July is great! I’m always ready to eat my body weight in sweetcorn and watermelon. The fireflies are floating up from the grass at night. And my flower beds are…well, to be honest, they’re kind of a hot mess.
Between the heat and the crazy rainstorms (or the complete lack thereof), it all begins to look a little scraggly.
Some flowers are still blooming strong, while many have clearly thrown in the towel. Like my poor faded spirea. It’s clearly waving a white flag, saying, “I’m done here.” The bee balm has powdery mildew and should have been deadheaded ages ago. And my Silver Mound mugwort has split down the middle, and flopped over, clearly over this on-again off-again rain.
Much like me giving up on looking “cute and summery” in a linen dress after yet another day of 85% humidity, it can feel like it might be best to throw in the trowel and let it all go to seed.
But hold up—not so fast.
This isn’t the end. (For the plants anyway, I gave up on that silly dress in mid-June.)
But for your flowering perennials, midsummer isn’t the end of the show. It’s actually a good time to cue up a second act. With the right pruning, a bit of fertilizer, and a well-timed drink of water, a whole list of hardworking plants will reward you with a second flush of blooms that carry your garden into late summer and sometimes even early fall.
Let’s talk about when, how, and which plants respond best to this midsummer makeover.
When to Prune for Reblooms
The sweet spot for this kind of pruning is usually mid to late July, depending on your zone. What we’re looking for is that moment when the first round of flowers has finished, or is just beginning to fade, and the plant starts shifting from blooming into seed mode. That’s your signal.
Timing is important here.
If you prune too early, you may interrupt peak blooming, robbing yourself of flowers. Too late, and the plant may not have enough time (or energy) to push out new buds before the days shorten and cooler weather arrives.
What You’ll Need
Luckily, this doesn’t require much beyond your usual pruning equipment. Gloves, a good set of sharp bypass pruners like these Felco pruners (worth every darn penny, your grandchildren will be gardening with them), scissors, hedge clippers (for bushier plants), and a bucket to collect waste in for the compost.
As always, clean and sterilized pruners are key. Wipe the blades down with rubbing alcohol before you start. If it’s been a while since you’ve sharpened your pruners, Lindsay walks you through the process here.
And while you’re out there, it’s not a bad idea to bring a watering can or a hose. Plants you prune hard will need water to recover and grow new foliage and flowers.
Feeding for the Flush
Once you’ve cut back a perennial, give it a little support to help it bounce back quickly and provide the nutrients for those extra blooms. A handful of compost scratched into the soil around the plant is always a good move. If you prefer liquid feed, a diluted fish emulsion or seaweed fertilizer works wonders. (Check for a balanced NPK, though.)
We’re providing them with enough nutrients to fuel regrowth and encourage the development of new flower buds. Don’t overdo it with high-nitrogen fertilizers, though. That’ll push leafy growth at the expense of flowers, which is exactly what we don’t want.
Now let’s do a little roll call for the flower garden and see who’s willing to show up in the second act.
Catmint (Nepeta spp.)
If your catmint has finished blooming and started flopping over like a tired throw pillow, it’s time to act. You’ll know it’s ready when the purple-blue flowers have faded and the plant looks slightly gray-green, losing its fresh, vibrant color.
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Grab your shears and cut the whole thing back by about half. It may look a little sad for a week or so, but catmint bounces back fast. You’ll get a fresh flush of foliage and a second round of blooms that’s almost as showy as the first.
Salvia (Salvia nemorosa and hybrids)
This one’s a no-brainer. After the first tall flower spikes turn brown and crispy, cut them right back down to the base or a strong set of leaves. The plant will respond by sending up new stems and flowers, especially if you follow up with a little water and compost.
Some gardeners also shear back the whole plant by a third to rejuvenate the foliage and keep it compact. Either way, it rewards you with more blooms through late summer.
Coreopsis (Coreopsis grandiflora and verticillata types)
Cheerful and endlessly sunny, coreopsis loves to bloom. But if you let it go to seed, it slows down. When the flowers start fading and the plant gets a bit wild-looking, shear the whole thing back by a third or even half.
