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It IS possible to have an abundance flowers all season long, all the way until frost! I’ve grown all of these in my own garden, so here are 27 of my favorite plants that will provide loads of flowers in your pots and gardens.
Table of Contents
Plants That Bloom All Summer Long
1. Zinnia
Nothing beats Zinnias for nonstop flowers all summer long, and they love the summer heat! Enjoy them in your garden or bring the cut flowers indoors.
Zinnias do best in full sun, and they aren’t too picky about soil, but it ideally should be well drained soil. Deadhead the spent flowers and water and fertilize abundantly for best results.
They also come in many different heights, from varieties that are just a few inches tall that work beautifully in the front of your flower beds, to others like State Fair that easily grow 3-4 feet tall.
Make sure you note the size of the plants on your plant label or your seed packets. They are super easy to grow from seed. There is a zinnia for every part of the garden!
2. Wax Begonia
Each year, I line the perimeter of my garden with wax begonias. They grow just a few inches tall and are perpetually in bloom. The foliage comes in green and even deep purple like the ones I show in the photo from my garden above.
Flowers typically come in white, pink, and an orange-red. They will grow in shade to sun, but will do better with at least a few hours of direct sun. Plant them as a border, in a mass planting, or even in pots.
3. Vinca
The annual Vinca, commonly know as Madagascar Periwinkle, are flowering machines in full sun. They love it hot and sunny, and can even withstand some drought.
Place them near the front of the flower bed, like I show in my garden above. They will typically only get several inches tall. They are tender perennials, so if you live in an area with cold winter, they will freeze and not come back.
4. Verbena
A carefree beauty that is in constant bloom, Verbena is a wonderful plant for your garden. It will act like an annual in most areas and will be killed by frost. Flowers come in a variety of colors including white, pink, purple, mauve, and more.
Give them plenty of sun for best results.
5. Mexican Sunflower
Tithonia plants, commonly called Mexican Sunflower, have stunning orange flowers. Normally you would have to grow these from seed and aren’t found that often as plants in garden centers. The plants will grow a several feet tall and are a little open in habit, so they are best for the back of the flower bed.
6. Black Eyed Susan Vine
Thunbergia, commonly known as the black eyed susan vine, is one of the most vigorous vines that I’ve grown in my garden. The growth rate is spectacular! They need a support to make sure you have something for it to ramble on. Check out my Thunbergia trellis ideas and care post for more information.
They love full sun and the flowers come in white, yellow, pink, and orange.
7. Salvia
Salvia comes in both annual and perennial varieties, but the one in the photo above from my garden is an annual variety. It’s actually a tender perennial in cold winter regions. There are perennial varieties that will come back after winter, but the one in the photo above is not one of them.
They will bloom their hearts off, aren’t too fussy about soil, and thrive in at least half a day or more of sun. Make sure you deadhead the flower spikes to keep the plant clean and so it can continue blooming.
8. Rieger Begonia
Ever since I started growing Rieger begonias, my summer garden is never without a few potted plants. They are perpetually in bloom. I find that they don’t like to be in complete shade, but they also don’t particularly prefer full sun.
If you have a location with about half a day of direct sun, they will be quite happy. Allow the top inch of the potting mix to dry out before watering. Keeping them too wet can cause them to rot. They will usually perform better in pots vs. in the ground.
Flowers come in an array of colors including yellow, white, pink, and even multi-colored.
9. Portulaca
Portulaca, commonly called Moss Rose, is a delightful, low growing plant. Mass planting them give you a gorgeous ground cover with their jewel toned blooms.
The needle-like foliage is succulent and offers a beautiful contrast to the bright flowers. They do beautifully in sunny, dry areas of your garden that has well-drained soil, or plant them in pots.
10. Petunia
Petunias need no introduction. With good care, they should stay in full bloom all summer long. Flowers come in pink, purple, white, yellow and more.
Whether you are growing them in hanging baskets in full sun, or as a ground cover, give them plenty of sun, water and fertilizer for best results.
11. Nasturtium
Nasturtiums are so fun to grow. Some varieties are compact, and others like the one in the photo above from my vegetable garden, are trailing and grow long vines.
Not only are the plants beautiful, but the leaves and the flowers are edible and lend a peppery flavor to your fresh salads! They do bloom best in cooler temperatures so they may slow down in blooming during really hot periods, but abundant flowers will return once temperatures cool a bit.
They are best grow from seed, directly sown into your garden because these plants do not like to be transplanted. Give them plenty of sun for best results.
12. Marigolds
This old fashioned plant is still a favorite in sunny gardens. Marigold varieties grow anywhere from a few inches tall to even 2-3 feet tall! They are super simple and inexpensive to grow from seed, but are commonly available as plants in nurseries.
Flowers range from various shades of yellow and orange. They are wonderful companion plants in the vegetable garden since they attract pollinators. These plants have also been proven to deter nematodes in your garden.
Be sure to give them plenty of sun for best flowering, and make sure you regularly remove spent flowers so that they can put more energy into flowering instead of wasting energy on seeds. If you want to save seeds, you can wait until the end of the season to save the needle-like seeds.
13. Mandevilla
This tropical beauty is usually grown in pots. They are vining in habit and the flowers come in white, pink and red. They do need a support for their vines to wrap around and grow. They love plenty of sun and if they are happy, they will be in bloom all season long.
