Less maintenance means more time for enjoying the garden and immersing ourselves in its healthy, vigorous, buzzing planting display. With years of reliable blooming, textural foliage, and multi-season appeal, perennials are the hallmark of easy-care arrangements with endless selection and versatility.
Whether a beginner or experienced gardener, durable perennials help to form the backbone of the display and embellish existing trees and shrubs. In the ground or containers, perennials make exceptional border and accent plantings.
Our favorite workhouse perennials need little gardener intervention for a floriferous or dynamic foliage display. Moreover, they wonβt spread out of control or require much supplemental irrigation, fertilizers, or extra care. Deadheading may keep plants tidy and promote further flowering in some species, but isnβt essential. These low-maintenance perennials, including North American natives and their cultivars, grow across various climate zones.
Black-Eyed Susan
Black-eyed Susan is a classic with golden daisy-ray flowers and chocolate button centers. The adaptable growers bloom continuously from summer through frost. The basal leaves are textural and dark green.
Rudbeckia is a native North American meadow and prairie wildflower that withstands dry conditions, heat, and humidity. It adapts to various soils and light conditions.
Black-eyed Susan self-sows in the landscape, and birds enjoy the seeds post-bloom. The seeds require cold stratification (winter chill) to germinate the following spring.
Astilbe
Astilbe is a woodland edge selection with tufts of feathery plumes above fern-like foliage. The plumes persist for interest beyond flowering and develop seed heads later in the season.
Dense, pyramidal bloom spikes hold hundreds of florets that open in succession. In shades of pink, peach red, purple, champagne, or white, the blooms set in spring and open through early summer.
In addition to its colorful spikes, astilbe has glossy green leaves with tinges of red and copper. It appreciates consistently moist and rich soils for the best growth.
Coreopsis
Coreopsis has an extended bloom season from early spring through late fall. At its mid-summer peak, bright yellow flowers sweep the landscape in mass plantings or give a sunny burst in small groups.
Species bloom in golden yellow, with cultivars in lemon, pink, scarlet, white, and bicolor, some with fuzzy double blooms. Itβs a favorite nectar and pollen source for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects.Β
Coreopsis is drought-tolerant and heat-tolerant. It self-seeds readily in the landscape, and birds forage on the seeds in fall and winter.
Spigelia
Pinkroot is a native perennial that occurs naturally in the middle and southwestern United States. Deep scarlet buds form in the spring and flush into red and yellow-petaled starry upright flowers. After the initial flush, the plant flowers freely until cold weather.
The striking tubular blooms are a beacon for pollinators. Mounding, clumping foliage remains compact and dense in sunny locations and looser in more shade.
Spigelia prefers fertile, acidic soils. When planting, amend native soils with compost to increase organic richness.Β
Catmint
Catmint produces a haze of purple blooms in early summer. Itβs best known for its soft, mounding gray-green foliage and spikes of tubular flowers throughout the warm season.
Catmint flowers are mostly lavender and violet, with pink, white, and yellow species adding pastel shades. The aromatic leaves contain essential oils that repel certain garden pests while attracting feline friends.
βWalkerβs Lowβ is a high-performing variety. AΒ profusion of lavender-blue blooms begins in early summer and lasts most of the season. Plants tolerate humidity, heat, and salty conditions better than other selections. They retain a mounding form. The selection received the Royal Horticultural Societyβs Award of Garden Merit for its performance and ornamental value.
Robust and versatile, catmint thrives with neglect. Deadhead spent flower spikes or shear plants if desired to encourage new blooms more quickly after their initial flowering cycle.
Echinacea
Echinacea is a favorite native perennial and natural prairie wildflower that grows in less-than-ideal conditions. Its purple ray petals surround prominent orange disc florets, a prime nectar source for beneficial insects.
In spite of its delicate appearance, coneflower flourishes in the summer heat. It needs well-draining soils for best health and flowering. Leave late-season blooms on the stem; the dried seed heads provide lasting winter interest and food for wildlife. Any dropped seeds will help expand the colony the following spring.
Joe Pye Weed
Joe Pye weed is a tall, North American native with large, domed purple-pink flower clusters. While adaptable enough to grow in roadside ditches and disturbed areas, it doesnβt spread aggressively. Itβs a valuable pollinator and naturalized garden addition.
