Many gardeners think of Spring as the height of the ornamental gardening season. Sure, so many of our best-known flowering plants – Tulip, Crocus, Daffodil, Primrose, Peony, Lilac, Forsythia, Oriental Poppy, Basket of Gold, Bearded Iris, are at their showiest in spring. But as we pass to the other side of the Summer Solstice, a whole new palette of blooms arises, including many Natives, lots of Prairie-dwellers and Steppe plants, and hardy plants from South of the Border, bringing bold color and attracting more and different beneficial insects and pollinators to the garden. Here’s a list of many of those flowers to inspire you!
Acanthus balcanicus (Bear’s Breech)
Achillea (Yarrow)
Aconitum (Monkshood)
Agastache aurantiaca ‘Coronado’
Agastache aurantiaca ‘Coronado Red’
Agastache ‘Blue Boa’
Agastache foeniculum (Anise Hyssop)
Alcea (Hollyhock)
Allium caeruleum/azureum
Allium flavum
Allium senescens
Allium ‘Millenium’
Allium sphaerocephalon (Drumstick Onion)
Amorpha canescens (Leadplant)
Amorpha nana (Dwarf Leadplant)
Anchusa (Alkanet, Italian Bugloss)
Anemone tomemtosa (Grapeleaf Anemone)
Aquilegia chrysantha (Denver Gold Columbine)
Argemone polyanthemos (Prickly Poppy)
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Milkweed)
Asclepias incarnata (Rose Milkweed)
Berlandiera (Chocolate Flower)
Betonica foliosa (Betony)
Buddleia davidii (Butterfly Bush)
Campsis radicans (Trumpet Vine)
Callirhoe involucrata (Wine Cups)
Calylophus hartwegii v Fendleri (Fendler’s Sundrops)
Calylophus serrulatus
Campanula, many species (Bellflower)
Caryopteris ‘First Choice’ (early Blue Mist Spirea)
Catananche coerulea (Cupid’s Dart)
Chamaebatieria multiflora (Fernbush)
Chilopsis linearis (Desert Willow)
Clematis ‘Betty Corning’
Clematis ‘Etoile Violette’
Clematis fruticosa ‘Mongolian Gold’
Clematis integrifolia (Bush Clematis)
Clematis x texensis ‘Princess Diana’
Clematis The President
Coreopsis – many species & cultivars
Dalea purpurea (Purple Prairie Clover)
Datura meteloides (Angel’s Trumpet)
Delosperma (Hardy Ice Plant), many selections
Delphinium grandiflora, many selections
Dianthus petraeus noeanus (Jasmine Dianthus)
Dianthus sp. Tuscan Honeymoon
Diascia i. Coral Canyon (Coral Canyon Twinspur)
Echinacea, many species & cultivars (Coneflower)
Fallopia aubertii (Silver Lace Vine)
Gaillardia (Blanket flower, Firewheel)
Gaura lindheimeri (Whirling Butterflies)
Gentiana septemfida lagedochiana
Geranium dalmaticum (Dalmation Cranesbill)
Geranium ‘Rozanne’
Geranium sanguineum (Bloody Cranesbill)
Geranium x cantabrigiense, many selections
Helianthemum (Sunrose)
Hemerocallis (Daylilies)
Hesperaloe (Texas Red Yucca)
Heterotheca villosa (Hairy Golden Aster)
Heuchera (Coral Bells)
Hibiscus syriacus (Rose of Sharon)
Hydrangea arborescens selections
Hypericum frondosum ‘Sunburst’
Hymenoxys (Perky Sue), several species
Knautia macedonica
Kniphofia (Red-hot Poker)
Koelreuteria paniculata (Golden Rain Tree)
Lallemantia canescens
Larkspur
Lavender, English
Lavandula
Leucanthemum (Shasta Daisy)
Liatris spicata, L. ligulistylis (Gayfeather)
Lilium regale (Regal Lily)
Lonicera, several species & cultivars (Honeysuckle Vines)
Lychnis coronaria (Rose Campion)
Lychnis chalcidonica (Maltese Cross)
Lysimachia numm. (Creeping Jenny, Moneywort)
Malva moschuta alba
Malva sylv. Mauritiana (Magic Hollyhock)
Melampodium leucanthum, (Blackfoot Daisy)
Michauxia tchehatchewii (Catherine Wheel)
Mirabilis multiflora (Desert Four O’Clock)
Monarda (Bee Balm), several pecies & cultivars
Nepeta siberica (Siberian Catmint)
Oenothera berlandieri ‘Siskyou’ Pink Evening Primrose
Oenothera fremontii ‘Shimmer’
Oenothera macro. (Missouri Evening Primrose)
Origanum sp., many species & selections (Ornamental Oregano)
Papaver somniferum selections (Lauren’s Grape, etc.)
Patrinia scabiosifolia
Pemstemon pinifolius (Pineleaf Penstemon)
Penstemon rostriflorus (Bridge’s Penstemon)
Penstemon x mexicali ‘Pike’s Peak Purple’
Penstemon x mexicali ‘Red Rocks’
Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage)
Platycodon grandiflora cultivars (Balloon flower)
Potentilla fruticosa (Shrubby Cinquefoil)
Psilostrophe tagetina (Paper Flower)
Ratibida columnifera (Mexican Hat)
Roses, many re-blooming cultivars
Rudbeckia (Black-Eyed Susan) species & cultivars
Ruellia humilis (Wild Petunia)
Salvia darcyi (Mexican Scarlet Sage)
Salvia x ‘Windwalker’
Salvia greggii ‘Furman’s Red’
Salvia pachyphylla (Mojave Sage)
Saponaria x lempergii ‘Max Frei’
Scabiosa caucasica (Pincushion Flower)
Scutellaria baicalensis (Chinese Skullcap)
Scutellaria suffrutescens (Cherry Skullcap)
Sedum (Stonecrop), many species & cultivars
Seseli gummiferum (Moon Carrot)
Solidago (Goldenrod), species & cultivars
Sphaeralcea angustifolia (Tall Globemallow)
Spirea sp. (Summer-blooming Spirea)
Stachys byzantina (Lamb’s Ears)
Stachys monnieri
Teucrium chamaedrys (Wall Germander)
Teucrium cossonii Harlequin’s Silver
Teucrium majoricum
Teucrium hyrcanicum ‘Purple Tails’
Teucrium rotundifolium
Verbena bonariensis (Cluster-top Verbena)
Verbena bipinnatifida
Verbena ‘Red Devil’
Verbena wrightii
Zauschneria g.Orange Carpet (Hummingbird Mint)
Zinnia grandiflora (Prairie Zinnia)