This perennial has delicate pink blooms in early summer. Dainty at first, they explode into a puff of pink, a powerful burst of color in the summer garden. They love wet soil, full to part sun, 3 feet tall in bloom. The leaves emerge a purple carpet in spring, and mature to a vivid green. Fantastic cut flower.
This Dianthus is one of my new garden favorites. A prolific bloomer with an extremely long bloom time (late April – June) make it a star in the spring border. Since it grows only 12″ tall, it is a fantastic edger along the front of your beds. Comes in many shades of pinks and whites, and is a pollinator magnet! Prefers full sun, but grows well in any soil and is very drought-tolerant.
It is also a great cut flower which is long-lasting in a vase.
Native Redbud tree blooms in April
This native tree grows to be 8-12 feet tall and requires full to part sun. Smothered in pink flowers in April. Seen here on the south side of a giant oak tree.
Obedient plant / Physotegia blooms in late summer
One of the most colorful bloomers in the late summer garden, bees flock to the spikes of pale purple flowers for one more shot pollen before autumn comes. Spreads at a medium rate into a large mass of color, for a smashing display in your flower bed.
Full to part sun, 24″ tall.
Chrysanthemums, or mums, as they are more commonly known, are wonderful fall bloomers. After the entire garden has faded, the mums come charging in to add more luscious color, even into those first frosty nights. My mums routinely last through November, and even into December. And unlike the mums one can buy in grocery stores each fall, all these varieties return year after year and slowly expand to make a large clump you can divide and share.
I have 2 pink colors: Chrysanthemum koreana ‘Mei Kyo’ has a profusion of lovely bold pink daisies with yellow centers, and Emperor of China has bold pink buds that mature into full, pale pink quill blossoms, several to a stem. Both reach heights of 2-3′.
The yellow button mum, Chrysanthemum pacificum, is a dwarf at 8-12″ high, wonderful for edging the front of a bed. There is a white edge on each leaf, which highlights the foliage, making it a real presence in the garden all summer long.
And last but not least, I have an peach-orange mum, extremely vigorous and prolific in bloom, also taller at 2′ high. I love the orange color in my fall bouquets.
Mums make great plants for the fronts of beds, and also, since they are late to emerge in spring, great companions for spring bulbs like daffodils, whose foliage has often nearly disappeared by the time the mums come to life.
Full to part sun for most prolific bloom. Drought-proof once established.
Large pale pink blooms 8″ high. Fills in a sunny spot quickly, threading between other plants. Wonderful edger.
Likes full to part sun. Drought-tolerant once established.
Perennial shrub, full sun. 6-8′ tall, 3′ wide. Blooms can be white, pink, or purple. Very drought resistant.
Perennial, full – part sun, succulent foliage completely drought-proof, 18″ high with pink blooms, leave standing for winter interest. (Prune to ground in late winter.)
Audrey's Plantmania 