Soft pastels of early spring give way to the richer, more saturated colors, and bolder, more substantial textures as the garden fills in.
CLEVELAND — June is National Perennial Gardening month, and when the perennial garden truly starts to shine. The soft pastels of early spring give way to the richer, more saturated colors, and bolder, more substantial textures as the garden fills in. Read on to learn more about fantastic perennials that add color to the landscape as spring turns to summer.
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The Top June-Blooming
Sun-Loving Perennials
There are so many sun-loving perennials to enjoy in the month of June! From the large, open flowers of Shasta Daisies to the vibrant, corymbs of Yarrow there’s no shortage of bloom power.
Full Sun | 6+ hours of direct sunlight
Sun to Part Shade | 4+ hours of direct sunlight
Leucanthemum spp.
Shasta Daisies
One of the most reliable perennials, Shasta Daisies are deer-resistant, drought-tolerant, and perfect for the sunniest of spaces in the landscape. Even better, with a little light pruning maintenance, they’ll repeat bloom throughout the summer!
Coreopsis spp.
Tickseed
Coreopsis, aka Tickseed, is a fantastic, long-blooming perennial perfect for pollinator gardening. This Ohio native plant prefers to be planted in full sun and in well-draining soil. With both single and double blooming types available in a variety of colors, there’s sure to be a Coreopsis for everyone!
Gaillardia spp.
Blanket Flowers
Gaillardia are bold, native daisies that bloom in a mixture of yellows, reds, and oranges. Their large, open flowers make them fantastic pollinator attractors, providing the perfect “landing pad” for bees and butterflies. They are also heat and drought-tolerant and they’re known to have good deer resistance in Northeast Ohio. For vibrant, multicolor blooms, and unique texture, look for varieties in the Spintop™ series.
Lilium auratum
Asiatic Lilies
The Lily family is quite large, with both seasonal varieties and hardy, perennial varieties here in Northeast Ohio. Asiatic Lilies develop thick stems from a bulb and produce large, trumpet-shaped flowers. We grow compact varieties, measuring 12-14″ tall, that work great in the front or middle of perennial borders and also serve well as cut flowers. Unlike other types of lilies, they don’t produce a strong fragrance.
Lavendula angustifolia
English Lavender
English hybrid lavender is a gorgeous grower in sunny, well-drained garden beds. It produces the most wonderful fragrance and consistently blooms rich violet-blue flower spikes that are excellent for cutting and dried arrangements.
Achillea spp.
Yarrow
This classic perennial is one of the best garden performers producing striking foliage with clustered corymb flowers in various colors. Yarrow is an awesome pollinator plant, makes excellent cut (and dried) flowers, and has good deer resistance. Bonus? The more this flower is cut and used the more it produces!
Hemerocallis spp.
Daylilies
Daylilies are one of the most popular landscape perennials, easy to grow perennials with thousands of colorful varieties to choose from producing long, slender stalks of multiple lilies, each opening for one day. As the plant matures, the bud and flower count increases, and the daylily blooms over several weeks. Compact habit and extended bloom life makes ‘Stella de Oro’ easy to use in containers or the landscape for high-impact color.
Paeonia spp.
Peonies
The Peony family has a plethora of varieties, colors, and habits to choose from. Bush (or classic garden) peonies and tree peonies are fairly common in Northeast Ohio, producing large, fragrant blooms from late May into June. Itoh peonies are essentially a cross of bush and tree peonies with a shrubby, round habit, sturdy stems, and large, repeat blooming, exotic-colored blossoms. Bonus? Peonies are excellent deer-resistant plants, too!
June-Blooming
Shade Perennials
There are so many foliage options when it comes to shade gardening, but did you know there are also fantastic blooming options as well?
Part Shade | 4-6 hours of direct sunlight
Full Shade | Less than 4 hours of direct sunlight
Astilbe spp.
False Spirea
If you’re looking for bloom color in the shade, Astilbes are a fantastic option. They produce vibrant colored panicle flowers in shades of pink, purple, red, and white. They provide unique texture with fern-like foliage that is green to bronze in color. Look for early, mid and late season blooming varieties to maintain long-lasting color in your shade garden.
Heuchera spp.
Coral Bells
Add striking foliage color and texture to the shade garden with Coral Bells (Heuchera). Available in a wide array of colors from deep purple to lime green, and just about anything in between, these fantastic perennials add season-long interest, and their delicate blooms provide a food source for pollinators. Plant them along shaded front borders of the landscape in well-drained soil.
Dicentra eximia
Fern-Leaf Bleeding Heart
Fern-leaf types are later to bloom, but longer lasting, with vibrant heart-shaped flowers. The attractive fern-leaf foliage is low and mounding, lacy in texture, and a showy silvery, blue-green hue. These beauties typically bloom May-July and can last into Fall if the soil is kept cool and moist.
Read more about June blooming perennials here.
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