Thanks for bringing this topic back ostrich! Your superstar perennials sound amazing, I too am looking for ones with longer bloom times.

Superstars for me this year are:

- geranium 'Roxanne'

- silver mound sage (came back very strong, today it is 32" across)

- oriental poppies (huge flowers this year)

- allium 'Purple Sensation' (everyone loved these)

- blue flax

The flax just keeps going and going, I think it started blooming in about late June, and is still going strong today. Last year it went until freeze up.

And, and roses of course ;) .

I love Echinops ritro blue, stunning in flower and bud, and awesome cut flower, is not invasive but increases to a large lovely clump. Everyone loves this flower at the market.

Those look great Connie! I planted two this year, I can't wait too see how they do next year! This year I went to check out the Silver Springs botanical garden in Calgary, and their coral bells were quite remarkable. Here are photos of them at their garden:

Another superstar was my yellow lilies. These lilies just showed up in my yard one year. Not sure if a rodent brought me a bulb from someone else's yard or if the previous owner had them and they stopped coming up due to neglecting the gardens. I had one or two stalks the first year. I moved them to a better spot last year after blooming. This year I must have had 20 stalks, most of which were full of blooms like this one!

My superstars are usually the same every year.

- May Night Salvia: as long as you prune it back once during the summer (probably mid July or so) it looks fabulous and blooms all summer.

- Emily Carr rose - attractive foliage, blooms all summer, I don't have trouble with disease on it.

- Walker's Low catmint: Yes, it is a tiny bit weedy..it self seeds, but is easy to pull out. Trim back once in the summer like the salvia, and it'll look great. I can't grow lavender here very well, so the catmint makes a good replacement.

- I really like the Echinops ritro blue...although I do find mine to be kind of invasive... It self seeds like crazy. Looks great though, and *never* has trouble.

Prairie Northrose, I had not heard of the gardens in Silver Springs. Thank you for posting that, I am looking forward to going there now.

Violetjune, the Silver Springs Botanical gardens are lovely! I've driven by many times and did not realize they were there. Everything was very well kept. I went when it was in its prime flowering season, here is another photo, their gaillardia looks like a superstar for them.

I have gaillardia 'Goblin' at home an it is doing equally well although a little bit floppy from all the rain. It also has been flowering for at least a month.

Here are some more photos from my visit to their garden:

I was particularly impressed by their light blue delphiniums:

And their phlox:

This is another superstar for me this year, Bartzella peony, I posted this before but here it is again because I love it so much, this is my first bloom from earlier this year:

Rugelda rose is doing its thing again today:

Ubro and weeper, I am now inspired to try out Echinops ritro blue next year!!!! Ostrich, I have been checking out lychnis coronaria and I really like it, saw some growing in a nearby garden too, it is also added to the wish list now!!

Sooo many, don't know where to start !!

A spectacular filipendula species that grows to 8 ft tall !

'Venus' heliopsis

'Rainbow Dancer' phlox, color is even nicer in person
'Real Charmer' Shasta daisy

'Prairie Splendor' echinacea (seed grown)

'Real Sunbeam' Shasta daisy ... new this year and putting on a very good show and should be amazing next year! This is a very refined yellow Shasta.

'Frist Blush' euphorbia, this perennial has a long season of interest, just be sure not to plant in overly rich soil.

'Clyde Ikins' waterlily

'Emily Carr' with white hollyhocks

Phlox

Gorgeous, Terry! How about your roses? This year all my daylilies have been gorgeous. Hollyhocks are nice too and the delphs were also very nice.

Amazing Twros, your garden looks phenomenal! Emily Carr beside the white hollyhocks looks lovely.

After reading the discussions in this post, today I bought some rose campion, globe thistle, and meadowsweet 'queen of the prairie'. I am looking forward to seeing how they do next year!

Here is another superstar for me, the classic 'Stargazer' lily. This is year two for them, they have bloomed earlier this year and are a bit taller. I hope they last into future years! The fragrance is divine.

Twros, I love that Venus Heliopsis! I just have the ordinary run of the mill heliopsis, and it blooms right up to freeze up. But that Venus is spectacular. Any idea of it's hardiness rating. And where did you get it?

Weeper, I've never had rebloom on my salvia. Do you cut it right back, or just trim off the spent flowers?

Prairie_northrose, do you know the variety of heuchera the botanical garden is growing? I love it.

For me, I guess this year my super star is Indian Summer rudbeckia. So technically not a perennial, but they wintered over and are putting on a show.

North53 ... yes, 'Venus' heliopsis is a good one, I had gotten it from T&T about three years ago. As for hardiness, I believe that most heliopsis are very cold hardy things. BTW, nice bit of color you've got there!!

PNR, no garden is complete without at least a few Oriental lilies, yours are performing very well!

Marcia, the roses had put on a very good show this summer, though I had failed to snap many photos of them.