What about some of the short crape myrtles?

I have a goldsturm (sp?) spirea that survived the last two summers with very little water while the weigelias on either side of it died. That and dwarf crepe myrtles do best for me.

I have a goldsturm (sp?) spirea that survived the last two summers with very little water while the weigelias on either side of it died. That and dwarf crepe myrtles do best for me.

I have a goldsturm (sp?) spirea that survived the last two summers with very little water while the weigelias on either side of it died. That and dwarf crepe myrtles do best for me.

Peonies will not bloom all summer, they are pretty early spring bloomers...April/May. You could do a mixed border to give you flowers throughout the seasons.

Hydrangeas will not take heat or afternoon soon. They need shade and lots of water!

Do you have tea roses or hybrid teas? My hybrid teas always look awful but I have some other roses that do much better and don't require the constant pampering. How much room do you have? Several of mine are pretty good sized.

Have you thought about knock out roses?

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"Archduke Charles"

I'm having pretty good luck with knockouts in full sun. They give a spectacular bloom in the spring and then bloom throughout the summer, but not as impressive as the initial bloom. Be careful, though, some can get pretty big - way taller than 4 ft.

I'm having pretty good luck with knockouts in full sun. They give a spectacular bloom in the spring and then bloom throughout the summer, but not as impressive as the initial bloom. Be careful, though, some can get pretty big - way taller than 4 ft.

i am a weird one. i hate crepe myrtle and knockouts. my roses are tea roses, not hybrid. i have spirea (bridle-veil) in the back, but it only blooms in the spring. too bad about peonies.

where i have my roses is a pretty big area because when they were doing good they filled it out. they were b.r cant, and they become wide and tall bushes.

your yard is pretty lisa.

i am a weird one. i hate crepe myrtle and knockouts. my roses are tea roses, not hybrid. i have spirea (bridle-veil) in the back, but it only blooms in the spring. too bad about peonies.

where i have my roses is a pretty big area because when they were doing good they filled it out. they were b.r cant, and they become wide and tall bushes.

your yard is pretty lisa.

I don't know of any perennial plant that blooms all summer. There may be plants that bloom and then look attractive the rest of the year. That is the kind of plant I look for.

In my climate oak leaf hydrangea blooms, then the old blooms get a pinkish beige color and stay on looking OK, then in fall sometimes the leaves color. I hate the mop head hydrangeas that wilt all the time. It makes me feel bad to see a wilting plant. Oak leaf hydrangea may not do well in OK. My climate is not as severe but I am seven miles from OK.

There are annuals that have long bloom times.

My crepe myrtles are beautiful. I have Pink Velour and a dark red four plants in a row alternating colors about six feet high in my vegetable garden. The tomatoes got watered but there was not enough water for the crepe myrtles and daylilies in there. They are beautiful very year even the last two hot, dry years.

Since the rains my Rose of Sharon is blooming nicely. They bloom in late summer and look better trimmed a bit and watered. I haven't had many J beetles that year. J beetles like rose of Sharon. Diana and Aphrodite are beautiful althea names. Lots of people have althea and don't water it in summer. Cared for the named varieties look good.

I don't know of any perennial plant that blooms all summer. There may be plants that bloom and then look attractive the rest of the year. That is the kind of plant I look for.

In my climate oak leaf hydrangea blooms, then the old blooms get a pinkish beige color and stay on looking OK, then in fall sometimes the leaves color. I hate the mop head hydrangeas that wilt all the time. It makes me feel bad to see a wilting plant. Oak leaf hydrangea may not do well in OK. My climate is not as severe but I am seven miles from OK.

There are annuals that have long bloom times.

My crepe myrtles are beautiful. I have Pink Velour and a dark red four plants in a row alternating colors about six feet high in my vegetable garden. The tomatoes got watered but there was not enough water for the crepe myrtles and daylilies in there. They are beautiful very year even the last two hot, dry years.

Since the rains my Rose of Sharon is blooming nicely. They bloom in late summer and look better trimmed a bit and watered. I haven't had many J beetles that year. J beetles like rose of Sharon. Diana and Aphrodite are beautiful althea names. Lots of people have althea and don't water it in summer. Cared for the named varieties look good.

I don't know of any perennial plant that blooms all summer. There may be plants that bloom and then look attractive the rest of the year. That is the kind of plant I look for.

In my climate oak leaf hydrangea blooms, then the old blooms get a pinkish beige color and stay on looking OK, then in fall sometimes the leaves color. I hate the mop head hydrangeas that wilt all the time. It makes me feel bad to see a wilting plant. Oak leaf hydrangea may not do well in OK. My climate is not as severe but I am seven miles from OK.

There are annuals that have long bloom times.

My crepe myrtles are beautiful. I have Pink Velour and a dark red four plants in a row alternating colors about six feet high in my vegetable garden. The tomatoes got watered but there was not enough water for the crepe myrtles and daylilies in there. They are beautiful very year even the last two hot, dry years.

Since the rains my Rose of Sharon is blooming nicely. They bloom in late summer and look better trimmed a bit and watered. I haven't had many J beetles that year. J beetles like rose of Sharon. Diana and Aphrodite are beautiful althea names. Lots of people have althea and don't water it in summer. Cared for the named varieties look good.

The two roses I posted are my favorite of all of mine. Top one is "Maggie" and the last one is "Archduke Charles". Both of the have been in the ground for more than a couple of years, so you can sort of see their size. I have another rose in the back that may be Georgetown Tea. I thought it was something else, but I have ruled that rose out, so I'm calling it Georgetown Tea until someone tells me differently! It is HUGE. Gigantic. There is a passion vine growing on the fence behind it and they are duking it out as to who is gonna win :)

You might look at Vitex (chaste tree). The naked tree posted above is a vitex. It has beautiful purple blooms. It is obviously way bigger than 4 feet, but there are supposedly versions that are slightly more dwarf. I bought one last year, but I won't know for a couple of years if it is really any shorter.

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Georgetown Tea (?) in May 2013

Vitex (chaste tree). i love it but i imagine it gets big lisa. i see what you mean helen. nothing blooms all summer.

Buddleia will bloom all summer. If you deadhead the faded blooms it will encourage more blooming side shoots.

Chaste tree can be trimmed to the ground each spring if you want a thick long blooming shrub instead of a tree.

Russian Sage blooms in spring and holds the flowers all summer and then reblooms in fall giving the appearance of blooming all summer/fall.

Salvia greggii will bloom all spring/summer/fall if there's sufficient water.

The hardy shrub type Lantanas bloom continuously all summer into fall. Bustani's in Stillwater sells 3 varieties and has them available in spring.

Pink blooming Hesperaloe puts out blooms that last all spring/summer/fall and are great hummingbird attractors.

Silver King artemisia gets as large as a shrub and is a mass of bright silver with dainty flowers all summer.

Thanks Great Plains. I will copy those down and look each up.

Oh, good point. Salvia greggii does flower pretty much all summer. I use it in my flower beds to help bridge the flower lulls.

Another one is Apache Plume (Fallugia paradoxa), it a SW native that blooms all summer while simultaneously forming feather-like seed plumes. TLC in Okla. City had them last summer but no longer carries them. I bought 5 last year at the Midnight Madness, they were getting rid of them. Great Basin Natives online carries it and these people are very reliable. It will take any amount of heat or drought you can give it. Its not for everyone because its not flashy but I love it for texture and performance and it goes great with my native plants. I get lots of compliments on it but it wouldn't work well with bright flashier plants.

This post was edited by GreatPlains1 on Fri, Aug 9, 13 at 16:33

thanks Great Plains.