Best Perennials To Plant In June

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Today, I’m discussing the best perennials to plant in June. In June, I walk out into my garden and assess how my new plants are doing.

Are they growing and filling out? Do they look bedraggled and sad and seem to need a bit of help? Do they seem to be getting too much sun or too much shade?

Are there areas where you need more height? More color or fragrance?

June is the month when I take note of what plants are thriving and which are not.

The new plants might struggle a little as the sun heats up in summer and may need a little more watering. Your old perennials should be starting to look fairly lush and happy.

Note what’s going on in your garden in June, and then next year you will have your notes to guide you.

What Are The Best Perennials To Plant In June?

• Balloon flower
• Butterfly weed
• Coneflower
• Coreopsis
• Cosmos
• Peonies
• Pincushion flower
• Roses
• Shasta daisy

Balloon Flower (Platycodon grandiflorus):

Also known as tickseed, this plant is deer-resistant and a long-blooming perennial flower. Balloon flower attracts butterflies, bees, and birds.

Balloon flower symbolizes “eternal love.” It also means “sincerity” and “elegance.”

Growing to around 24 inches tall and 12 inches wide, it has dark green leaves and blue flowers in late summer.

A notable feature of the plant is the flower bud, which swells like a balloon before fully opening. Hence the name.

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa):

Butterfly weed is a fairly low-maintenance plant. It grows in poor, dry soil and even on slopes. It is drought-tolerant and cold-hardy. It’s usually deer-resistant and mostly disease-free.

Native butterfly weed will attract pollinators to your garden. It has gorgeous blooms and is a favorite of cut gardens. You may want to snip off some blooms to take indoors to enjoy in a jar of water.

Attracting pollinators is probably the biggest benefit of having this plant in your garden.

Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea):

Coneflowers are popular perennials. It is a true North American native, which is why it attracts insect pollinators and birds.

These plants are heat and drought-resistant, easy to grow, and bloom for months. This plant makes great cut flowers to take indoors to enjoy.

As the flowers fade and the nectar dries up, the flower heads will attract goldfinches, who love their seeds.

Native plants should be promoted because they are critical to native ecosystems.

Coreopsis (Tickseed):

These drought-tolerant plants require full sun. Coreopsis grows in upright clumps and flowers throughout the summer.

The coreopsis plant has a moderate growth rate. It is best planted in the spring after all risk of frost has passed.

As summer gives way to fall and the flowers die back, consider leaving them so the birds can dine on the seeds.

Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus):

It has been said that the cosmos plant is the best low-maintenance and floweriest plant in the world. Cosmos will provide you with lots of cut flowers, and they tend to hold up well in a vase for some time.

Cosmos grow best in a sunny spot, protected from wind, with well-drained, light soil. It is advisable to mulch the ground to conserve moisture.

Most cosmos varieties are annuals, which means they won’t return year after year. But you can collect the seed and sow new cosmos each spring.

Cosmos atrosanguineus, or chocolate cosmos, will return each year if it is given protection from the winter cold. Cosmos atrosanguineus is a herbaceous perennial plant with a fleshy tuberous root.

Mexican priests cultivated the flower and named it Cosmos because of its evenly spaced, orderly petals.

Cosmos attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and many other types of pollinators.

Peonies (Paeonia):

Aside from their fragrance, peonies are popular among brides for their symbolism, which represents love and romance. They are also the traditional flower for 12th wedding anniversaries.

Peonies prefer a sunny location with well-drained soil. Note that the peony plant needs good air circulation around the plant.

This helps peonies avoid their only serious disease problem: botrytis. Like other fungal diseases, botrytis is present in most soils.

Plant peonies in the fall. Herbaceous peonies do best in Hardiness Zones 3 to 8. This is because winter temperatures are cold enough to encourage bud formation.

Roses (Rosa):

Roses are one of the oldest flowers. They are classified as “herbs” and are recognized as useful plants.

There are more than 150 species of roses, including shrubs, climbers, and ground covers.

Roses come in many colors, and each has different meanings. These vary in different cultures, but generally mean: 

All roses grow best in full sun with moist, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Roses prefer slightly acidic soil.

Red = love and romance

Pink = grace and elegance

Yellow = friendship and cheer

White = sympathy, purity, spirituality, and innocence

Orange = congratulations or enthusiasm

Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum):

Shasta daisies can be grown in sun or part shade. They are deer-resistant, drought-resistant, and rarely struggle with pests or diseases.

Good soil drainage is especially important in winter because damp, soggy soil around the plant’s root crown can lead to rot.

The Shasta daisy plant thrives in well-drained but not overly rich soil. Taller varieties may need staking.

Daisies tend to form in clumps that are 2 to 3 feet tall and almost as wide. They are great as cut flowers and can last a week or more in arrangements.

What Are Herbaceous Plants?

Herbaceous plants are non-woody plants, such as most ferns and grasses. These plants either form little or no hard woody tissue.

Unlike woody plants, such as trees, these plants don’t have a stem that remains above ground after their leaves die.

Herbaceous plants include many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials.

Garden Maintenance for June:

This is the time of year when the weeds can really start to overtake your garden. It’s best to take this task seriously and stay on top of it.

Make sure you properly water your garden unless there is a lot of rainfall.

Are you deadheading the annual blooms that have now faded away? Deadheading regularly means more blooms. If you deadhead your plants as soon as the blooms fade, you will get a second bloom.

When the flowering process is suspended, the plant begins to use all its energy to form seeds.