Barbara’ with a compact habit, and ‘All Purple’ with royal purple blooms.
Mexican bush sage thrives in full sun in hot, dry conditions. Salvias are easy-care plants with low maintenance requirements. For July plantings, provide well-draining soil and regular moisture. Allow soils to dry out slightly between waterings.
Coreopsis
These happy yellow flowers attract pollinators and songbirds alike.
Coreopsis is one of the last flowers to fade at season’s end. At its peak in mid-summer, waves of sunny yellow flowers sweep the landscape.
Lance-leaved coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) is the most common coreopsis with signature feathery golden ray petals with yellow centers. Easy to grow, C. lanceolata is winter-hardy, thrives in heat, and is drought-tolerant.
Coreopsis reseeds readily in the landscape. It’s a favorite nectar and pollen source for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Songbirds forage on the seeds in fall and winter.
Catmint
Lavender blooms and aromatic foliage repel pests and attract cats.
Catmint has soft, mounding gray-green foliage and purple bloom spikes. Tiny, tubular flowers cover plants throughout the summer.
Catmint blooms are mostly lavender and violet, with pink, white, and yellow species adding pastel shades. The leaves are aromatic with essential oils that repel certain garden pests while attracting feline friends.
Robust and versatile, catmint thrives with neglect. Grow it in a bright spot or one with filtered afternoon light. Deadhead spent flower spikes of July-planted nepeta to encourage new blooms.
Echinacea
Colorful coneflowers thrive in sunny gardens, attracting wildlife year-round.
Echinacea is a favorite summer bloomer in vibrant purples, pinks, reds, yellows, and oranges. Ray flowers surround a pronounced center of disc florets.
A natural prairie plant, coneflower is a native perennial that flourishes in the summer heat. Well-draining soils are essential for its best growth.
Coneflower grows in a variety of climates and landscapes, reseeding naturally. Flowers are a nectar source for beneficial insects. Dried seed heads bring lasting winter interest and provide food for wildlife.
Aster
Late-blooming asters add vibrant hues to autumn landscapes with ease.
Asters, native to North America, have deep blue-purple ray flowers with contrasting yellow centers. Their late-season blooms last well into fall and bring an infusion of color.
Plant asters anytime in the growing season, in regions where it won’t require a lot of water to establish the plant. Then enjoy end-of-summer through fall blooms. They prefer moist, organically rich soils, essential for new plants in hot summer months. However, dry soils are not a problem for native species.
To prevent foliar diseases, allow plenty of air circulation. Ensure soils have good drainage.
Gaillardia
Dazzling in hues of gold, orange, and red, Gaillardia blooms persistently.
Gaillardia, or blanketflower, brightens the garden with its daisy flowers whirling in gold, orange, red, and bi-color. Brown button centers punctuate the ray petals.
This North American native wildflower is drought and heat-tolerant. Gaillardia blooms throughout the summer and fall and is a carefree performer. It grows in poor, sandy soils and adapts to various site conditions.
With well-drained soil, blanketflower needs little else. A sturdy perennial, it’s a good one to try for midsummer flowering.
Liatris
Graceful and vibrant, these flower spikes add height to gardens.
Blazing star liatris holds dense flower spikes in purples, pinks, and whites. Arching, fine-bladed foliage clumps beneath the leafy stems.
Blazing star blooms from July to September. Stiff, upright blooming stems reach up to five feet tall, depending on the variety.
Liatris are hardy perennials native to North America, from Canada to Florida, depending on the species. Once established, blazing star is cold-hardy, withstands heat, and is drought-tolerant.
Garden Phlox
Showcasing vibrant colors and enticing fragrances, these blooms captivate summer gardens.
Garden phlox graces the summer display with domes of pink flowers. This showy and fragrant native perennial attracts butterflies and hummingbirds with its blooms from summer until frost. Cultivars boast deep pink, red, magenta, purple-blue, and bicolor blooms.
Ensure plenty of air circulation between plants as they’re prone to powdery mildew. Opt for disease-resistant varieties in humid climates.
Phlox needs organically rich, well-drained soils. Deadhead spent blooms to encourage reblooming.
Bee Balm
With its minty leaves and striking scarlet blooms, bee balm dazzles gardeners year-round.
Bee balm is native to the eastern U.S. and is a favorite garden performer due to its hardy nature and outstanding scarlet blooms. Flared flowers cluster on stems above minty foliage.
Numerous hybrids offer vibrant flowers in purple, pink, and red hues. The bloom season is long, lasting from early summer through fall.
Monarda spreads by both seed and rhizome. Divide plants and weed out volunteers to keep them in check. Monarda grows best with good air circulation, organic soils, and consistent moisture.
Yarrow
Vivid clusters of flat flowers attract bees and butterflies easily.
Yarrow is a tough, adaptable perennial and may be one of the easiest to withstand a mid-summer planting. Its large, flat flower clusters in vivid colors attract bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects.
Yarrow is a North American native with feathery foliage and a fine texture. The species boasts broad, white flower heads on tall, upright stems. Cultivars in red, melon, pink, yellow, and purple vary in height with improved forms for dense, floriferous plants.
Yarrow is a low-maintenance drought-tolerant perennial. It needs only a sunny spot with well-draining soil to thrive.
Hardy Geraniums
Tough perennials with lovely foliage bloom from spring through fall.
Hardy geraniums, or cranesbill, are tough perennials with attractive foliage and delicate flowers. They include native woodland species (Geranium maculatum), which form soft, mounding specimens with palmately lobed leaves in rich green.