New growth will appear within a week or two, and you’ll get a bonus bloom that lasts well into September.
Geranium (Hardy Cranesbill)
Hardy geraniums, especially the spreading types like ‘Rozanne’ or Geranium sanguineum, can look a little rough by July. If yours has flopped, browned at the edges, or stopped flowering, it’s time for a reset.
Cut the entire plant back to just a few inches above the ground. This feels drastic, I know—but within a couple of weeks, you’ll have fresh, tidy foliage and often a second, smaller flush of blooms.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Yarrow’s flat-topped flowers are lovely in June and early July, but once they start to brown, they don’t do your garden any favors. Deadheading the spent blooms regularly can keep things tidy, but for a better shot at a second flush, go ahead and cut the whole stem down to the basal foliage.
Yarrow responds well to this treatment and will send up more blooms if given a little water and compost.
Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum)
These daisy-faced perennials put on a great show in early summer, but they can quickly look tired and top-heavy once the flowers fade. You can deadhead individual blooms, but to really get the plant to rebloom, cut back the entire plant by about a third after the first flush.
Give it a drink and a touch of compost, and you’ll often get a round two in late summer.
Blanket Flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora)
Gaillardia doesn’t quit easily—but it does slow down if you don’t deadhead. If you’re seeing more seed heads than petals, it’s time to act.
You can remove individual faded blooms, but it’s much easier to go the quicker route: shear the whole plant back lightly by a third. It’ll bounce back quickly and give you more color through the hottest part of the season.
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Not every coneflower variety reblooms heavily, but many do, especially the newer hybrids. As the first flush of blooms starts to fade, deadhead individual flowers down to a strong leaf joint.
Don’t cut the whole plant down—just the spent flowers. If the weather cooperates and the plant is happy, you’ll see a new set of buds forming before long.
Veronica (Veronica spicata and cultivars)
These spiky bloomers are great for adding vertical interest to the garden, but they don’t last forever. Once the flower spikes are spent, cut them back to just above the basal leaves.
With good moisture and a little encouragement, Veronica will reward you with another round of upright, colorful spikes before fall.
Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)
Bee balm tends to finish blooming in a blaze of glory, and then things go downhill fast—floppy stems, powdery mildew, general garden chaos. But if you catch it early, you can get a second bloom.
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Cut spent flower stems back to a set of leaves or to where you see a new shoot forming. If you’ve got mildew, feel free to cut all the way back to clean growth. Follow with water and compost.
Phlox (Phlox paniculata)
Garden phlox is one of summer’s stars, but it benefits from a little midsummer attention. Once the main flower clusters are finished, deadhead the bloom spikes to encourage the growth of side shoots.
You may not get a full repeat bloom, but you’ll often see new flowers emerging from lower down on the stem, especially with a bit of feeding.
Penstemon (especially cultivars like ‘Husker Red’ and ‘Dark Towers’)
Penstemon is one of those plants that doesn’t always get credit for reblooming, but some varieties absolutely will if you’re nice to them.
After the first round of flowers fades, cut the flower stalks all the way down to the base. Don’t shear the whole plant—just the flowering stems. If conditions are right, you’ll get a second, smaller show later in the season.
Managing Your Expectations
Okay, let’s be straight with each other for a minute. If you go through and prune every plant on this list in your garden, will it come roaring back again to its former glory?
Probably not.
It all depends on your growing zone, whether the plant was in good health to begin with, the weather you’re having that season, etc. If you performed the Chelsea Chop earlier in the season, it’s best to skip a midsummer prune. But here’s the thing, I find it’s usually worth the effort for a second, slightly smaller flush.
Here’s why.
The dog days of summer are right around the corner. And about the time that everyone’s plants start to look a little worse for wear, your garden will be tidy and fresh with a pop of color to finish out the season.
Think of it as aging gracefully for perennials. A little trim, a drink, some fertilizer, and your plants will reward you with a second act just as the season starts to draw to a close.
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