What to put with lilies (zone 6A)

[SuzGM]

Hi All - I'm new to the forum and am having trouble finding the answer to my question on google, so I figured I'd ask the pros! I live in a zone 6A climate and I want to spruce up my front garden. I currently have a border of hosta, with lilies behind them. The lilies bloom end of June or so. My question is, what should I plant in between my lilies to bloom in the late summer?

Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

 

[MaryMary]

Welcome to the forum!

What kind of lilies and what color? Do you want plants that follow the same color scheme, or something that contrasts? Do you want to plant annuals and have the option of changing them up from year to year, or do you want to plant perennials and only have to mulch and weed? When you say "bloom in the late summer," do you mean with the lilies in late June, or after the lilies so you have flowers longer?



Edited to say - I clicked "New Posts," and didn't notice this was in "Perennials," so I guess that answers one question!

 

[SuzGM]

Thanks Mary! I believe I have Lilium candidum (or at least that is what closely resembles them from a google search) (side note - I didn't purchase them, they were given to us by my father-in-law and we just planted them). They come up mostly white and burgundy with some pink. I want to stay away from annuals in this garden, as its fairly large and I don't want to have to replant every year (the end goal is to have blooms all spring/summer/fall). The lilies typically bloom in late June, so I'd be looking for something to bloom in late July/early August when those are falling over/losing their petals. As for colors, I'd be open to contrast. The garden is in front of my house which is a light green color.

 

[BreeGardens]

You could try Coneflower/Echinacea they would be pink white or lavender. There's also black eyed Susan/Rudbeckia (also coneflower) and they would be gold with black or brown centers - both would attract bees and butterflies. There's also Dahlias but I am not sure of their hardiness in zone 6

 

[MaryMary]

In zone 6b, my Ohio Spiderwort blooms from early June to late October. (Huh, I thought I had a picture of it, but I guess I don't! ) Eh, what the heck, I found these to show you. (Bees love them!)

I also have a flower that was labelled "Picote mix," which is not helpful, all that means is two-tone. I think they are some sort of Dianthus, which are also called "Pinks." They come in a variety of shades, but um... all of them are pink. (Sorry, I love a good bad pun!) These are faded and not looking their best, but we had already had a cold snap; these pictures were taken in the middle of October. They had already bloomed most of the summer.

Stargazer lilies will bloom once, anytime between mid July and early October.

And they'll get more flowers every year!

Jacob's Ladder is perennial, and bloomed most of the summer, and into October. It's a bluish purple, like the Spiderwort. Hmm, let me think some more.

 

[MaryMary]

Chrysanthemums come in a variety of colors, bloom in autumn and would be perennial.
Chrysanthemum pictures : https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs...-001&fr2=piv-web&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001

Four O'Clocks come in a lot of different colors, often in the same flower. Mine bloomed until October. They are not perennial in our zone, but if you don't deadhead all the flowers, and let some seeds drop in autumn, you will have volunteers in the spring. (Seriously, you'll have to pull a few!)
Four O'Clock images: https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs...-001&fr2=piv-web&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001

 

[SuzGM]

Thanks for all the ideas! Definitely going to see what I can get in my area/local nursery come this spring. And I totally forgot about mums. LOVE them so much they were my wedding flowers! That might be a good addition on the ends of my large garden bed!