Enjoy These 5 Short-Statured Perennials Blooming Throughout Summer for a Hassle-Free Elegance in Your Garden
Top 5 Long-Blooming Ground Cover Perennials for Pollinators and Landscapes
In the quest for beautiful, eco-friendly gardens, long-blooming ground cover perennials are a must-have. These plants offer a myriad of benefits, from supporting pollinator health to enhancing the aesthetic appeal of your landscape. Here are five top choices that are ideal for both pollinators and gardeners alike.
1. ‘Moonbeam’ Tickseed (Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’)
This easy-to-grow perennial blooms from early summer through fall, making it a reliable source of nectar for pollinators. It's drought and deer tolerant, hardy in zones 3-9, and its multiple seasons of blooms ensure a continuous display of colour in your garden.
2. Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia / Salvia yangii)
Blooming for over 10 weeks from mid-summer to fall, Russian Sage is a hardy choice for zones 4-9. This highly drought-tolerant plant thrives in hot, dry conditions and attracts bees and other pollinators strongly.
3. Cuphea (Mexican Heather)
In zones 9-11, Cuphea serves as an evergreen groundcover, producing masses of small flowers all summer. This vibrant perennial is highly attractive to butterflies, hummingbirds, and beneficial insects, making it a valuable addition to any pollinator-friendly garden.
4. Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata)
Creeping Phlox blooms from spring to early summer but maintains attractive foliage all season. It's an excellent choice for spreading ground cover, particularly in full sun, and provides early season nectar for pollinators.
5. Ajuga (Ajuga reptans)
Ajuga blooms mid-spring to early summer with occasional reblooming. It tolerates part to full shade and grows in zones 3-10. This versatile plant attracts pollinators and offers colourful foliage and flower spikes, making it a great choice for shadier areas.
Other notable options for long-blooming, drought-tolerant ground covers beneficial for pollinators include trailing lantana and desert marigold, particularly suitable for hotter, drier regions.
Ice plants, also known as Livingstone daisies, are well-adapted for growth in regions with warm summer weather. They make an excellent drought-tolerant ground cover choice for rock gardens and other water-wise landscapes.
Campanula bellflowers create a sweet, colorful carpet of tiny purple blooms that last through the spring and most of summer. They are resistant to deer and rabbits, making them a low-maintenance choice for your garden. You can find them at various stores like Home Depot and Walmart.
Geum, though somewhat taller, serves as an excellent bedding plant, producing striking blooms and textured foliage. Geum coccineum, in particular, thrives under cooler summer temperatures and can be found at Hazzard's Greenhouse storefront on Amazon.
Dianthus plants are low-growing perennials that bloom all summer, come in various shades, and can be found in a three-pack at Home Depot. These plants, along with ground cover and low-growing flowers, are beneficial in the landscape, providing beauty, suppressing weeds, maintaining soil moisture, and controlling erosion. They can be grown in various locations, including beds, sloped areas, rock gardens, pathways, and along borders.
A delicately beautiful pastel mix of ice plant seeds can be found at Eden Brothers, making it an ideal choice for those seeking a unique, drought-tolerant ground cover.
The long-blooming, drought-tolerant 'Moonbeam' Tickseed is a perfect perennial for both landscapes and pollinators, offering nectar from early summer through fall and enhancing the aesthetic appeal of home-and-garden settings. Russian Sage, with its 10-week blooming period from mid-summer to fall, is another ideal choice for home-and-garden lovers who seek to attract pollinators and have a lifestyle that values sustainability in their lifestyle-gardening endeavors.
