Reviving a Late-Summer Perennial Garden

From droopy flowers to brown lawns, late summer can certainly take a toll on your landscape. And if you have a perennial garden, you might be facing another type of late-summer conundrum: empty spaces.

That’s because when early-summer perennials stop blooming, late season gaps leave your once-lush garden looking, well, bare. But with a few easy moves you can reclaim your garden’s blooming greatness.

For a quick fix this season, use decorative planters to fill in blank spaces. See what other late-summer perennial garden solutions LaLiberte offers.

But better yet, prevent this garden catastrophe all together by sprinkling a few annuals throughout your flowerbed next planting season. Try cleomes, coleus, or impatiens. Garden expert Kathy LaLiberte from Gardener’s Supply Company advises picking heat-tolerant varieties and avoiding overly showy blooms (after all, you want something that looks like a natural part of your garden). See her top annual picks here.

And don’t forget about late-blooming perennials either (think salvias, mums, asters, cannas, dahlias, and Shasta daisies) which supply dazzling color well into fall so that your garden looks luscious from early spring through autumn. Check out the Clemson Extension Home & Garden Information Center’s top late-blooming perennial picks. Having trouble narrowing down your choices? Download this Better Homes & Gardens Late-Summer Perennial Garden plan, which includes seven perennials and one annual.

Usually, early spring or early fall is prime time for dividing perennials. But if you live up north, now may be the best time to divide them. Just wait until they’re done flowering. Here’s how to divide and conquer.

And regardless of what type of garden you have, read up on some basic late-summer gardening tips here.

Until tomorrow
The Home Know-It-All

Comments

[Holly]

We're glad you found it helpful! Be sure to check out our other gardening posts!

[Order Tadalafil]

nice reading ;)

[Gardening Seeds]

great info at this post thanks!

[Randall]

Thanks for your comment! Hibiscuses are great for adding more color to a perennial garden. I plan on planting them in my garden next year, though we can only grow the hardy variety here.

[nhnursery]

I love this time of year because I always have plants in flower until the first frost date. I have two hibiscuses that are 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide that are just stunning.