Some cranesbills bloom in spring and early summer, while others last into fall. The leafy plants are pretty even when not flowering.
Hardy geraniums grow best in organically rich soils with even moisture. They naturalize under optimal conditions but aren’t aggressive or invasive. These low-maintenance growers don’t require deadheading.
Russian Sage
With its airy blooms and silver-gray foliage, Russian sage thrives effortlessly.
Russian sage features silvery stems, gray-green leaves, and sprays of purple-blue blooms. Whorling, tubular blooms line tall stems for an airy quality among the delicate foliage.
Russian sage is a recipient of the Perennial Plant Association’s Perennial Plant of the Year award. The award recognizes top performers across a variety of growing zones. It blooms reliably from summer until frost.
For best growth, provide well-draining soils. In climates with high humidity and rainfall, look for disease-resistant varieties like ‘Denim in Lace’ and ‘Crazy Blue.’ Russian sage performs beautifully in hot and dry conditions.
Prairie Coneflower
Vibrant blooms attract pollinators and enrich garden biodiversity naturally.
Prairie coneflower is a long-blooming, easy perennial with unique red, yellow, or dark purple-red flowers. The ray petals have bright gold edges. The flowers are unusual, drooping below a central gold-brown disc.
Tall stems reach one to three feet tall. Pollinators and songbirds enjoy the nectar, pollen, and seeds as a food source.
Prairie coneflower is fast-growing, drought-tolerant, and withstands competition from other plants. It grows aggressively in optimum growing conditions and may overtake less vigorous growers.
Hardy Hibiscus
Grow these stunning flowers in sunny spots with consistent moisture.
Hardy hibiscus lends a tropical look to the perennial garden with huge disc flowers that reach six to ten inches across. Hardy hybrids stem from North American native mallows (H. moscheutos, H. laevis, and H. coccineus), bred for improved landscape durability and hardiness.
Flowers emerge from mid-summer through fall and range from pale pink to deep scarlet. Although buds open only for a day, plants produce numerous blooms simultaneously for continual flowering.
Grow hibiscus in sunny garden locations. Provide consistent, even moisture, as plants don’t adapt to dry spells.
Mountain Mint
Aromatic leaves and pink blooms attract pollinators to this herbaceous perennial.
Mountain mint has aromatic, velvety leaves and pink blooms from mid-summer through fall. Silvery flower bracts “dust” the plant in a pearly sheen. This pollinator magnet is showy and informal, well-suited to naturalized arrangements.
Mountain mint is native to the Eastern U.S. It grows naturally in fields, meadows, and low woodlands. It prefers moist, rich soils with good drainage.
Mountain mint is a clump-forming woody plant that spreads by rhizomes but isn’t invasive. When crushed, the leaves have a spearmint aroma and are flavorful in cooking and teas.
Solidago
Golden yellow bloom clusters brighten landscapes from summer to fall.
Solidago, or goldenrod, features golden yellow bloom clusters throughout the warm season. Most solidago are native to North America and naturalize readily in the landscape. They tolerate poor soils, high heat, and humidity.
Well-behaved and non-spreading varieties include solidago ‘Fireworks’ and ‘Baby Sun.’ These showy dwarf goldenrods are stout and ornamental with arching spires.
Deadhead spent blooms to prolong flowering and to prevent spread by seed. Leave some seeds for the birds who find it a valuable food source. Solidago also attracts numerous bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects.
Black and Blue Salvia
Cobalt-blue tubular flowers thrive in partial shade through fall.
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ is a favorite native salvia. It performs well in partial shade and has tall, cobalt-blue tubular flowers throughout the fall.
Salvia thrives in hot, dry conditions; most prefer full sun to partial shade. To plant it in July, provide light afternoon shade to protect new plants from intense rays.
Salvia are easy-care plants with low maintenance requirements. Provide well-draining soil and water during dry spells, allowing soils to dry out slightly between sessions.
Lantana
Vibrant clusters of tubular flowers thrive in sunny, well-drained gardens.
Lantana grows and blooms as summer temperatures rise. A sun-loving bloomer, plants produce rounded clusters of petite tubular flowers in a rainbow of colors.
For increased hardiness, grow Lantana ‘Miss Huff,’ which has vivid pink, yellow, red, and orange blossoms. ‘Chapel Hill’ carries pale yellow blooms, and ‘New Gold’ is deep yellow, with low-growing, spreading habits.
Lantana is rugged and reliable. It prefers regular water and soils with good drainage. Err on the dry side between waterings – it withers in oversaturated conditions. Note that this species is invasive in various parts of the US. Opt for a native, or choose a plant with a similar look if you live in these regions, like prairie verbena.
Swamp Sunflower
Clusters of bright yellow daisies grace late-season gardens beautifully.
This perennial sunflower has tall, branching stems with clusters of yellow daisy-ray flowers. Plants bloom in late summer and fall for a late-season surprise of bright gold. They lend a naturalized, wildflower look to the border. Swamp sunflowers are an excellent food source for birds and specialized bees and a host plant for the silvery checkerspot butterfly.
Several cultivars exist and vary in height and habit. ‘Low Down’ reaches two to three feet, while ‘First Light’ grows three to four. Both have good branching and compact forms that support bundles of golden blooms.
Swamp sunflowers prefer moist soils and tolerate occasionally wet conditions. They take high heat and humidity in stride.
