my top 10 favorite perennials for zone 6b - summer blooms
I’ve been planting this year for nearly 9 years. I have added nearly a dozen flower beds and dozens more plants. It’s a lot of trial and error. This is by far not a complete list, but wanted to share some of my favorite, consistent perennials from my garden. Enjoy!
Note: All pictures are from my garden. If you click on a picture, it will englarge the image for a better view.
Asiatic Lilies
I love my Asiatic lillies. They bloom mid-summer, so around July in northern Massachusetts. They are short-lived, like peonies, but I think that is why I love them so much. I enjoy the beauty so much knowing it will only be for a few weeks. They are super low maintenance and seem to get bigger each year - just like my irises. So be warned they may take over a bed if you don’t keep them under control. Bunnies will eat the leaves and flowers, so I recommend rabbit scram to deter the little buggers, at least until they bloom.
Asiatic Lilies (Lilium spp.)
Hardiness: Zones 3–8
Plant Type: Bulbous perennial
Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Bloom Time: Early to mid-summer
Water Needs: Moderate; prefers well-drained soil
Key Characteristics: Vibrant, upward-facing blooms in a wide color range; no fragrance;sturdy stems; deadhead for bulb strength.
Daylilies
Not to be confused with Asiatic lilies, day lilies. For me, the biggest difference is the single stem of the Asiatic lily versus the multi stem of the day lilly. Also an Asiatic lily is a bulb, versus a tuber for a day lily. The Spruce has a great article on the differences. My day lilies range from very vibrant, unique ones to the standard ditch lily (aka orange tiger lily). The story is that you can throw them in a ditch and they’ll grow. I find this to be abundantly true. In the past, I’ve dug them up, left them in a box for two weeks, replanted them, and they still thrived. Overall my day lilies get bigger and bigger every year, especially the ditch lilies, which I have to dig up every other year and toss elsewhere in the yard, usually where nothing else will grow.
Daylilies (Hemerocallis spp.)
Hardiness: Zones 3–9
Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Bloom Time: Early summer through late summer; many rebloom
Water Needs: Low to moderate
Key Characteristics: One-day blooms with many buds; low maintenance; drought-tolerant; wide color variety.
Lavender
Lavendar with Gnoman hiding in the background
I absolutely love my lavender. It lines my front walkway, nestled between knockout roses and boxwood. I can smell it as I travel up and down the path and it’s close enough to grab a handful and get a deep inhale of this beautiful perennial.
It’s very low maintenance and requires no watering once established. It’s best to cut it back every few years so it doesn’t get woody or too soggy during wet summers, which it doesn’t like.
Lavender (Lavandula spp.)
Hardiness: Zones 5–9 (hardy English types for 6b)
Plant Type: Woody perennial
Exposure: Full sun
Bloom Time: Early to mid-summer; rebloom with pruning
Water Needs: Low; drought-tolerant
Key Characteristics: Aromatic; attracts bees; needs great drainage; ideal for borders and drying.
Coneflowers
Coneflowers are one of those happy plants that seems to thrive even through heat and drought. So it is a great garden staple that blooms year after year.
Coneflowers (Echinacea spp.)
Hardiness: Zones 3–9
Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Exposure: Full sun
Bloom Time: Mid-summer to early fall
Water Needs: Moderate; drought-tolerant
Key Characteristics: Bold daisy-like blooms; long-lasting; attracts pollinators; leave seed heads for winter interest.
Hibiscus
I fell in love with these amazing shrubs while visiting an orchard years ago. I was amazed at the variety of colors, shapes, and sizes with some blooms as big as dinner plates. They do take a while to settle in and bloom, so there is no instant gratification with these shrubs, but it is well worth the wait if you’re patient. Be sure to get hardy hibiscus for zonn 6 and not it’s tropical cousin.
Hardy Hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos or H. syriacus)
Hardiness: Zones 4–9
Plant Type: Woody or herbaceous perennial
Exposure: Full sun
Bloom Time: Mid-summer to early fall
Water Needs: Moderate to high
Key Characteristics: Huge tropical-like flowers; needs consistent moisture; dies back in winter; slow spring emergence.
Black-Eyed Susans
If you like a cottage garden-look, or have a spot that needs to be filled, black-eyed susans are great. Our few plants are taking over two of our beds, in a good way. They are filling in holes left by annuals or plants that didn’t make it over the winter. Very low maintenance, happy perennial for the garden.
Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia fulgida)
Hardiness: Zones 3–9
Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Exposure: Full sun
Bloom Time: Midsummer to frost
Water Needs: Moderate; drought-tolerant
Key Characteristics: Golden petals with dark centers; spreads easily; deer-resistant; attracts pollinators.
Shasta Daisies
These pretty white flowers are a summer stunner. They are such a happy addition and so far, seem pretty low maintenance and resilient. They also continue to volunteer around the yard with new plants popping up in the most random places. I love that.
Shasta Daisies (Leucanthemum x superbum)
Hardiness: Zones 5–9
Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Exposure: Full sun
Bloom Time: Early to late summer
Water Needs: Moderate; well-drained soil
Key Characteristics: Classic white flowers; long bloom with deadheading; great cut flowers; tidy clumps.
Hostas
Hostas are such a great plant in the garden. They can be a complementary plant for something dramatic, like hydrangeas, or the can a stand alone beauty in the garden. They are very particular about how much sun they get so pay attention to where you plant them. If they do end up with a bit more sun than they would like, be sure to water them heavily.
Hostas
Hardiness: Zones 3–9
Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Exposure: Part sun to full shade
Bloom Time: Summer
Water Needs: Moderate; moist soil
Key Characteristics: Grown for bold foliage; many sizes/colors; slug-prone; great for shade gardens.
Dahlias
Dahlias are a tender perennial in zone 6. That means in the fall, you need to dig them up (lift them) and store them, such as in a bucket of dry sand or in paper bags with peat moss for example. Both my husband and I find that the extra effort is worth because of the beauty and variety they add to the garden.
Dahlias
Hardiness: Zones 8–10 (lift tubers in 6b)
Plant Type: Tuberous perennial
Exposure: Full sun
Bloom Time: Mid-summer to frost
Water Needs: Moderate; avoid soggy soil
Key Characteristics: Huge flower variety; needs staking; fertilize regularly; store tubers in winter.
Ice Plants
A new addition to the garden last year, this plant has beautiful color options, with succulent-like leaves. It took the place of some creeping phlox that got choked out by wheat grass much to my chagrin. I love this plant for it’s interesting foliage, pretty flowers, but especially it’s ability to grow over mulch and choke out weeds!
Ice Plants (Delosperma spp.)
Hardiness: Zones 5–10 (hardy types for 6b)
Plant Type: Succulent groundcover
Exposure: Full sun
Bloom Time: Late spring through summerWater Needs: Low; drought-tolerant
Key Characteristics: Mat-forming succulent; daisy-like blooms; needs drainage; evergreen in mild climates.
