You definetly need Liatris for late season color. It's gorgeous. Do you mean just bulbs, or any perennials? I have Oriental lilies just starting now, delicious fragrance. White David Phlox is putting on a show, Hostas, Sedum is about to open, daylilies, Lambs ears, purple coneflowers, Moonbeam Coreopsis, and ornamental grasses will be starting next month.

Jen

A lot of late summer-early fall blooming bulbs come from semitropical climates, so will need winter protection in colder areas. In a mild zone 8 climate, things like dahlias, glads and crocosmia will offer late season color. Look for scarlet river lily, Schizostylus coccinea, for blooms as late as November. Otherwise there is a whole host of non-bulbous perennials that will bloom well into fall - various salvias, agastache, phygelius, echinaceas, hardy fuchsias, sedums, toadlilies (Tricyrtis), hardy plumbago and heleniums, just to name a few.

Any good local garden center should have a selection of these late season bloomers in stock now.

Although amaryllises seldom bloom in summer, there are some varieties that do. Here's what's blooming in my garden...

Hippeastrum 'Blossom Peacock'
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Hippeastrum 'Charisma'
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Hippeastrum '?' ...a mislabeled bulb from B&B.
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Lovely Amaryllis, Marie. I tend to think of these as potted bulbs with long strappy leaves that I stick in the patio bed in the summer, put in storage for fall, and hope for bloom around Christmas!

Only bulbs I have in bloom now are lilies.

This poor Stargazer type Oriental got caught between the hydrangea & the garden Welcome sign!

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This is my first Black Beauty this season to come into bloom. The ones toward the north of this one have just started to bloom.
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Here is a closeup of one of my favorite orientals - sorry no id
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This is the 2nd clump of the one above, just a few feet away. Color appears a bit lighter than the closeup, due to more sun on this side of the tree & the camera.

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Ohhhh they are so pretty Leslie. You are so right on thinking about amaryllises that way. That is all we can do to them in our zone. But I love them for they are one of the few plants that can give you blooms inside the house during the winter time when everything outside is asleep. I have 80 plus varieties in my amaryllis collection. Yes I am amaryllis crazy! And here are the reasons why...

http://s43.photobucket.com/albums/e398/mkaea62/?

Hippeastrums/amaryllises although believed to be or are sold as fall/spring bulbs, given the proper care and having the right variety and technique, can give you flowers all year round.

One of my favorites this year, H. Supreme Garden surprised me with a summer bloom...

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And the ever beautiful H. Papilio 'Butterfly' opened its first summer flower today...

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Maria,

Lovely color on Supreme Garden. I'm very fond of oranges and that's a perfect color. Boy do I have a spot in my patio garden for the green & burgandy Butterfly one! Never saw one like that.

Right now I only have Lion King (red) & Picotee (white edged red) plus one Salmon one that has split into two smaller bulbs. The problem here is that the cool season here is so long. I can only put them outside from June through August to grow their leaves. The rest of the time they are either in dark storage or in front of the patio door with my other overwintering things gathering White Flies or Mealy bugs or....LOL

Hi leslie! Orange is my favorite color too! Amaryllises can be grown outside once your temp. lows are above 50F. It is going to be hard for them though if you only have 3 months to let them grow leaves and store energy. If you have a bright window, you can exetend their growing period there for a few more months before you let them sleep. I give mine at least 6 months of growing period (at least 8 leaves)either inside or outside of the house to make sure that a flower scape inside the bulb has formed before I put them to rest in my unheated garage.

And another one blooms...H.La Paz
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Way cool, Maria! I need to move somewhere warmer. LOL

Me too!

Crinums, hymenocallis, amarcrinum, lycoris, habranthus and zephyranthes - all members of the Amaryllis tribe that are perfectly suited to growing in your zone. They're not always available from basic bulb sources, but are easy to find via ebay and a few other sources, including Plant Delights and Yuccado Nurseries, both of which have very informative websites. Lots of info on these plants online if you just google them. They are sturdy, dependable, and flourish in the heat. You might also investigate hedychiums, ginger relatives with big, colorful spikes of flowers blooming right now, as well as some of the South African bulbs such as the Eucomis, or pineapple lilies. I already mentioned this in another response, but "Garden Bulbs for the South" by Scott Ogden is a great reference for gardeners in warmer zones looking for year-round bloom.