- The echinacea plant produces purple summer blooms.Hemera Technologies/Photos.com/Getty Images
Not many activities are more relaxing than taking a stroll through a blooming garden. In the warm summer months, fragrant blossoms attract hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. When planning your garden, choose plants that bloom in different months and seasons to create an outdoor space with year-round color. For visual interest, plant perennials of varying heights and colors. Most tall perennials range from 2 to 4 feet, but some can grow up to 6 feet high. - Fingerleaf Rodgersia, or Rodgersia aesculifolia, can reach up to 6 feet in height. This Chinese native produces clusters of small, pink, yellow or white flowers on 1 to 2-foot-tall panicles in early summer. Fingerleaf Rodgersia prefers sun to partial shade and permanently moist soil. This perennial's foliage remains ornamental, even after flowering.
- American ipecac, also called bowman's root, Indian physic or Gillenia trifoliata, can grow up to 4 feet tall. This bushy perennial produces abundant star-like, white blooms in late summer. According to the Cornell University Department of Horticulture, American ipecac flowers resemble butterflies. Plant American ipecac in moist soil and partial shade.
- Montbretia, or also called coppertip, falling stars or Crocosmia, is a South African native that can grow up to 4 feet tall. This perennial produces bright red, orange or yellow flowers for several weeks in late summer. Montbretia prefers full or morning sun and well-drained soil. The Cornell University Department of Horticulture recommends the cultivar Lucifer, a scarlet red montbretia that has a tropical appearance and grows up to 3 feet tall.
- Gay feather, also known as Liatris or blazing stars, can grow up to 5 feet tall. This perennial produces white, blue, pink or purple spikes from June through September. Native to the U.S. prairies, the gay feather prefers moist, well-drained soil and morning to full sun. Gay feathers bloom from the top downward, according to the North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension.
- Purple coneflower, also known as Echinacea purpurea, can grow up to 4 feet tall. Purple coneflowers bloom from June to September with pink and purple blossoms that can reach up to 5 inches in diameter. This perennial plant thrives in well-drained soil and full sun.
- The obedient plant, or Physostegia virginiana, can grow up to 4 feet tall. Obedient plants produce four vertical rows of pink flower spikes from July through September. According to the North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension, the plant gets its name from the ability of the flowers on the stalk to be twisted into any position, where they will remain. Obedient plant prefers rich, well-drained soil and partial to full sun.
Fingerleaf Rodgersia
American Ipecac
Montbretia
Gay Feather
Purple Coneflower
Obedient Plant
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