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We all love those pop-star flowers: The peonies in spring, lilies in summer, garden mums in fall. Their showy blooms never fail to excite, and we wait with anticipation for the next year when they burst onto the scene in all their glory. But just as the backup singers in a band make a song complete, long-blooming perennials turn the garden into a concert experience. These hard-working plants bloom and bloom, transitioning from season to season so your garden is always colorful.

EXTENDED PLAYERS What makes a plant a long-blooming perennial? Some plants will keep producing blossoms as long as you keep deadheading. Others have a peak blooming season, take a rest, then rebloom again with a second, lighter flush of flowers. Yet other flowers may not technically be long bloomers, but they produce colorful calyxes or pretty seed-heads, like the clump-forming allium at right, that prolong their beauty. All of these long bloomers create a backbone in the garden to anchor those one-and-done showoffs in perfect harmony.

Let’s take a look at 13 long-blooming perennials and how to keep that color humming along all summer and beyond.

Clump-forming allium

Allium spp. and hybrids

Clump-forming alliums are pretty for weeks in mid- to late summer, loaded with whimsical orbs on sturdy stems. Spent blooms will fade to tan and accent bright fall bloomers. The dried blossoms even stand up strong through much of winter, providing texture and interest