Woodie’s Picks: Summer Perennials To Bring Bold Color & Blooms To Your Landscape
Did you know that June is National Perennial Month? June is often prime time to see perennials in full flourish and bloom, and many different varieties showcase their colors and textures. The Perennial Plant Association has thus designated this month to recognize the importance and beauty of perennial plants.
In this blog, we will highlight the importance of perennial plants and dive deeper into four popular perennial varieties to incorporate into your garden in the summer months!
The Importance of Perennial Plants
Perennials are plants that live for more than one growing season. Unlike annuals, perennials often go into dormancy in the winter months and return the following year. Perennials are essential to our ecosystem, as they offer numerous environmental benefits. Additionally, they provide long-term, low-maintenance beauty to outdoor spaces.
Soil Improvement
One way that perennials work to improve our environment is through the power of their roots. Perennials’ deep root systems work to aerate the soil, improve water filtration, and reduce erosion.
Climate Resilience
Perennial plants also contribute to climate resilience by removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in their roots. These beautiful plants thus help to mitigate climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Increased Biodiversity
A final significant benefit that perennials offer to the environment is how they increase and support the biodiversity of local ecosystems. Perennials work to support a wide range of wildlife in the form of food and shelter. Additionally, perennials are a strong pillar supporting the farming and food production industry because they provide nectar and pollen to pollinators like bees and butterflies!
Popular Summer Blooming Perennials
Now that you understand why perennials are so crucial to the health of our ecosystem, it’s time to dive into a few of our favorite summer-blooming varieties.
Achillea
First on the list of summer-blooming perennials we can’t get enough of is the iconic and stunning Achillea, also known as ‘yarrow.’ Coming in a range of different colors, this low-maintenance, long-blooming perennial is a gorgeous addition to any summer garden. These summer bloomers boast feathery fern-like foliage with flat-topped clusters of small daisy-like flowers. They can grow anywhere from one to four feet tall and wide, and they are great for various landscaping projects.
Echinacea
Next on the list of summer perennials we love is Echinacea. Also known as ‘coneflower,’ these long-time landscaping classics bring a mass of blooms and beauty to the summer garden. Echinacea plants are characterized by their large daisy-like flowers with a distinctive spiky central cone. The petals drop gracefully below the central cone and come in a range of colors from pink to red, yellow, and green! Echinacea is a relatively low-maintenance plant that can tolerate a range of soil types and conditions of drought once established.
Asclepias
Another well-loved summer-blooming perennial is Asclepias. More commonly known as ‘milkweed,’ Asclepias plants are characterized by their ball-like clusters of blooms that sit high atop the unique oblong foliage. Beyond their beauty, Milkweed plants are praised for their ability to support local pollinators. Specifically, Swamp Milkweed is crucial for supporting the Monarch Butterfly population. Milkweed is the sole host for monarch caterpillars, and its presence is essential for their survival and the continuation of the butterfly’s life cycle.
Rudbeckia
Last on our list of summer perennial plants to incorporate into your outdoor space is Rudbeckia. Sporting its well-known golden blooms with dark brown centers, these eye-catching summer bloomers are low-maintenance and attract a range of pollinators to your space. The bright colored bloomers grow and multiply quickly, bringing a warm and cheerful feel to any landscape! These hardy perennials are tolerant of a range of conditions, making them ideal for various landscape projects, including perennial beds, mixed borders, and container gardens.
Shop Summer Perennial Plants Online
Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just getting started, summer is the perfect time to embrace the beauty and benefits of perennials. With varieties like Achillea, Echinacea, Asclepias, and Rudbeckia, you can create a vibrant, colorful garden that supports pollinators, improves soil health, and thrives year after year.
Celebrate National Perennial Month by adding a few of these summer stunners to your landscape and let your garden bloom boldly all season long!