What Are Perennials?
Perennials are plants that go dormant in their off season (usually winter). Their roots “hibernate” over the winter and the plant may appear dead, but perennials will regrow from the root the next season. Gardeners only have to plant perennials once—unless the plant dies—and it’s not required that you replant them again every year (like annuals).
Because of this, perennial flowering plants make a great long-term investment, especially for cut flower gardens and flower farms, as they reduce the need to replant annuals each year. You can also grow perennials from perennial flower seeds, but—depending on the behavior of the plant—they can take significantly longer to establish and flower from seed than planting directly from bulbs, tubers, cuttings, or plugs.
Remember, some plants that are considered perennials in one growing zone may need to be treated as annuals in another. And some annuals can self-seed, almost acting as perennials. This is dependent on your specific zone, so to ensure you get the most out of your investment in your garden, read up on your growing zone and the care information for each flowering perennial.
Looking for annuals instead? Check out our guide to annuals that bloom all summer long.
The Difference Between a Tender and Hardy Perennial
A tender perennial is a plant that returns year after year in warmer climates but would fail to return in growing zones with colder winters (think a tropical hibiscus flowering every year in Southeast Texas or dahlias returning after winter in growing zone 8 through 10).
A hardy perennial is one that can usually withstand winter outside and unprotected, without being removed and stored elsewhere.
Whether a flowering perennial plant is considered tender or hardy is based on your specific growing zone and the characteristics and care of the plant.
For this article, we’ll focus on hardy flowering perennials that do well for cut flower work.
But it’s important to note (again!), that even a hardy perennial may not be considered viable for your particular growing zone. So make sure to do your research before planting flowers or perennial seeds!
A Note About Invasive Perennial Flowers
If you’re a gardener, flower farmer, or floral designer who is growing flowers and is also cautious about growing invasive perennial plants, make sure to do additional research before purchasing and planting.
What is considered an invasive plant is dependent on your region. Check with your local Department of Wildlife or Agriculture extension office to be sure.
Do You Have to Deadhead Perennial Flowers?
Deadheading, or removing spent blooms, is an important practice that can encourage your perennials to flower all season long. In some cases, you might also consider what’s called pinching blooms on your plants in order to encourage more production or longer stem growth.
Check the growing and care specifications for each flower to ensure the plant’s behavior meets your needs, as some varieties listed below even produce more blooms as you cut them!
Perennials That Bloom all Summer from Spring to Fall—Complete Lists of Excellent Cut Flower Varieties
Now to the really fun part! If you’re planning your flower growing endeavors for the next growing season, you’re in luck. In the remainder of this guide, we’ll cover perennials that bloom from spring to fall (which is what we consider as blooming all season long).
Tips for using the lists below:
These perennial flower lists are segmented by color palette. You’ll see some flowers repeat on the lists below. Because we’ve created this guide to be an easy reference for flower farmers and floral designers who also grow flowers, we’ve set up our resource in this way. But you’ll see specific color varieties recommended when we can provide them!
Cool season flowers (or early season flowers) are marked for your reference. You’ll see an asterisk (*) mark flowers that do well as a cool season or early season flower. However, we’ve strategically included varieties on this list that continue to flower throughout their season, depending on your growing zone.
You’ll also see perennial flowering shrubs in this list. While technically considered shrubs in their own right, in this listing you’ll see suggestions of perennial shrubs that flower and do well for cut flower gardening and floral design work.
Photos of each flower are not provided. In this guide, we didn’t include photos of every flower listed, and that’s intentional. Including a photo of each variety listed would’ve made for quite the hard-to-load article. If you need to check on the appearance of a flower, we suggest simply opening up a new tab and doing a quick internet search—and then jumping back in this guide!
The perennials recommended work well for cut flower gardens and floral design work needs. Because there are thousands upon thousands of flower varieties in existence, we’ve simplified this list to include types of popular perennials that will produce frequently for cut flower gardens and floral design work. We’ve focused on including plants that generally rebloom throughout the season or produce multiple blooms in a season without significant assistance. So that’s why you won’t see some favorite perennials on this list.
Would you like to see a specific perennial or variety added to this list that’s also excellent for cut flower gardening or floral design work? We’d love to hear from you! Simply contact us via the red button on the right corner of this page.
Learn how to grow flowers for market in our Foundations for Growing Cut Flowers online class. You’ll get lifetime access to complete growing lists, comprehensive video instruction and notes, and so much more.