Be sure not to miss my Mandevilla trellis ideas and care post as well as my post on growing Mandevilla in pots.
14. Lantana
There are few plants that will bloom their heads off like a Lantana in full sun. They love the heat and are also deer resistant and attract a TON of insect pollinators! They will attract bees, butterflies, moths and even hummingbirds in droves. I see these daily in my garden when I grow Lantana.
I find that Lantanas in pots do better than ones in the ground (at least in my climate).
The plant in the photo above from my garden is growing in a cast iron urn and they love the heat that it provides (but I do have to water these plentifully!) The flowers are multicolored, but there are also other varieties that are yellow or purple.
15. Impatiens
Impatiens are super tender perennials that most people grow as annuals. They are very intolerant of the cold, so don’t plant them until temperatures are consistently above 50°F (10°C). The common bedding impatiens are wonderful for shady to partly sunny areas.
There are other other types of impatiens with larger flowers and leaves, such as the SunPatiens in the pot in the photo above from my garden, and even New Guinea impatiens. SunPatiens, as the name suggests, do beautifully in part sun to full sun! Learn about the different types in my how to grow impatiens in pots.
And you can also propagate impatiens in water very easily to make more plants.
16. Hibiscus
Few plants lend a tropical feel to your garden better than hibiscus. There are actually a few different types of hibiscus (some of them are hardy), but you’ll want to grow the tropical hibiscus for non-stop blooms, and you can overwinter hibiscus indoors too.
The flowers typically last only a day, so be sure to regular snip off the dead flowers to encourage more blooming. They really need full sun for best flowering. Read my post on how to get hibiscus to bloom for more details.
If you’ve struggled with this plant, check out my post on reviving your hibiscus where I answer many common questions that people have about this plant.
17. Heliotrope
Heliotrope is an old fashioned garden plant that has the bonus of having very fragrant flowers. They smell like baby powder to me, and the flower show is stunning! Branches can become a little heavy, so you may need to gently support your plant.
They like at least a partly sunny area, if not full sun. Flowers come in the traditional rich purple, like the plant from my garden in the photo above, as well as white and multi-colored.
18. Globe Amaranth
Gomphrena, commonly called Globe Amaranth, comes in white, pink, purple and even a reddish color. This perpetually blooming sun-loving plant attracts butterflies all summer long.
19. Geraniums
No introduction is needed for geraniums. My grandma used to grow tons of them and would overwinter them, so I have carried on that tradition.
Learn how to overwinter geraniums, get geraniums to bloom well, and pick the best geranium fertilizer.
The typical zonal geraniums will grow upright, but you can also grow ivy leaf geraniums which will cascade down from hanging baskets or window boxes in full sun. Deadhead the old flowers regularly and clean up any petals that have fallen on the foliage to discourage disease and keep your plants in great condition.
20. Euphorbia Diamond Frost
The photo above represents the first time I grew this plant. You can see the white masses of flowers of Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’ and it did not disappoint! The masses of small, white flowers grew all summer long until frost. It is a great filler for pots in full sun.
21. Dahlias
If you love cut flowers and have a sunny garden, dahlias are a must! There are so many different shapes and sizes of flowers, and heights can range from just several inches tall, to several feet tall.
They will bloom abundantly until frost. In fact the photo above was taken after I harvested all those cut flowers shortly before frost came. You can lift the tubers and store them over the winter and replant in the Spring.
Be sure not to miss my dahlia care post along with my post on the best fertilizers for dahlias. Give your dahlias plenty of sun and water for best results! The tall dahlias will need stakes for support.
22. Cosmos
Cosmos are a must for any butterfly garden. They come in different heights and colors. The one with the fluted petals above is a variety called Seashells. Flowers will come in white, pink and magenta.
They are super easy to grow from seed, especially if you want more unusual varieties. Pay attention to the height on the seed packet since heights can vary from 1-2 feet all the way to 5 or 6 feet. They actually thrive in poor soil and will flower best that way. Give them plenty of sun.
23. Cleome
Cleome, commonly called Spider Flower, are amazing plants. Once they are established, they are super drought tolerant and flower all the way up until frost.
Flowers come in pink, white, purple and even multi colors. They are super easy to grow from seed, but are commonly found available to purchase as plants in nurseries.
They can get as tall as 5-6 feet depending on the variety.
24. Calibrachoa
If you haven’t had much success with Petunias, you may want to try Calibrachoa. The flowers are smaller, but look similar to Petunias, and they they will stay in bloom all summer long. Be sure to give them at least half a day sun or more and plenty of water.
25. Dragon Wing Begonia
Dragon Wing begonia is a type of cane begonia. They are spectacular plants, are easy to care for, and bloom nonstop. The two specimens above from my garden are growing in pots. They do best with up to half a day of direct sun. Full sun may be a bit too much for them.
26. Angelonia
Once I discovered Angelonia (sometimes called Summer Snapdragon), I decided that I would never go without them in my garden. Flowers come in white, pink and purple and they are in constant bloom.
27. Ageratum
The aster-like flowers of Ageratum are truly gorgeous. These plants bloom non-stop and enjoy part sun to full sun. Make sure you give them plenty of water and don’t let them dry out completely.
I hope you have enjoyed this post on plants that bloom all summer long. Have you grown any of these plants? Comment below. I’d love to hear!