The summer and fall flowers attract beneficial insects. The coarse, long leaves are dark green with purple-hued leaf nodes. Seed pods extend the plantsβ interest into winter.
If you donβt have room for large wild types, dwarf cultivars have compact habits, making it easier to fit into various spaces. βLittle Joeβ and βBaby Joeβ grow only two to four feet tall with dense stems.Β
The low-maintenance perennials grow in different soil conditions, including clay. They thrive in rich, moist, well-drained conditions.
Aster
Many asters are native to North America and have deep blue-purple ray flowers with contrasting yellow centers. They bloom in late summer when the little daisies cover plants in a blanket of color.
Their late-season blooms last well into fall and bridge the seasonal transition. Asters flower when many other plants begin to fade and are a pollinator favorite. Theyβre also a lovely addition to fall planting schemes and floral arrangements.
Georgia aster (Symphyotrichum georgianum) produces deep violet, two-inch flowers from October through frost. Plants form a broad clump for lovely additions to the perennial border. These tolerate average soils.
In late summer, βPurple Domeβ New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) produces masses of semi-double purple ray petals. Plants reach one to two feet tall and wide.
Asters prefer moist, organically rich soils. However, they can be prone to diseases. To prevent foliar diseases, allow plenty of air circulation and ensure soils have good drainage.
Blanketflower
Blanketflower brightens the garden with ray flowers in whirls of gold, orange, red, and bi-color. Brown button centers dot the daisy petals. Gaillardia blooms throughout the summer until cold weather.
This North American native wildflower is drought and heat-tolerant. It grows in poor, sandy soils and adapts to various site conditions. Cultivars include mellow peach and orange shades and compact habits with sturdy branching.
With well-draining soils, blanketflower needs little else. Removing old stems promotes flowering and tidies the plant, but itβs not essential.
Heliopsis
Heliopsis, commonly called false sunflower, is native to the central and eastern United States. From summer through fall, golden blooms with fuzzy yellow centers rise above deep green leaves like mini-sunflowers.
Heliopsis has stiff, sturdy, multi-branched stems with dwarf cultivars for low-growing and container selections. The showy flowers attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Birds eat the seeds post-bloom, and leftovers will self-seed. Better yet, false sunflower adapts to various soil conditions, making it a low-maintenance, no-fuss flowering perennial.
Blazing Star
Blazing star holds upright flower batons in purples, pinks, and whites: arching, fine-bladed foliage clumps beneath the leafy stems. The dense flower spikes appear in the heat of summer, and their long-lasting color attracts pollinators.
Blazing star blooms from July to September. Stiff, upright stems reach up to five feet tall, depending on the variety. Liatris βLavender Glowsticksβ has exceptionally long bloom spikes in electric purple along narrow stems.
Liatris are hardy perennials native to North America, from Canada to Florida, depending on the species. Once established, blazing star is cold-hardy, drought-tolerant, and withstands heat.
Turkβs Cap
Turkβs cap is a hardworking native perennial wildflower from Mexico and Texas to the Carolinas. It spans various soil and light conditions with effortless beauty and flowering from mid-summer until frost. A member of the mallow family, its blooms resemble a small hibiscus about to unfurl in rich red with varieties in pink and white.
Turkβs cap is a favorite of hummingbirds. Bright red berries emerge post-bloom for extended interest and as a food source for birds (relating to its other common name, Mexican apple).
The natives tolerate heat, drought, and coastal exposures. Theyβre also deer-resistant and grow well as container specimens.
Iris
With nearly 300 species and thousands of cultivars, iris is a blooming perennial with myriad colors, forms, and sizes. Popular garden selections include bearded iris, crested iris, Siberian iris, Japanese iris, and sweet iris.Β
No matter which color you choose, this low-maintenance perennial brings vertical interest to the garden with distinct flower forms of three upper and three lower petals (falls). Petals range from broad and ruffled to narrow and strappy with solid tones, stripes, and painterly details.
Irises grow best in organically rich soils with consistent moisture, though many tolerate partial shade and moist or dry conditions. Clumps divide easily to distribute the collection.
Salvia
Salvia, or sage, offers diversity in color and form with vibrant, tubular bloomsβa favorite among pollinators.
