Add some color and beauty to your garden with these 10 stunning perennial flowers. Discover the best options for your space and start planting today!
These stunning flowers bloom in mid to late winter, often around the time of Lent when snow still is on the ground. Lenten roses, also called hellebores, may seem fragile, but their toughness is legendary. They have evergreen foliage and need mostly shade, though they’ll take morning sun.
Peonies can live for decades, so they’re a worthwhile investment for your perennial garden. These lush flowers bloom in late spring. Many have intense fragrances, and they’re available in many colors and forms. The ants that visit the flowers aren’t pests; they’re just sipping the nectar. Peonies need full sun.
Penstemon, also called beardtongue, is a sturdy, sun-loving summer bloomer. This drought-tolerant and deer-resistant plant is ideal for all types of gardens. The foliage may be deep green or burgundy, while the deep-throated pink flowers are magnets for butterflies and hummingbirds.
English lavender is the most common, but you’ll also see lavender, a hybrid that’s less fussy. Spanish lavender has “bunny ear” tufts on its flower spikes, but it’s not as cold-hardy as other types. Make sure to read the tag to find one that’s suited to your USDA hardiness zone. Lavender needs full sun and good drainage.
Grown mostly for its striking, ruffled foliage, which comes in every color from lime green to bright plum, coral bells send up delicate flower spikes, which hummingbirds love, during the summer. Coral bells like sun or shade, though they prefer afternoon shade in hot climates.
Their forms range from tiny ball-shaped blooms to flowers the size of a dinner plate. They’re also long-lived in the vase. In northern gardens, you’ll need to dig up and save the tubers after the first frost kills the foliage, then replant in the spring. Dahlias need full sun.
Adorable little buds, which resemble tiny balloons, open into long-lasting star-shaped flowers in mid-summer. The flowers are a deep blue or pale pink. Best of all, deer usually leave them alone. Give balloon flowers full sun.
These charming perennials provide late-season color that lasts well into fall. Also called windflowers, they have a delicate beauty, with a profuse number of pink or white blooms nodding on long stems atop its mounded foliage.
Salvia is a hardy perennial that has spikes of purple, pink or white flowers atop mounded foliage. These summer bloomers, which attract pollinators, are sturdy and trouble-free, so they’re a must-have in any sunny garden.
Ranunculus have exquisite, papery blooms in every color you can imagine. They’re especially lovely as cut flowers. Bulbs should be planted in spring or fall, depending on where you live, and will need to be dug up in cold climates and replanted in the spring. They need full sun.