These gentians flower from mid to late summer, most of them giving gentian colour after the alpine spring gentians, and before the asiatic autumn varieties. They have some upright and some trailing stems, with terminal clusters of flowers, deep blue or purplish blue in most species. Easy and very rewarding.

Gentiana septemfida var. lagodechiana is excellent for the rock garden or raised bed. It is easily raised and long lived, and gives intense blue colour for a long time in mid to late summer.