23 Full Sun Plants That Bloom All Summer

It’s spring, and gardeners everywhere are starting to get the itch for colorful flowers.

In my experience, the best plants are the ones that produce lots of booms all summer long! Luckily, there are many to choose from.

Today I’m sharing my favorite perennial and annual plants that bloom the entire season and can tolerate lots of golden light.

Sun Loving Perennials That Bloom All Summer

These perennial plants enjoy full sun and and will brighten up your garden beds with their beautiful blooms in the summer months. As perennials, these plants will return year after year (zone dependent).

A few of these plants love a little shade in the afternoon, and notes are made on those.

Many of these perennial flowers will attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Catmint

Catmint is a romantic, flowing plant with purple flowers that pollinators absolutely love.

These lovely full sun bloomers are actually an herb. They first bloom in late spring, and can be cut back to get another rush of lovely violet colored flowers.

This pretty aromatic herb is easy to grow, drought-tolerant, and enjoys lots of sun.

Bloom Time: Spring + Summer

Read about the best early spring flowers here.

Blanket Flowers

Featuring bright yellow flowers with orange centers, blanket flowers bloom like a field full of tiny setting suns.

Flowering from early summer to late fall, blanket flowers have a long lasting bloom that make a gorgeous ground cover.

These unique flowers are drought tolerant and are often planted in rock gardens. Blanket flowers have sage colored leaves and are need well drained soil to thrive.

Bloom Time: Early Summer-Fall

Ice Plant

Ice plants are a hardy succulent with perky bright pink flowers. They enjoy drought conditions and are very easy to grow. Ice plants enjoy sandy, well-draining soil and are another excellent choice for rock gardens.

These succulents are available n bright yellow, purple, or pink flowers and can tolerate lots of sun. These low-maintenance plants are drought tolerant, perfect for a low-maintenance garden.

Roses

The iconic rose bush brings elegance and beauty to the garden, and modern varieties bloom all summer long! These fragrant flowers come in many different sizes, colors, and shapes.

Roses start blooming in the beginning of spring and if dead-headed regularly will continue to bloom until first frost. They cycle through their blooms over a period of 5 to 7 weeks.

Roses do well in full sun but can tolerate part shade.

Bloom: Spring- Fall

Be inspired with this beautiful tour of the Portland Rose Garden.

Hydrangeas

I am including hydrangeas in this list because they have such a beautiful, long lasting bloom, but keep in mind they thrive with morning sun and afternoon shade.

While hydrangeas only bloom one time during a season, the blooms can last all summer long. Give them lots to drink and plant them in well-drained soil.

Hydrangeas do not enjoy intense afternoon heat so be plant them in a spot where they can rest in the afternoon!

Bloom time: Early Summer-Fall

Check out other cottage styled flowers here.

Dahlias

Dahlias are famous for their bountiful blooms. Just one plant can produce hundreds of flowers each summer and will bloom into late fall!

These beautiful flowers love full sun and are the perfect choice for cut flower gardens. Regular deadheading is essential to encourage your dahlia plant to bloom all season.

Read our guide to growing dahlias here and learn how to dead head your flowers for more beautiful blooms right here.

Bloom Time: Mid Summer-Late Fall

Black Eyed Susans

Black-Eyed Susans feature dramatic, dark-brown centers off set by vibrant yellow flowers. These cheerful perennials typically bloom from June to early August.

Black-Eyed Susans have a large flower, about 2-3 inches, which attract pollinators. They make excellent cut flowers and are drought tolerant. Some varieties are annuals, so be sure to check for winter hardiness when purchasing.

Bloom Time: All Summer–Early Fall

Read our beginner’s guide to flower gardening here.

Salvia

Salvia is a beautiful, long stemmed herb that attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.

A heat tolerant plant, salvia require little water and have a long lasting bloom. We love Hot Lips Salvia for its bright, two toned flowers and ability to attract hummingbirds like crazy.

Salvia are deer-resistant, making it a wonderful plant for rural gardeners to consider.

Bloom Time: Late Spring-Fall

French Lavender

French lavender has elegant flowers on long stems and is a perennial herb that blooms and blooms! In warmer climates, French lavender will even bloom all year!

These heat-tolerant plants thrive in sandy soil and full sun. French lavender plants start blooming in mid spring and will continue to do so until the cold winters set in. Immediately deadhead after the first rush of blooms in spring to continue to see new flowers.

Bloom Time: Spring-Fall

Shasta Daisy

Shasta daisies are sweet cottage style flowers well known for their long white petals and yellow centers. They are herbaceous perennials that add charm and dimension to the cottage garden.

These excellent cutting flowers bloom a long time and are deer-resistant. Shasta daisies make a cheerful perennial border. The flower grow in clumps and grow about four feet tall.

Plant different varieties to keep a bloom around the entire summer.

Bloom Time: Summer-Fall

Russian Sage

Rich, lavender-blue flowers adorn the tall spikes of Russian sage. This beautiful sage plant produces flowers that make a stunning impact in the perennial garden. The foliage is a unique silver green that pairs well with lavender and catmint for a muted, English inspired garden bed.

Russian sage needs loose, well draining soil and full sun. This beauty will bloom from mid summer until the first frosts of autumn.

Bloom Time: Summer-Fall

Hardy Fuchsia

Hardy fuchsia are a long blooming perennial that attract hummingbirds to their neon tubular flowers.

