Perennials Every Garden Should Have

Planting perennial gardens or adding blooms to shrubs and trees with low maintenance plants opens up endless opportunities in terms of color, form, and height.

Perennials complete their lifecycle in one growing season, while annuals bloom, set seed and die within one year – many will self-sow and return in spring as self-seeders.

Phlox

Phlox flowers boast an assortment of vibrant hues and are easy to grow from seed. Perfect for cool garden beds and perennial borders, as well as providing ground cover that suppresses weeds while controlling erosion, Phlox flowers offer great versatility in any garden setting.

Creeping phlox is an ideal choice for shaded areas, where its slow spread produces fragrant blooms in early spring. Consider cultivars like Sherwood Purple or Blue Moon as possibilities.

Mid-height varieties like Nicky, Red Riding Hood and Orange Perfection make excellent mid-border plants, while tall garden phlox varieties such as Miss Pepper or Franz Schubert can grow to 4 feet high for dramatic effect. Mildew resistant varieties like Bright Eyes or Coral Flame may thrive better and need shaded afternoons with rich, well-draining soil to thrive best.

Leucanthemum

Leucanthemum or Shasta daisies have long been regarded as a go-to perennial garden plant, thanks to their cheerful white blooms that attract pollinators and create an ecologically healthy garden space. Plus, growing them organically brings deer-resistant blooms that make your summer garden standout!

Blooms typically appear from midsummer until fall, depending on the variety. Deadheading regularly helps extend blooming seasons while keeping plants looking tidy; division of established clumps in autumn or early spring stimulates fresh growth.

Plant Leucanthemum in full sun in well-draining, moderately fertile soil that drains quickly. They work well as border beds, alpine gardens, rock gardens or wildflower areas, with some species (Oxeye Daisy) being low-growing while others (Tall Yellow Flowered Leucanthemum) reaching heights of two feet or taller – ideal for cutting gardens! Propagating Leucanthemum through division or seed is simple too!

Echinacea

Echinacea (purple coneflower) is an attractive perennial that attracts butterflies while offering nectar for pollinators. This hardy perennial thrives in sunny flower beds, borders, cutting gardens and container gardening – an excellent combination!

Native Americans traditionally used Echinacea for medical uses, including treating toothaches and snakebites. Modern medicine recommends Echinacea for colds as an immune-enhancing herb.

Echinacea blooms in an array of vibrant red, orange and yellow shades. One series known as Conefections was specifically bred to produce stockier plants with more reliable double flowers. Narrow-leaf purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia) grows wild from Saskatchewan through Minnesota down through Nebraska to Texas – reaching 12-16 inches tall when grown outdoors; its ideal conditions for overwintering are sites with dry soil conditions.

Hellebore

Helleborus (also known as Lenten Rose or Christmas rose) is one of the few shade perennials to flower during Winter, making them one of the few perennial shade plants with wintertime interest. Easy care requires little attention from their caretakers and they feature leathery foliage for year-round interest. Recent breeding efforts have produced double, semi-double, anemone-centred flowers which contrast nicely with outer sepals for added visual impact.

Baptisia (false indigo) boasts beautiful plumes of purple, pink and white flowers that attract late season pollinators. Once established this long-lived perennial thrives in many types of soil and will survive drought conditions with minimal care required – perfect for meadow gardens and woodland borders alike!

Hostas are shade perennials with bold leaves and intricately-patterned fronds that thrive in many Pacific Northwest gardens, becoming staples as part of mixed or perennial borders.

Yarrow

Perennials are often underestimated as essential elements in creating a healthy garden. From reliable beauty and pollinator support to reduced maintenance requirements over time compared to annuals, perennials provide essential building blocks of any successful space.

Achillea millefolium, commonly referred to as yarrow, has long been recognized for its medicinal qualities. Its leaves and flowers soothe minor wounds while stopping bleeding and aiding healing. Furthermore, this hardy perennial can tolerate both heat, cold, drought conditions as well as insects such as deer and diseases that attack plants.

Flat-topped clusters of pink, red, purple and white flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Plant yarrow in meadows or native gardens to attract pollinators while improving ecosystem health. It thrives both in sun or light shade conditions while tolerating dry, hot conditions as well as different soil types – learn more about cultivating it here!