Late Spring Power Perennials

As June settles in and summer approaches, there are several stellar perennials that shine in our late spring gardens! To qualify as “power” perennials, these plants are hardy, reliable and easy to care for.

Herbaceous Peony ‘Monsieur Jules Elie’ (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

In my opinion, herbaceous Peonies are the backbone of the June border. These tough and long-lived perennials bloom individually for only a couple of weeks each year but by staggering early, mid and late varieties you can create weeks of bounteous peony blooms in your garden. And the blooms are just spectacular! The flowers can be single, double, white, pink, red, purple, coral, yellow and everything in between. Then, there’s the intoxicating fragrance which rivals that of lilacs and roses.

White Peony buds are touched with red (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

Peonies make fabulous cut flowers, too, and a vase full of blooms will scent an entire room! To help the blooms last, cut the flowers when they are still in the round “ball” stage, just before they open. Typically on the tall side at 3 to 4 feet, peonies look best when grown through a support which will keep the heavy blooms off the ground.

Ants are constant (but harmless) Peony companions (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

Peonies are so lovely that it’s easy to create a whole flower garden theme around them. Romantic and old-fashioned, they look stunning with Allium, Hardy Geranium, Iris, Foxglove and Lady’s Mantle. Even after the flowers fade, the foliage remains healthy and green well into fall, enhancing your garden with its beauty all season long. Peonies can live 50 or more years and grow best in hardiness zone 3 to 8 as they require a good winter chill to bring on their blooms.

Lady’s Mantle (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

Alchemilla Mollis, commonly known as Lady’s Mantle, is another spring perennial that keeps its good looks all season long. The rounded, gray-green leaves catch water droplets which make the plants magically sparkle in the early morning light, but it’s the tiny chartreuse blooms on 14 to 18″ flower sprays that make this perennial a stand-out in the June garden.

Lady’s Mantle shines next to late spring bulbs (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

These sunny sprays complement other late spring bloomers and make an outstanding filler when used in bouquets. Left on the plants, the flower sprays will dry, creating late-season interest; they can also be used as decorative accents in dried fall arrangements. Lady’s Mantle grows into large clumps that can be easily divided and shared in early spring. They grow best in hardiness zones 3 to 8.

Iris look stunning planted en masse (Photo courtesy of Pixabay)

My third power perennial for late spring is the stately Iris. There are so many varieties available that selection can be a little overwhelming. The bearded types make a big statement with large, ruffled blooms, while Siberian Iris with their smaller flowers and slender strappy foliage are lovely vertical garden accents. Many Iris are multi-hued and fragrant; some even rebloom in the fall! My suggestion is to pick a blooming time and type you prefer and then settle on some dazzling colors, for Iris come in a virtual rainbow of blooms from white to almost black! In fact, “Iris” was the name of the Greek goddess of the rainbow who also served as a messenger to the Gods. Iris do best in hardiness zones 3 to 9.

Iris chart courtesy of TheFlowerExpert.com
Bearded Iris (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

These classic late spring perennials should be a part of everyone’s June garden!

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Astounding Alliums

Alliums are a diverse group of flowering onions which are care-free and resistant to rodents, rabbits, and deer. They thrive in full sun but will tolerate a bit of shade. Valued by gardeners for adding stately drama to the garden, they are also beloved by pollinators. If that isn’t enough to excite you, alliums are wonderful in cut flower arrangements and the dried seed heads remain accents in the garden long after the blooms fade. They’ve been grown in cottage gardens dating back to the 16th century and many heirloom varieties are still available today.

Alliums (Eden Brothers)
Tall Globe Alliums (Photo courtesy Eden Brothers)

Most of us are familiar with the tall globe alliums, those large purple flower balls so popular in spring landscape plantings. These somewhat alien-looking spheres grow from bulbs planted in the fall. Foliage emerges in early spring and then dies back as the giant flowers appear like reverse punctuation marks amongst late tulips and spring perennials. Combined with white Ornithogalum Magnum and Lady’s Mantle, the effect is magical. When planting, be sure to tuck allium bulbs behind perennials that will hide the dying foliage. Tall globe alliums come in different shades of purple as well as white and grow 36 to 48″ tall in hardiness zones 5 to 8.

Allium Garden
Alliums with Lady’s Mantle and Ornithogalum Magnum (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

Allium Christophii, also known as Star of Persia, tops my list as the star of my bulb garden. In early June, the 8 to 10-inch silvery-violet blooms absolutely sparkle in the garden! Although not as tall as the more well-known globe alliums, the huge blooms have the appearance of flower fireworks, immediately drawing one’s attention. The color and form blend perfectly with roses and peonies, but the most wonderful thing about Allium Christophii is that the giant flower heads dry perfectly right on the stem and last for weeks after blooming, thus extending the show into summer. Allium Christophii is a robust plant that grows 18 to 24″ tall and is suited for hardiness zones 4 to 8.

Allium Christophii (Ashridge Trees)
Allium Christophii sparkles in the border (Photo courtesy Ashridge Trees)

Looking for an allium that blooms late season? The common garlic chive is usually found in the herb garden since you can use the mild-tasting garlicky leaves and flowers in cooking. When added to the perennial border, however, the long-lasting soft white blooms add late summer into fall interest along with asters, sedum, purple coneflowers, and black-eyed Susans. Be prepared for a lot of buzz as these little flowers will attract a variety of bees and butterflies to your garden! The seed heads also remain visually interesting well into fall but you’ll want to remove these at the end of the season or the plants can aggressively self-sow. Garlic chives are about 20″ tall and are easy to grow in hardiness zones 3 to 10.

garlic chives (Kraut Source)
Late-blooming Garlic Chives (Photo courtesy Kraut Source)

I hope I’ve encouraged you to try alliums in your garden.  There are many to choose from and, once you’ve planted the bulbs, you’ll enjoy the stunning flowers for years to come as they slowly multiply and enhance the beauty of your garden!

Allium Christophii combines well with roses (Scott Aboretum)
Allium Christophii with Roses (Photo courtesy Scott Arboretum)

DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links to the companies listed below. When you click through on a link and make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank You!