Under the intensity of the Australian summer sun, soft, billowy flowers that can survive the heat are worth their weight in gold.

Summer perennials are the backbone of the garden, especially when intense heat kicks in. Unlike annuals, they return each year, growing stronger and more floriferous over time, earning their place as garden essentials. Flowering for many months in tough conditions, summer perennials embody beautiful juxtapositions — resilience and romance, softness and structure, depth and movement.

Many of our favourite summer flowers are also rich in nectar and pollen, providing valuable food for birds and bees while also housing beneficial insects such as ladybird, hoverfly and parasitoid wasp larvae.

Visit us to explore our latest range of summer perennials.

Achillea

When it comes to ticking boxes, Achillea millefolium leads the race. These drought-hardy plants work beautifully as both fresh and dried cut flowers, offer an exuberant range of colours and heights, and flower generously. When you mass-plant achilleas, they attract a wide assortment of pollinators, including parasitoid wasps that help control pests such as aphids.

Agastache

Agastaches are true set-and-forget plants, providing a long, continuous display from mid-summer through to autumn. They don’t require constant deadheading, although a hard winter prune encourages stronger growth in the following season. Growing over a metre tall, agastaches deserve a designated spot in the garden, where they can soften flower borders and attract beneficial insects to their heart’s content. Many varieties, such as Korean mint, also have medicinal uses, making them a valuable addition to the potager garden.

Echinacea

Establishing an echinacea patch delivers endless benefits in the garden. Their blooms withstand summer heat when most flowers droop and fade, attract a host of birds and insects, and pack powerful immune-boosting properties. Once established, echinaceas need little water and respond well to the occasional hard prune, which encourages more flowers and keeps plants compact.

Eryngium

Eryngiums are tough as nails and bring drama and architectural flair to the flower bed. They make excellent cut flowers, particularly for modern arrangements. Offset eryngiums with yellow-flowering perennials, or accentuate their silvery tones with other silver-leaved plants such as, Senecio ‘Angel Wings’ and Helichrysum ‘Hi Ho Silver’.

Hemerocallis

Each flower might only last one day, but hemerocallis, or daylily, more than makes up for it by blooming prolifically over a long period. They pair well with spring bulbs, providing cover as plants such as daffodils begin to look messy and haggard. Fast-growing and quick to establish, daylilies are sun-hardy, salt-tolerant and easy to maintain.

Limonium

The quintessential coastal plant, limonium, or perennial statice, are stunning when planted en masse. Each flower is tiny, but are held on branching stems that billow in the sea breeze, which makes it a popular cut flower, fresh or dried. Limonium takes salt spray, intense sun, and bouts of drought, and are a worthy plant to add to the garden.

Pycnosorus

Better known as Billy Buttons, Pycnosorus globosus is an easy-to-grow Australian native that rewards gardeners generously. Its attractive silver-green, strappy leaves contrast beautifully with bright, sunshine-yellow flowers that resemble pom-poms from a child’s craft box. Drought- and frost-hardy once established, Billy Buttons can flower for up to nine months of the year.

Phlomis

This award-winning member of the sage family is an attractive perennial with yellow hooded flowers from spring to autumn. Phlomis is particularly hardy, thriving in harsh coastal conditions and, once established, tolerating both intense heat and cold. Leaving the seed heads over winter provides a valuable food source for insects and birds, especially goldfinches.

Ptilotus

The soft, fluffy flowers of the native Ptilotus, or mulla mulla, are irresistible when set against dusty sand dunes and the blue ocean. Planted en masse, they make a romantic statement while bellying their tough nature. Drought-hardy, wind-resistant, and salt-tolerant, Ptilotus thrives in almost any soil type, provided it drains well. They are suitable for pots, and their fluffy blooms work beautifully as fresh or dried cut flowers.

Salvia

With hundreds of varieties and colours to choose from, no summer garden is complete without salvias. Robust and long-flowering, they add structure and texture to garden beds. Salvias attract bees and thrive for months in tough, dry spots, though they benefit from occasional supplementary watering.

Come in to the Nursery and talk to one of our friendly garden experts today!