These upright fuchsia plants differ from their shade-loving cousins whom you’ll often find in hanging baskets. Hardy fuchsia are longer stemmed shrubs that do well in borders and flower beds.

Hardy fuchsia grow best in full sun and come in a variety of colors: pale pink, purples, bright reds and whites.

These long-blooming perennials are easy to grow and are one of the best plants for attracting pollinators! Mulch well to over winter successfully.

Bloom Time: June-Fall

Rose Of Sharon

Romantic and colorful, Rose Of Sharon boast hundreds of ruffled, colorful flowers. These hardy shrubs come in a wide variety of colors: white, pink, purple, and yellow.

They love full sun and the blooms last from mid summer until fall! These colorful plants can grow quite large, up to 12 feet tall, and attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

With their prolific blooms and romantic ruffled petals, these beautiful perennial shrubs are one of our favorites for a cottage style garden.

Bloom Time: Summer-Fall

Learn about flowers that attract hummingbirds and butterflies here.

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Echinacea often goes by its common name, purple cone flower. Whatever you prefer to call it, we love this bright, long-lasting perennial. Echinacea is a boasts luminous flower petals that glow in a pinkish purple hue.

Bees love purple coneflower, so include them in your pollinator garden!

Purple coneflower are a herbaceous perennial that bloom every year and thrive in full sun. Blooms last all summer.

Bloom time: From June To August.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Yarrow are sun-loving perennials that feature muted yellow, pink, and white flowers atop ferny foliage. Native to North America, yarrow is very drought tolerant and incredibly easy to grow!

Butterflies love the umbrella like clusters of yarrow flowers.

Yarrow enjoy dry, hot conditions and loose, well-draining soil. These hardy perennials bloom from early spring to late fall. They are one of the best flowering plants for busy gardeners who don’t have a lot of time to pamper their flowers.

Bloom Time: Early Spring- Late Fall

Annual Plants That Love Sun + Bloom All Summer

These annual flowering plants love sun and will bloom all summer. While annuals won’t return the following year, they allow you to spice up the garden beds with new flowers for the summer season.

Keep in mind that you do need to dead head, or remove spent flowers to keep most of them blooming.

Cosmos

Cosmos are a popular cutting flower that brighten up the flower beds with endless blooms starting in July. They do best in sunny spots and are a great addition for a bee and butterfly garden.

Cosmos flowers are low maintenance, requiring little water… just dead-head them regularly for additional blooms! Learn more about cosmos flowers and their bloom time here.

Bloom Time: Mid Summer-Fall

Sunflowers

It’s no secret that I love sunflowers, and for good reason! These iconic summer flowers come in so many colors and sizes and they have a long lasting bloom.

Plant a variety of seeds at different times to get a succession of blooms all summer long. Some of our favorites are dwarf sunflowers, red sunflowers, and wild sunflowers.

Best of all, sunflowers require no special care and are a good choice for those of us who have a busy summer and may not be able to water regularly.

Bloom Time: Mid Summer-Fall

Zinnias

Zinnias are bright, cheerful annual flowers that pump out constant blooms. These perky flowers are a classic for a summer garden, and are very easy to grow.

Children enjoy the vibrant colors and they come in many fun shapes and colors! Zinnias grow very easily from seeds and are easy to grow in containers.

Bloom Time: Mid Summer-Late Fall

Most annuals need to be properly dead headed in order to keep blooming. Simply follow the stem of the spent flower down to the first set of leaves and remove here. This will encourage lateral branching with more flower buds blooming at the end of each new branch!

Geraniums

Geraniums are an annual known for their bright red flowers and love of sunlight. These popular flowers begin blooming in spring and if dead headed properly, will continue producing blooms until fall. Geraniums are very easy to grow!

Though red is a popular geranium color, they also come in gorgeous shades of light pink, coral, white and orange.

Bloom Time: Spring-Fall

Marigolds

Marigolds are an excellent choice for sunny spots. These bold flowers are beneficial for the vegetable garden in several ways: they ward off deer with their aroma and attract bees and butterflies.

The ruffled, showy flowers of marigolds come in many shades of orange, yellow, gold, and red.

Remove spent marigolds regularly to see more beautiful blooms.

Bloom Time: Early Summer-Late Fall

Petunias

Petunias are famous for their bountiful, cascading flowers that last all summer long. With their tubular shape and bold colors petunias are a hot spot for hummingbirds and butterflies.

You will often see petunia baskets filled to the brim in summer along warm city sidewalks. Petunias can take heat, but they do need regular watering to stay healthy and lush. .

Both petunias and million bells flow beautifully from window boxes.

Bloom Time: Mid Spring Until Frost

Million Bells (Calibrachoa)

Million Bells are tiny versions of petunias that cascade beautifully out of hanging baskets and containers.

I love how colorful million bells are and how long the flowers last throughout the growing season, without deadheading. Million bells are small flowers (about one inch across), and come in many bright colors with vibrant green foliage.

Bloom Time: Early Summer-Fall

*Million bells can become heat stressed, so setting your basket in an area that gets afternoon shade can be a wise idea.

FAQ

I hope you enjoyed this list of flowering plants that love lots of sunshine. These flowers will give you lots of booms all season. Let me know in the comments below what your favorite full sun flower is… and why!

Happy gardening, Jamie

Please note that flowers grow in different hardiness zones. Be sure to check out your specific zone to see what full sun flowers will thrive in your specific area!