Salvia guaranitica βBlack and Blueβ is a favorite native, low-maintenance perennial variety. It performs well in partial shade and has tall, deep blue tubular flowers through the fall.Β
Salvia leucantha, or Mexican bush sage, has velvety purple and white bicolor blooms in late summer and fall. Its silvery gray and aromatic foliage persists year-round.
Salvia thrives in hot conditions. It needs soils with good drainage for the best health.
Bee Balm
Bee balm is native to the eastern U.S. and is a staple performer due to its hardy nature and pops of flared scarlet blooms. Flowers cluster on stems above minty, herbaceous foliage.
Numerous hybrids offer vibrant flowers in purple, pink, and red hues. βJacob Clineβ in brilliant red is a hardy variety with good powdery-mildew resistance. The bloom season is long, lasting from early summer until freezing temperatures.Β
Monarda spreads by both seed and rhizome. Divide plants and weed out volunteers as clumps expand. Monarda grows best with good air circulation, organic soils, and consistent moisture.
Yarrow
Yarrow is another adaptable native North American perennial. It has feathery foliage and large, flat flower clusters in rich colors that attract bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Some varieties bloom white, while others boasts broad, colored flower heads atop tall, upright stems.
Cultivars in red, apricot, pink, white, and purple are also available. They vary in height, with improved forms for dense, floriferous plants. The drought-tolerant perennials flourish in the summer heat.
Baptisia
False indigo boasts numerous spikes of blue-purple, lupine-like flowers. Its blue-green foliage is soft, full, and attractive all season. After the flowers fade, spikes bear showy seed pods that add winter interest.
Baptisia is native to the eastern U.S. and grows naturally along streambanks, meadows, and open woodlands. It tolerates average to dry soils.
Additionally, low-maintenance baptisia is a Perennial Plant Association award-winner. Native bees and bumblebees visit each of its sweet pea blossoms.
Hardy Hibiscus
Hardy hibiscus blends a tropical look with a hardy constitution. Its huge disc flowers are the size of small plates. North American native mallows include H. moscheutos, H. laevis, and H. coccineus. Hardy hybrids feature improved landscape durability and hardiness.Β
Flowers emerge from midsummer through fall and range from pale pink to deep scarlet. Although they last only a day, plants produce numerous blooms simultaneously for continual flowering.
Mallows need consistent, evenly moist soils and wonβt withstand prolonged dry spells. However, they tolerate various soil types and are widely adaptable.Β
Sedum
Sedum, or stonecrop, are heat-tolerant succulents with exciting colors and textures. Late-season flowers extend interest into fall and winter with persistent seed heads.Β Moreover, these low-maintenance perennials practically take care of themselves.
Foliage is attractive even when plants arenβt in flower, with cultivars in silvery green, purple-black, golden yellow, and variegated. Additionally, the thick leaves, whether broad or petite, offer multi-season appeal. Flower clusters in late summer and early fall are a bonus, and butterflies enjoy the late-season flowers as a food source.
Sedums thrive in well-draining soil. Let seed heads persist on the plant through the cool season for added interest.
Columbine
Columbine has delicate, nodding flowers that range from vibrant red and yellow to blues, purples, and pinks, depending on the variety. Hummingbirds and other pollinators appreciate the nectar from the tubular blooms, and birds feed on the seeds in the fall.
Eastern red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) has gracefully drooping red flowers that transition to pale yellow. In contrast, Colorado blue columbine (A. coerulea) has purple-blue sepals that support white petals with bright yellow centers.
The North American perennial has a natural habitat along woodland edges, clearings, and riverbanks. It grows best in moderately moist, well-drained soils.
Plants are semi-evergreen and retain basal leaves except in overly cold and hot temperatures when they enter dormancy until temperatures level off. They grow best in partial shade in hot climates and tolerate sunnier conditions in northern gardens.
Hosta
Hostas, with their lush leaves in various shapes, bring high textural contrast and visual interest. Blue-green, emerald, lime, and variegated foliage brighten shady spots. Varieties range from huge, cupped leaves to miniature specimens or curly, strappy selections,Β
In addition to their sculptural leaves, hostas bloom in early summer, with tall scapes floating above the leafy base. Their cooling white or lavender flowers attract hummingbirds.
