All About Growing Perennial Plants

Why grow perennial plants?

1. Less Work in the Future – They come back every year, reducing how much you plant each spring. They also need minimal maintenance once they’re established.
2. Great Investment – They increase a home’s value and curb appeal.
3. Beautiful All Year – They re-sprout in spring, but each perennial plant has its own bloom time. A small assortment of different varieties provides everchanging beauty through all the seasons.
4. Versatile – Many perennial varieties can be grown in containers as well as in the ground, either individually or in combination with other flowering plants.

Choosing Perennials

Find the right plant for your landscape or pot.

Know Your Plants – Annual vs. Perennial Learn the differences between annual and perennial plants and how to decide which type of plant is best for your gardening needs.	Choosing Perennials for a Bloom-filled Summer Choose a mix of perennial plants that begin blooming at different times for a continuous vibrant display all season long.
10 Perennial Shade Plants with Fabulous Foliage Leaf shapes, textures and colors can transform shady spaces just as much as flowers. Read on to learn about 10 perennial shade-loving plants with great-looking leaves.	Five Extra-Long-Blooming Perennials Discover five perennial plants that bloom over an exceptionally long season. Better yet, they provide a reliable source of color and beauty year after year.
Container Plants That Come Back Every Year Decorate your deck, patio or doorstep! Use these low-maintenance perennial plants to create colorful, carefree planters.	5 Flowering Plants for Hot, Dry Climates Learn about perennials that thrive in hot, dry conditions so you can create a low-maintenance garden.
Top 5 Hardy Succulents These drought-resistant plants are stunningly beautiful and nearly indestructible.	Top 5 Well-behaved Perennial Groundcovers Perennial groundcovers are a low-maintenance, inexpensive way to cover a large area of the landscape.
Top 5 Flowering Spring Perennials Five spring-blooming perennials that consistently get high marks for beauty, adaptability and all-around ease of growing.	8 of the Most Fragrant Perennials for a Scented Garden Fragrant perennials come back year after year and fill a garden with wonderful scents. Discover 8 of the best-smelling perennial flowers.

Caring for Perennials

Care tips and uses for perennial plants.

Time Saving Tip: Mulch Mulch is more than an attractive finishing touch in a garden. It is a time-saving, water-saving, weed-minimizing, and soil-improving step that is worth the effort.	5 Alternatives to a Traditional Lawn Homeowners are ditching their traditional turf lawns and turning to alternatives. This article lays out five of the most popular options if you’re ready to give up your lawn.
How to Stop Soil Erosion Topsoil being carried away by rainfall can be a serious problem. Here are ways to control erosion.	What to Do When You Can’t Plant Right Away What happens when you get home and can’t put those plants in the ground right away? This article explores your options.
How to Create a Shady Retreat Garden A shady space in your yard can be the perfect location for a cooling, calming getaway spot.	The Dirt on Garden Soil The soil choices at your local garden center can be daunting. This article will help you figure out what sort of soil you need.
Dividing Perennials Energize your perennials and gain more of them by following these simple guidelines for dividing your plants.	How to Divide Hostas Step-by-step instructions on how to dig and divide your hosta plants.

How to Plant Perennials

Planting perennials pays off because you get years of enjoyment from them. The best time to plant perennials is in the spring or fall. Start a long-lasting perennial garden by following these four simple steps:

Download the Perennial Planting Instructions printable PDF.

12 Popular Perennials Everyone Can Grow

These are some of the best perennial plants to grow because they offer lots of colors and don’t need much maintenance.

1. Asiatic Lilies

Lilium hybrids
Asiatic lilies are perfect for planting among other plants for a burst of color. Be sure to plant extra for bouquets.

2. Hellebore, Lenten Rose

Helleborus species
The elegant, late winter to mid-spring flowers of hellebore are beautiful in shady borders and woodland gardens.

3. Black-eyed Susan

Rudbeckia fulgida
Black-eyed Susan is a hardy North American native plant capable of thriving in just about any sunny location.

4. Foamflower

Tiarella hybrid
Tiarella are native to the woodlands of North America and a perfect choice for shady spaces. They’re a great choice for waterside gardens.

5. Russian Sage

Perovskia atriplicifolia
This bushy perennial makes a striking companion to plants with gold hues or small ornamental grasses.

6. Heuchera, Coral Bells

Heuchera hybrids
Heuchera plants are a great way to express creativity through leaf color and texture. Their airy flowers add a blush of color in summer.

7. Hakone Grass, Japanese Forest Grass

Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’
Mix hakone grass with other shade-loving foliage plants to create interesting textural contrast in low-light areas.

8. Sedum, Stonecrop

Sedum spectabile
Sedum’s scalloped edged-leaves look great throughout the season. In fall, they have tight clusters of starry flowers.

9. Threadleaf Coreopsis

Coreopsis verticillata
This is the longest blooming Coreopsis available. Their yellow daisies and lacy leaves add a soft, delicate touch to the garden.

10. Hosta

Hosta hybrids
Hosta is a go-to plant for shade. With thousands of hostas available, you can find more than one with the plant size and leaf color you’d like.

11. Daylily

Hemerocallis hybrids
There are over 50,000 registered daylily varieties. Choosing a mix of daylilies with different colors and bloom times will assure a colorful garden for months.

12. Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea
Coneflowers are tough, self-reliant plants that attract butterflies. Plus, they last a long time as cut flowers in a vase.

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