Creating Late-Summer Color in a Zone 5 Garden

Black-Eyed Susan

Few flowers say late summer quite like Black-eyed Susan. Its golden-yellow petals and dark centers brighten the garden just when some earlier bloomers are beginning to fade.

Black-eyed Susans are dependable, long-blooming plants that work well in sunny perennial beds, cottage gardens and pollinator plantings. Their strong yellow color pairs beautifully with purple, blue and silver-leaved plants, making them especially useful for waking up a garden that has started to feel a little too green.

Sedum—Tall Stonecrop

Tall stonecrop, commonly called sedum, brings more than flowers to the late-summer garden. Its sturdy stems and thick, succulent foliage provide structure throughout the season before broad flower clusters begin changing from pale green to pink, rose or burgundy.

Varieties such as ‘Autumn Joy’ are especially valuable because their flowers continue adding color and texture as summer moves into fall. The blooms also provide a dependable food source for butterflies and other pollinators late in the season.

Russian Sage

Russian sage creates an airy cloud of lavender-blue flowers above silvery-gray foliage. It softens the edges of a planting and looks especially beautiful when planted beside yellow Black-eyed Susans, pink sedum or ornamental grasses.

This sun-loving plant handles heat and dry conditions well once established, but good drainage is essential. Its loose, upright growth and long bloom period make it a wonderful choice for adding movement and cool color to a hot August landscape.

Hummingbird Mint

Hummingbird mint, or Agastache, adds upright flower spikes in shades of lavender, violet, pink, coral and orange, depending on the variety. Its vertical shape makes a beautiful contrast to rounded flowers and mounding perennials.

The tubular blooms are highly attractive to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Most varieties perform best in plenty of sun and well-drained soil, where they can continue blooming through the heat of late summer.

Joe-Pye Weed

Joe-Pye weed is hard to miss when it reaches its late-summer peak. Tall stems are topped with large, dusty-pink flower clusters that create height and drama at the back of a perennial border.

It is an excellent choice for areas with moisture-retentive soil and provides an important late-season stop for butterflies and other pollinators. Although traditional varieties can become quite tall, more compact cultivars are available for smaller landscapes.

Panicle Hydrangea

Panicle hydrangeas bring large, cone-shaped flower clusters to the landscape during the second half of summer. Many varieties open creamy white and gradually develop blush, rose or deeper pink tones as the season progresses.

Unlike the rounded blooms of some other hydrangeas, panicle hydrangeas have an elongated flower shape that adds height and structure. Their substantial size makes them useful as flowering hedges, focal points or anchors in a mixed landscape bed.

Rose Mallow (Perennial Hibiscus)

When perennial hibiscus begins blooming, it does not do anything halfway. Its enormous, dinner-plate-sized flowers can instantly become the focal point of the entire garden.

Also known as rose mallow, this hardy perennial produces tropical-looking blooms while still being able to return in cold-winter climates. It prefers rich soil with consistent moisture and may emerge very late in spring, so give it time before assuming it did not survive the winter.

Caryopteris (Bluebeard)

Caryopteris, commonly called bluebeard, is a compact shrub known for the blue or blue-violet flowers that develop along its stems in late summer.

The flowers are especially attractive to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, often covering the plant with pollinator activity. Its silvery or gray-green foliage also looks good before the flowers appear. Plant Caryopteris in full sun with well-drained soil, and it will tolerate dry conditions once established.