Morning sun benefits bright or variegated varieties to retain color and vibrance. Provide good drainage and regular moisture as plants establish.
Perennial Sunflower
Perennial sunflowers have tall, multi-branched stems with clusters of yellow ray flowers. Plants bloom in late summer and fall for a surprising burst of color as seasons change; you may forget the carefree growers are there until they show their gold blooms.
Helianthus angustifolius, or swamp sunflower, is a native U.S. perennial. Theyβre a host plant for the silvery checkerspot butterfly and native bees. Leave spent flowers in place as a food source for birds.
Helianthus salicifolius, willow-leaved sunflower, grows with handsome foliage and profuse blooms on tall stems. Dwarf cultivars like βLow Downβ and βFirst Lightβ grow two to four feet with compact forms that support blooms and sterile seeds.
Perennial sunflowers tolerate occasionally wet and dry conditions. They withstand high heat and humidity.
Aralia
Aralia contains nearly 70 species, including evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, and perennials. Aralia racemosa and Aralia californica are native to North America, while many species occur naturally in Asia. Some are invasive in the United States, like A. elata, commonly known as the Japanese angelica tree, a multistemmed deciduous tree with impressively wicked thorns on canes.
Aralia cordata βSun Kingβ is a well-behaved, noninvasive perennial with lush foliage and low maintenance requirements. The bright green and gold tones and long, compound leaves lend a tropical look to the shade garden border.
Moreover, βSun Kingβ is an award winner for its stellar garden performance in ornament and reliability. It received the International Hardy Plant Union Outstanding Plant Award. The Perennial Plant Association named it the Perennial Plant of the Year in 2020 to recognize its wide range of growing climates, low maintenance requirements, multi-season appeal, and pest and disease resistance.
βSun Kingβsβ dynamic foliage boasts three seasons of interest, along with white flowers in the summer and dark berries to follow. Pollinators and birds appreciate the food sources, and humans do, too, in the edible leaves, shoots, and roots of Aralia cordata.
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemums bloom profusely in seasonal jewel tones from early fall until heavy frost. Scarlet, gold, orange, pink, or purple blooms cover dark green, lobed leaves that mound and trail.
Perennial garden mums are cold-hardy and grow vigorously with a clumping habit. βRyanβs Pinkβ is a lovely trailer in pale pink. Mrs. Robinson yields prolific pincushions of deep red. Meanwhile, βCoppersmithβ in orange tones has a cushion form, ideal for cutting and arranging.
Chrysanthemums grow best in moist, organically rich soils. Plant them and enjoy the βfillerβ foliage until the stunning bloom show unfolds as a sign of autumn.
Daylily
Daylilies are notoriously adaptable. Their striking flowers open during the day and close at night, lasting only a day or two but with abundant successional blooms for long-lasting color. Flower stems rise tall above strappy blue-green leaves.
As tough perennials, daylilies handle hot and cold climates and live for years with little care. There are invasive daylilies (Hemerocallis fulva) across North America, though cultivated hybrids arenβt.
Hellebore
Hellebores, or lenten roses, have elegant nodding blooms atop dark green leaves. They bloom in late winter and early spring.
Helleboresβ toothed, palmate leaves (evergreen or semi-evergreen, depending on climate) provide interest year-round. The plants feature a long bloom time with single or double flowers in colors from creamy white to soft pink to wine red.
Hellebores thrive in well-drained soils in a woodland setting. They colonize slowly in consistently moist, average soil under canopy cover.
Amsonia
Eastern bluestar is a highly ornamental low-maintenance U.S. native perennial. It shines in late spring with large, loose clusters of starry periwinkle blue flowers. Attractive, willowy foliage in deep olive green with golden-yellow fall color brings multi-season appeal.
Bluestar is drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, and withstands heat and humidity. With a sunny location and moisture during intense dry spells, it needs little else to flourish.
Look to βStorm Cloudβ for a selection of species with a robust habit and compact growth. New stems emerge nearly black, and willow-shaped leaves densely whorl around the smooth stems.
βStorm Cloudβ is the 2024 Proven Winnersβ Landscape Perennial of the Year. It topped plant trials at Michigan (2022) and Mississippi (2021) State Universities.
