Planting 7 perennials in May: Sow them from seeds this month for a wallet-friendly bloom extravaganza, offering stunning displays for several years ahead.
Frugal Flower Power: Sensational Perennials to Bloom in May
Save cash and attract a multitude of pollinators to your garden with these spectacular perennials that can be sowed in May. Get ready to witness a riot of color and texture in your flower beds for years to come!
7 Stunners to Enhance Your Garden
Give your garden containers and flower beds a long-lasting pop of color, texture, and charm with these superb perennials that will captivate pollinators and beneficial insects.
1. Agastache (Anise Hyssop)
Flaunt your green thumb with the aromatic agastache! This mound-forming perennial boasts spikes of delightful flowers adored by hummingbirds and boasts fragrant foliage. As it belongs to the mint family, it's as low-maintenance as you can get — no need for constant watering, feeding, or deadheading. Sow seeds undercover in pots, ensure light for germination, and marvel at years of scented leaves and flowers.
2. Black-Eyed Susans
Embrace the wild spirit of your garden with these vibrant American wildflowers! Black-Eyed Susans, named for their daisy-like blooms and dark centers, are hardy in US hardiness zones 3-11. They're a perfect fit for a wildlife garden, offering a vast range of varieties from the classic yellow to green, red, and multicolored shades. Sow seeds directly into your garden once the soil warms up to around 70°F.
3. Catmint
Catmint, or nepeta, is convinced to be a long-lasting, aromatic perennial with summer-long fragrant lilac blooms. Prune it after the first flowers to trigger more blooms. Sow seeds directly into their May growing position, ensuring a sunny spot with well-draining soil. Cover seeds lightly with soil and keep moist while thinning plants to 12 inches apart when they are a few inches tall.
4. Foxglove
Add a touch of magic to your garden with foxgloves! These biennials or short-lived perennials impress with their tall flower spikes in early summer. Even though they are short-lived, they self-seed so freely that they appear perennial. Sow seeds indoors or outdoors in May for blooms the following year.
5. Gaillardia (Blanket Flower)
Revel in the fast-growing gaillardia! This showy perennial blooms in bright shades of orange, red, yellow, and white, and keeps blooming through summer and fall. Seeds can be sown indoors in May and germinated on a windowsill or in a cold frame. Alternatively, sow directly into the flower bed for effortless results.
6. Lupines
Captivating cottage garden plants, lupines emerge with their dazzling flower spikes in late spring and early summer. Perennial lupines can be sown in late spring to flower the next year, though seeds will grow in various colors rather than true to a single plant. If you want a specific variety, propagate lupines from cuttings instead of seeds.
7. Sneezeweed (Helenium)
Warm up your flower beds with sneezeweed in the fall! This fast-growing, tall perennial introduces late-season tones of orange, red, or yellow to your garden. Start seeds indoors in May and transplant seedlings once they are a few inches tall for flowers in August or September.
Pro Tips:
- Love birds? Agastache and Black-Eyed Susans are irresistible to hummingbirds.
- Gaillardia is a drought-tolerant perennial that continues to bloom even without constant deadheading.
- Sowing catmint directly into May's growing position will yield long-lasting lilac blooms.
By incorporating these thriving perennials into your home-and-garden, you'll create a stunning home-and-garden lifestyle that's sure to captivate both you and pollinators. With the addition of agastache, black-eyed susans, catmint, foxglove, gaillardia, lupines, and sneezeweed to your flower beds and garden containers, you can enjoy a blooming oasis throughout the seasons.
