As summer begins to wind down, your garden can still be buzzing with life. While many spring flowers have finished blooming, plenty of beautiful plants continue producing nectar and pollen well into late summer and early fall. By adding a mix of perennials, native plants, herbs, and colorful annuals, you can help support bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other beneficial pollinators when they need it most.
At Town & Country Nurseries, we have everything you need to keep your landscape blooming and your local pollinators thriving through the end of the season.
Why Late Summer Blooms Matter
Pollinators don’t stop working when July ends. Honeybees continue collecting nectar for winter food stores, native bees are raising their final broods, and monarch butterflies begin preparing for their incredible migration south.
Providing a continuous source of flowers helps these important visitors stay healthy while also improving pollination in vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and flowering landscapes.
Perennials That Keep Blooming
Late flowering perennials provide dependable color year after year while offering an excellent food source for pollinators.
Some customer favorites include:
- Black-eyed Susan
- Coneflower (Echinacea)
- Bee Balm
- Joe-Pye Weed
- Asters
- Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
- Russian Sage
- Blanket Flower
These reliable bloomers create long lasting displays that brighten your garden while attracting countless bees and butterflies.
Native Plants Make a Big Difference
Native plants have evolved alongside local pollinators for thousands of years, making them some of the best choices for Connecticut gardens.
Popular native selections include:
- New England Aster
- Goldenrod
- Swamp Milkweed
- Mountain Mint
- Blue Vervain
Many gardeners are surprised to learn that Goldenrod is not responsible for seasonal allergies. Ragweed, which blooms at the same time, is usually the culprit.
Herbs That Pollinators Love
Many herbs become pollinator magnets once they’re allowed to flower.
Consider planting:
- Lavender
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Sage
- Basil
- Chives
Harvest what you need for the kitchen, then let a few plants bloom. The bees will thank you.
Annual Color That Lasts Until Frost
Annual flowers provide months of continuous blooms with regular watering and deadheading.
Excellent choices include:
- Lantana
- Zinnias
- Cosmos
- Salvia
- Verbena
- Angelonia
- Pentas
These easy care flowers keep gardens colorful while providing valuable nectar during the hottest part of summer.
Simple Ways to Help Pollinators
Creating a pollinator friendly garden doesn’t require a complete redesign.
You can help by:
- Planting flowers with different bloom times.
- Growing flowers in groups instead of individual plants.
- Providing a shallow dish of fresh water with small stones for landing.
- Avoiding pesticides whenever possible.
- Leaving some garden areas natural during the fall.
Even a small garden or patio filled with flowering containers can make a meaningful difference.
Visit Town & Country Nurseries
Whether you’re refreshing your flower beds or adding late season color to your containers, our knowledgeable staff can help you choose plants that bloom beautifully while supporting local pollinators.
Stop by Town & Country Nurseries and discover how easy it is to create a vibrant garden that’s alive with butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and beautiful blooms from summer through fall.
