What fun it is that today we get to talk about long blooming plants. You have lots of choices regarding the plants you pick to grow, and a little time spent thinking about which ones get to live on your land can reap great rewards

When you go to the nursery to buy something, say a rose, you can choose one based on many factors; bloom time, fragrance, growth habit etc.

Now, we are going to talk about what are called remontant , or re-blooming roses when we talk about shrubs, but for today our focus is long blooming. So immediately you steer away from old fashioned once blooming roses, that are divine, but not the goal here, and you look for ones that may not be as voluptuous  or fragrant, but meet this criteria. It is hard to do , trust me. So many delights in front of you , yet I am asking you to narrow your search. And not just with roses , but with everything. Get it?

So we begin.

I adore honeysuckle, I have a few that I could stare a all day with lovely cream and white heavenly scented flowers. Sigh, I miss them already, why? because  they are done for the season. Then there is lonicera sempervirens ‘Major Wheeler’ . The Major has smaller red  blossoms that lack any fragrance, but it comes into bloom in late May and I will still be cutting flowers from it in December. That is a long time my friends. So , for the criteria of long blooming? A winner and a great hummingbird plant as well.

Now , since we were talking of them before, let’s pick a rose. You can knock the konockouts all you want, but for long blooming the double pink   wins above all others. It self cleans ( drops it own petals) and just keeps throwing out flower after flower after flower.No down time at all  Here it is in the SNOW!

I have profiled Verbena ‘Annie!’ here before.  Blooms and blooms and blooms save for the very few humid weeks in August when it may take a short break, then it is back at it until frost.

The clematis ”Betty Corning ‘ blooms here for a straight 18 weeks. Yes, I said 18 weeks. That is just incredible. No deadheading needed with this one either.

Blanket flowers, or gallardia, don’t start until summer is really here and the heat is on, but then they will go on even after the first few frosts take many other things out. I do trim these guys and cut off the spent flowers ocassionally so they don’t get too leggy, small price to pay for the weeks and weeks of flowers I’d say. It is pictured here with gentian.

The secong longest blooming clematis is ‘Roguchi’ .This one is non-climbing, and easy to grow in conatiners or in the ground and is a blooming machine.

Astrantia major and it’s many cultivars, , with it’s lovely bracts and umbel of small flowers will carry on all the way through summer and fall . It can be grown in shadier conditions and only asks for a little water for all the joy it gives back. (photo from gardenweb.com)

 

Most of the groundcover geraniums , often called cranesbills, get hacked back after bloom to prevent leggy yellow stems and leaves and encourage a small rebloom. Not geranium ‘Rozanne’. She just keeeps weaving through the garden , blooming and blooming , not a care in the world. Part sun is a-ok with them too.

Many botanic gardens have interns and staff that run tests of plants to determine garden performance. You can spend time searching around their websites to see the results . Chicago Botanic Garden did a study on garden phlox a few years ago and determind the following varieties to be very long blooming

phlox ‘Flieddertraum’ early Aug to Nov

p. ‘Empty Feelings’ early July to early Oct

p. ‘Frosted elegance’  mid July to early October

p. ‘Midnight Feelings’  early July to early Oct

p. ‘Shortwood’ mid July to early Oct
I don’t know about you, but I might hesitate to plant something named ‘Empty Feelings’, but am on board with the “Midnight Feelings ‘ for sure.

Dahlias, although they may be tender here, are certainly worth wintering over in the basement for the length of their bloom. Started in pots in the house, mine start to bloom by the end of June and will go non-stop until hard frost

i always make sure to grow a few  in decorative pots so they can be brought into the garage for the frst few frost. Often the weather is actually very nice in October save for a few spotty nights when good ol’jack visits .  If the pots are inside at night they will be spared and can enjoy Indian Summer still flowering.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of long bloomers, matter of fact it barely scratches the surface. Each and every plant has varieties that bloom for extended periods of time and are worth growing for that reason alone. When you have decided to plant something from an astillbe to a yarrow, take a little extra time to see if you can’t find information on cultivars that bloom longer and then add those to your mix. every second you spend doing so ( which is now unbelievably easy online and a great way to occupy a snow day)will pay off big time in your best fall garden ever.

Next week is Containers planted for late season interest