I agree with shrubby salvias, fuchsias, osteospermums, erigeron karvinskianus and lavender (if you count the faded heads which lose some of their colour but still smell nice).
Other: Perennial wallflowers Bowles Mauve and Red Jep, petunia tidal wave Red Velour (much better than the usual bedding types), salvias Amistad and Amante (for me they're perennials, not shrubby, because they die back right to the ground), linaria (not so much the individual plants but they self-sow so there are always more coming along) and Bishops Children dahlias.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Verbena bonariensis is very good, starts about the end of May usually and goes on til the first hard frost. In a few years, with no frost, it has continued through the winter.
Based in Sussex, I garden to encourage as many birds to my garden as possible.
Gaura flowers from June until the frosts. I grew Gaura The Bride from seed a few years ago and they were in flower a couple of months later and still going strong today. One self seeded by my fish pond and it seems quite happy in about 2" gravel. So long as drainage is good they're happy and don't need water even during a prolonged drought - they just keep flowering.
Penstemon 'Garnet' is also tough as old boots and like the Guara seems quite happy in drought conditions and flowers from June until frosts. Some of the other Penstemons are not as forgiving. P. 'Garnet'-
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
@SYinUSA - the Lobelia "Monsoon" is sold here in UK as an annual as it wouldn't usually survive the winter (maybe different for you in Georgia). But we had a warm winter here with temperatures not dropping below -1C (30F), and with being in a sheltered spot against a south-facing house wall I guess it never received any real frost. It also self-seeded into neighbouring pots and cracks in the patio (just like the Erigeron) where it is now happily growing away.
For me it's Geranium 'Ann Thompson', tied with Geranium 'Rozanne.'
I have to say, I am starting to appreciate plants that have a more distinct flowering season, so long as they don't go over horribly or take up too much space; for example Sisyrinchium striatum is distinctly an early summer plant, but is unobtrusive when not in flower later in the year. It's nice to have variation. I get a bit sick of looking at the G. 'Ann Thompson' after a while tbh
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
Daphne 'Eternal Fragrance' for me, spring through to autumn. Mine is planted just outside my patio doors to give me the benefit of the scent, which is strong.
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I grew Gaura The Bride from seed a few years ago and they were in flower a couple of months later and still going strong today.
One self seeded by my fish pond and it seems quite happy in about 2" gravel.
So long as drainage is good they're happy and don't need water even during a prolonged drought - they just keep flowering.
Penstemon 'Garnet' is also tough as old boots and like the Guara seems quite happy in drought conditions and flowers from June until frosts.
Some of the other Penstemons are not as forgiving.
P. 'Garnet'-
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I have to say, I am starting to appreciate plants that have a more distinct flowering season, so long as they don't go over horribly or take up too much space; for example Sisyrinchium striatum is distinctly an early summer plant, but is unobtrusive when not in flower later in the year. It's nice to have variation. I get a bit sick of looking at the G. 'Ann Thompson' after a while tbh
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”