Homestead Gardens grows tremendous variety of perennials ranging in size from starter perennials to full landscape-ready plants. We carry the latest in new plant introductions with innovative and exciting material arriving every day. Whether your garden is "made in the shade" or "fun in the sun," we have the Homestead Grown perennials to fit your needs. Plus being in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, we have one of the finest selection of native plants in the area. Whether your gardening area is full sun, lots of shade, or a mixture of both, we have a selection of perennials to fit your needs. Come in and chat with any of our friendly, knowledgeable staff and leave with renewed confidence and excitement - you'll be ready to go home and start digging!

Heat-Loving Perennials

As we try and keep our cool during the dog days of summer, many of our favorite perennials are also feeling the heat's effects and are fading and withering. But never fear, some perennials actually embrace the heat and bloom brightly during the soaring temps. Try some of these to bring life into your garden until the weather cools down again.

Agastache (Anise Hyssop or Hummingbird Mint)
Butterflies just love this versatile plant with graceful spikes of blue-tinted flowers that smell like licorice.

Anemone (Windflower)
Beautiful delicate flowers in bright pink, light pink or white dance upon slim stems, giving this flower its common name.

Asclepias (Milkweed or Butterfly Weed)
Lovely clusters of bright orange and red flowers attract all types of butterflies, especially the Monarch, and even provides them with chemicals to protect them from predators.

Boltonia (False Aster)
Sturdy stems holding dozens of white flowers give a similar appearance to an aster but these beauties grow tall enough to use as a charming flowering hedge.

Chelone (Turtlehead)
The unusual shape of the flowers give this member of the snapdragon family its common name but its most outstanding attribute is the White Turtlehead's service as the only known host for the Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly, the state instect of Maryland.

Coreopsis (Tickseed)
These sunny workhorses of the garden are very easy to grown and bloom all summer, especially when the first round of blooms is sheared off to pave the way for a follow-up burst of color.

Crocosmia (Falling Stars or Coppertips)
As a member of the lily family, these bulbs have a fiery-red or a sunny-yellow flower that is reminiscent of the tropics and also attracts hummingbirds, hoverflies and bumble bees with its vibrance.

Gaillardia (Blanket Flower)
These bright beauties look similar to daisies or sunflowers, and their yellow and red hues resemble the brightly colored blankets made by native Americans, providing inspiration for their common name.

Helenium (Sneezeweed)
Long ago, the leaves were used to make a kind of snuff, to encourage sneezing that would rid the body of evil spirits. Nowadays, its dainty flowers are appreciated for their gorgeous warm colors that bloom later in the summer.

Helianthus (Sunflower)
A longtime favorite of younger gardeners, these mammoth flowers usually grow to between 5 and 12 feet in height, while the buds exhibit heliotropism, meaning they follow the sun from east to west during the course of the day, and back again during nightfall.

Hibiscus (Hardy Hibiscus)
Different from tropical hibiscus, the foliage on these beauties overwinters in temperatures well below zero, when the roots stay nestled in the ground ready to spring to life when the warm weather once again appears.

Lobelia (Indian Tobacco)
With an illustrious history of an herbal remedy for respiratory ailments ranging from asthma to pneumonia, the violet-blue flowers are an versatile addition to any garden.

Monarda (Bee Balm)
Available in a rainbow of colors, these daisy-like flowers attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds as well as a host of other pollinators. When the leaves are crushed, they produce a spicy fragrance, and several species have a long history of medicinal and culinary use by native Americans.

Nepeta (Catnip or Catmint)
Sturdy stems provide the support for clusters of flowers in hues ranging from white to blue and everything in between. True to its common name, cats experience a sense of temporary euphoria after they’ve had a romp in the leaves.

Perovskia (Russian Sage)
The flowers of this woody sub-shrub, which offers spikes of soft lavender flowers that become more brilliant as they open, appreciate a good deadheading after their first bloom, or can be left on for winter interest.

Phlox
These stunning plants are a gardener’s dream, growing two to three feet tall in an open space and full sun, and with bright blooms in a range of colors that can last for six weeks or more.

Rudbeckia (Black-Eyed Susan)
The state flower of Maryland may be a familiar sight, but the striking yellow flowers with black centers are a must for every native garden.

Verbena
Shades of red, pink and purple grace clusters of flowers that are highly attractive to hummingbirds, hummingbird hawk-moths, Pipevine Swallowtails, Chocolate Albatross and other members of the Lepidoptera order.

Veronica (Speedwell)
Spikes of white, blue, pink or purple flowers grace the tops of this favorite perennial, whose common name originates from an old Irish tradition to pin a bit of the plant to travelers to keep them free of accidents and “speed them well.”