Delve into the world of hassle-free flowering plants as a seasoned gardener recommends 7 perennials, ideal for June planting, ensuring abundant, extended blooms over the years.
Perennials, renowned for their prolonged blooming period and minimal maintenance, make an ideal choice for flower beds and borders. Plant them now in June and enjoy their vibrant displays for multiple years.
June is not too late to add perennials to your garden if you wish to bring color to your space this year and for years to come. A variety of these low-maintenance plants can be sourced from garden centers, nurseries, or online stores. These can be planted in June, allowing for a chance to grow some fast-growing varieties before the summer's end.
As a professional gardener with extensive experience in large public gardens in the UK, including Hidcote Manor Garden, I would recommend the following seven perennial flowers to plant in June. These selections boast lasting color, texture, and wildlife attraction.
Top 7 Perennials to Plant in June
- Coneflower (Echinacea)
Native to the United States, coneflowers are a popular choice, particularly in prairie planting schemes. Easy to grow and universally appreciated, coneflowers offer daisy-like flowers from July through to October. They attract a host of pollinators and beneficial insects. Since there are several coneflower varieties available, you can choose ones that come in various shades and sizes. They are also drought-tolerant and sturdy, requiring no staking for support. Simply plant coneflowers in a sunny spot with well-draining soil for optimal growth. Deadheading can help prolong their flowering season, but allowing spent blooms to remain until fall allows birds to feed on the seedheads.
- Coreopsis (Tickseed)
Coreopsis is one of the longest-flowering perennials, providing bright and cheery small daisy-like flowers from early summer through the frosts with proper care. Coreopsis is a native North American plant capable of thriving in full sun or part shade and tolerating dry conditions once established. It can grow up to four feet tall, making it an attractive choice for pots as well as flower beds. You can sow seeds outdoors post-last frost or plant container-grown specimens to flower this summer.
- Echinops (Globe Thistle)
Echinops, recognized for their blue spherical flowers and spiky foliage, add structure to flower beds throughout the year. These drought-tolerant perennials are easy to grow and attract bees and butterflies during the blooming season. Plant echinops in full sun and provide regular watering during establishment, as they can tolerate dry periods once established. You can sow globe thistle seeds in early June to see flowering this year.
- Hardy Geraniums (Cranesbill)
Renowned for their reliability and simplicity, hardy geraniums offer attractive foliage and showy flowers from late spring through fall. These versatile perennials thrive in a variety of conditions, making them low-maintenance additions to your garden. Trimming back sections in mid-summer can encourage a second flush of blooms, and the plants will die back in fall before regrowing quickly in spring.
- Liatris (Blazing Star)
Unique and long-blooming, liatris features feathery blooms atop long, upright spikes, providing movement and structure in a border. This perennial attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Liatris can tolerate many soil types but prefers full sun. You can buy live plants or grow liatris from seed, although the latter may require waiting over two years for the first flowers.
- Milkweed (Butterfly Weed)
A great choice for spring-flowering plants to attract butterflies, especially Monarch butterflies, milkweed is ideal for a butterfly border. It produces masses of small star-shaped flowers and is easy to cultivate. Choose a native milkweed species for optimal growth and blooming. Milkweed thrives in full sun, tolerates poor soils, and is drought-tolerant. It can reach heights of 1 to 5 feet, depending on the variety, and is suitable for various planting styles.
- Scabious
Known as pincushion flowers, scabious offers delicate, circular blooms in shades of white, lilac, purple, pink, and burgundy. These cottage garden favorites provide movement and structure, while their dazzling colors attract pollinators. Scabious contributes to a long season of interest, requiring little care aside from deadheading for optimal blooming.
June is a busy month in the garden, with flowers, vegetables, and pruning tasks to complete. Check out our guide to plants to prune in June for advice on maintaining trees and shrubs this month.
Incorporating perennials into your home-and-garden lifestyle can enhance your outdoor living space, especially during this transition between seasons. The choices of low-maintenance plants such as coneflowers, coreopsis, echinops, hardy geraniums, liatris, milkweed, and scabiosa provide lasting color and texture throughout the year while attracting wildlife. By adding these seven perennials to your home-and-garden and pruning appropriately, you can create a vibrant and healthy environment for both you and nature to enjoy.
