Summer Blooming Flower Fest for Pollinators

This is a combo I put together from plants growing in my own front yard—four summer-blooming perennials that earn their keep from midsummer well into fall. Liatris spicata 'Kobold' brings dense magenta-purple spikes, Echinacea 'Green Twister' brings lime-green ray petals and a rosy cone — a standout in the genus, and a reliably sturdy one in my experience. Salvia greggii Mirage™ Burgundy keeps the deep-red thread going through the season, and Calamintha nepeta 'Montrose White' fills every gap with a low cloud of tiny white flowers that hummingbirds and bees treat as a landing strip.

All four are drought-tolerant once established and want full to afternoon sun. A good way to use a vignette like this is to tuck it into gaps between structure plants — evergreen shrubs and conifers that carry the garden through the seasons this combo sits out. In my front yard, these four are nestled among Picea pungens 'Procumbens', Tsuga canadensis 'Moon Frost', and Pieris japonica 'Little Heath' — the two blue conifers set off the flower colors, and the pieris brings its own variegated foliage into the mix.


Growing Conditions

Zone: 7, 8, 9
Exposure: Afternoon Sun, Full Sun
Water Needs: Average, Drought-tolerant, Low

Design Considerations

Style: Container, Cottage, Native, Naturalistic, Waterwise, Wildlife Friendly
Features: Attracts Pollinator, Flower Fest, Fragrance, Wildlife Friendly
Focus: Building Block, Cutting Garden, Native and Habitat, Saving Water, Small Space
Seasons of Interest: Late Summer / Early Fall, Summer

Care and Maintenance


Maintenance Level: medium
Maintenance Tasks: Deadheading



Plants In this Combo