Do Any Plants Flower Year-Round? These 7 Prolific Bloomers Come Surprisingly Close

Every gardener has shared this experience. You clean up the beds in spring and plant new flowers in bright, eye-catching colors. Your favorite shrubs are blooming, the climbing vine has burst into fragrant flowers, and – for a moment – everything looks absolutely stunning. You wish with all your heart that it could stay this way all year long.

But spring turns into summer, and its flowers fade. Summer blooms come and go, too. Perhaps a shrub flowers in fall, but then the garden is done for the year. If you are hoping for blooms that last much longer, the longest-flowering perennials can help extend the display. In cold-winter climates, reliable indoor bloomers can provide color when the garden cannot.

Plants With Exceptional Flowering Habits

Are there any garden flowers that genuinely remain in bloom throughout the year? That is pretty rare, but there are more than a few long-blooming perennials. Some plants steadily bloom for months on end, while others bloom repeatedly with short gaps in between flowering periods. And some houseplants can bloom almost continuously under consistent indoor conditions.

A good bloom-boosting fertilizer is essential to keep these hardworking plants performing at their best. FoxFarm Big Bloom Liquid Plant Food, available from Amazon, is formulated for both indoor and outdoor plants and is compatible with every plant on this list.

Here are my top picks that bloom for long periods, with a mix of outdoor and indoor plants.

1. Autumn Sage

Autumn sage (Salvia greggii) blooms continuously from spring through the first frost (typically March to November). This type of salvia forms mounds up to 3 feet (1 m) tall with oodles of blooms – red, pink, purple, or white. You’ll see the best flower displays during the cooler months, with lighter blooming during intense summer heat.

Pick up a two-pack of autumn sage featuring bright red blooms from Latropic at Walmart.

Care tips: Plant in a site in USDA hardiness zones 6–9 with at least 6 hours of direct sun and deadhead spent flowers. Cut the plants back in late winter before new growth starts.

2. Purslane

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is a succulent with bright yellow blooms on trailing stems. Each flower is short-lived, but they just keep coming in warm, sunny weather. Purslane can live outside and bloom all year long in USDA hardiness zones 10–11. In cooler areas, you can grow it outdoors as a flowering annual, or plant it into a container and bring it indoors for the winter.

It's quick and easy to grow purslane from seed with these heirloom non-GMO purslane seeds from TKE Farms & Gardens at Amazon.

Care tips: Plant in a full sun area with moderate temperatures. Give the plant soil with sharp drainage and water it at least once a week, twice in the heat of summer.

3. Lantana

Lantana (Lantana camera) is too pretty to be called the workhorse of the garden, but – despite its flush of tiny tubular flowers in a rainbow of colors – it is tough and reliable, growing to 6 feet (2 m) tall. In frost-free locations, lantana blooms all 12 months of the year. In cooler climates, it still flowers from spring right through the last frost. Plant it in USDA hardiness zones 7–11

You can pick up a multicolor lantana hanging basket at Lowe's.

Care tips: Plant in a full sun location in moist, well-drained soil. Give balanced fertilizer one time a year. Apply mulch around your lantana; it will keep down weeds and hold moisture in the soil.

4. 'Rozanne' Hardy Geranium

Hardy geraniums (also called cranesbill geraniums) are flowering perennials within the Geranium genus. ‘Rozanne’ – available to buy online at Plant Addicts – is one of the longest-blooming perennials in the garden. Its small, cupped flowers are a beautiful shade of violet blue. They appear in late spring and last until the first frost.

Care tips: Plant ‘Rozanne’ hardy geraniums in a full sun location in USDA hardiness zones 5–8, with slightly acidic soil. Water the plants regularly. Apply fertilizer or compost on garden beds in early spring to help ensure the best flowering.

5. African Violet

One of the most widely grown houseplants in the world, African violets (Saintpaulia ionantha) top most lists of favorite flowering plants. Their flowers have five royal purple petals topping a rosette of fuzzy leaves. Their compact size makes them perfect for windowsills and desks. Each bloom period lasts a month or more. After a short rest period, they bloom repeatedly throughout the year under ideal conditions. They can live up to 50 years.

Pick up a four-pack of Optiflora Assorted Optimara African Violet Live Plants at Walmart.

Care tips: To keep these beauties blooming all year long, provide them with bright indirect light, water the plants from the bottom when the soil is slightly dry, and feed them regularly with a balanced bloom booster. Indoor temperatures should remain between 65–80°F (18–27°C).

6. Moth Orchids (Phalaenopsis spp.)

Moth orchids (Phalaenopsis) offer numerous buds and exotic blooms on graceful, arching stems. Each flower spike can last up to three months, and mature plants can re-bloom multiple times a year or extend growth on existing spikes, ensuring you have blooms for most of the year. With appropriate care, moth orchids can flower year after year for two decades.

This Just Add Ice Purple Premium Orchid from Walmart is a lovely option for beginner orchid growers.

Care tips: Place your moth orchid in a location with bright, indirect light like a south- or east-facing window. Only water when the soil is dry, usually about once a week. Soak the potting medium to water it, then let it drain completely. Feed your moth orchid with a fertilizer made for orchids every month during the growing season.

7. Flamingo Flower

Flamingo or anthurium flowers (Anthurium andraeanum) are long-lasting bloomers that give your house a tropical and sophisticated ambiance. They produce their exotic waxy heart-shaped spathes in shades of red, pink, white, orange, and lavender (choose which color of anthurium you like from Plant Addicts) on and off all year long. In the right conditions, a healthy plant will produce new blooms throughout the year, offering a continuous display.

Care tips: Give the flamingo flower a bright spot indoors, a location with bright, indirect light, and high humidity. Only water when the top inch of soil is dry.

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