Verbena grows in full sun, making it a vigorous ground cover.

For years, my garden “plan” was to go to the garden center, fill my cart with flats of annuals, put them in pots and fill areas in my garden for a season of color. I always had a smallish garden area, so a minimal number of plants would do the job.

My plants would make it about a month, if that. I wasn’t always a master gardener, and the fact that they wanted water on a regular basis put a strain on our relationship.

Now, I have a little bit of knowledge about the needs of plants, but I am a frugal gardener. It ruffles my apron to have a garden full of plants that only last one season.

I still get a few annuals every year, but now I prefer the longevity of perennials.

A small amount of planning can keep your garden full of color for months. Planting a variety of bloomers with different flowering times will provide an ever-changing show as one pops its color and fades just as another is just starting to show its stuff.

There are some perennials that put it on longer than others. Here are a few that you might want to consider for color all season long.

Spring bloomers

• Lungwart (Pulmonaria spp.) is a part-shade to full-shade perennial that has flowers that will transition color with a mix of blue, white, pink and purple over the course of a few weeks, starting in early spring. It grows from 6-18 inches tall, and most cultivars will self-seed. Cultivars with spotted leaves, such as “Trevi Fountain,” add a nice contrast in the shade garden.

• Columbine (Aquilegia hybrids) is a hit with the hummingbirds. The large flowers open to a trumpet shape that is rich in nectar. It prefers part-shade, well-drained soil and will reseed easily. They grow 5-36 inches tall and 6-24 inches wide. They will bloom for up to six weeks if you pinch spent blooms.

Summer bloomers

• False sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) starts blooming in mid-summer and will continue to bloom up to 12 weeks through early autumn. It is a full-sun to part-shade plant that prefers moist, well-drained soil but will grow in any reasonably fertile soil. It is rich in nectar, so it attracts butterflies. Depending on the variety, it can grow anywhere from 1-6 feet tall, making it perfect for the back of a bed or a focal middle plant.

• White bouquet tansy (Tanacetum niveum) produces its petite white blooms from summer to frost. Cut the plant back by half after the first set of blooms for a repeat performance. It prefers full-sun to part-sun and moist, well-drained soil. It grows from 18-30 inches tall and 18-24 inches wide. It is both drought- and deer-resistant.

Late season bloomer

• Sneezeweed (Helenium spp.) is a full-sun to part-shade thriller that produces red, orange and yellow flowers from mid-summer through fall. It grows 2-5 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide. It will tolerate average to wet soil. Pinching blooms in early summer will encourage stronger branches and more flowers later in the season.

All season bloomer

• Verbena (Verbena canadenis) can be either annual or perennial plants. The perennial cultivars “Homestead Purple” and “Texas Rose” will flower all summer and fall. They grow in full sun. They only grow 6-12 inches tall, making them a vigorous and colorful ground cover.

Mix and match long-blooming perennials to create a bounty of color to be enjoyed from spring through fall. Until next week, happy gardening.

— Irland, a member of the Limestone County Master Gardeners, can be reached at kippirland@hotmail.com. For more information on the Limestone County Master Gardeners, visit http://mg.aces.edu/limestone.