31 Perennial Plants That Come Back Every Year
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Perennials are a great investment in your garden. Because they return for many years, you’ll enjoy them for more than just one season. Many of them also spread so you can divide them or share with other gardeners to expand your garden. And some perennials live for decades. Yes, decades. So, your one-time investment can yield amazing returns in the long run.
The most important thing to remember when shopping is to choose perennials that will survive winters in your USDA Hardiness zone (find yours here). You also need to make sure you give the plant the correct sun exposure: Full sun is considered 6 or more hours of direct sunlight per day, while part sun is about half that. Shade is no direct sunlight, or only a bit of morning sun.
Finally, perennials take time to fill out, so be patient. There’s an old gardening saying that perennials “walk, creep, run”—meaning they’re slow to take off the first year, they pick up the second year, then they kick into high gear by the third season.
While most perennials can be planted from seed, that’s not the best route if you’re impatient or want color and drama now, not five years from now. Yes, plants are more expensive, but you’ll get faster results if you opt for mature plants.
Annuals v. Perennials: What’s the Difference Anyhow?
Our Favorite Perennials to Plant
1. Peony
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Peonies are having a moment because they’re big, lush, fragrant and gorgeous, and they have an old-fashioned charm that’s trending big this year. They’re also one of the longest-lived perennials, with some plants living up to 100 years.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 to 8
How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
When It Blooms: Late spring to early summer
2. Foxglove
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Like peonies, these tall, stately cottage garden favorites also are making a comeback, reflecting a taste for nostalgia in the garden. They’re considered a biennial, or a short-lived perennial, that will only last a season or two. But they self-seed readily so you may get new plants in subsequent years with plants flowering the second season. Tall varieties need to be staked.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 to 9
How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun to part shade
When It Blooms: Early summer
3. Lavender
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Lavender is a must-have for any romantic garden. It doesn’t mind poor, rocky soils and is drought tolerant once established. There are many different varieties, so be sure to choose one that’s winter-hardy in your area. Most lavender plants live for five to ten years in ideal conditions.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 to 9
How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
When It Blooms: Mid-summer
4. Yarrow
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Yarrow is tough perennial that doesn’t mind hot, dry locations in your garden and doesn’t like soggy soil. These flowers attract pollinators and come in every shade, from creamy white to apricot and pink. Yarrow also makes a beautiful dried flower.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 to 9
How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
When It Blooms: Mid to late summer
5. Daylily
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Daylilies last for only a day (thus, the name!), but they have multiple blooms on each stem. They require very little care, spread rapidly and come in every shade, from lemon yellow to fuchsia. However, avoid planting these long-lived perennials if you have deer (it’s one of their favorite treats).
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 to 9
How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
When It Blooms: Mid-summer
6. Sedum
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Sedum comes in hundreds of varieties, including creeping types and tall, upright forms. As succulents, they’re drought tolerant once established and barely need watered. In fact, overwatering is really the only sure way to kill them.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 to 11
How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
When It Blooms: Mid to late summer, depending on the variety
7. Salvia
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There are both annual (lives for one season) and perennial salvias, so make sure to read the plant tag or description so you know you’re buying the right one. Their beautiful, tubular flowers come in shades of pinks and purples, and hummingbirds love them.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 to 11
How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
When It Blooms: Mid to late summer, depending on the variety
8. Coneflower
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Coneflowers are sturdy perennials for hot, dry areas, and they come in an array of colors from hot pink to lime green. They bloom for several weeks and attract bees and butterflies. Deer tend to leave them alone. If you leave the seed heads intact after blooming, you’ll provide food for the birds and habitat for overwintering pollinators.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 to 8
How Much Sun It Needs: Part to full sun
When It Blooms: Mid to late summer, depending on the variety
9. Columbine
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Columbine have exquisite flowers in lovely shades of pink, purple, white, blue and yellow. They provide food for pollinators early in the growing season. Some varieties are short-lived but self-sow, with new plants popping up in subsequent years. Hummingbirds love them!
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 to 9
How Much Sun It Needs: Part sun
When It Blooms: Early to mid-spring
10. Hellebore
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Also called Lenten rose, these stunning flowers appear when snow still may be on the ground, often around the time of Lent. They’re a welcome splash of color in the late winter garden. The blooms last many weeks, well into late spring to early summer. Bonus: Bunnies and deer tend to leave them alone.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 to 9
How Much Sun It Needs: Part sun to full shade
When It Blooms: Late winter to early spring
11. Aster
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Just as your garden is winding down for the season, asters begin to bloom. Their fringed flowers come in an array of purples and pinks. Plant them at the back of the border to provide late-season food for pollinators.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 to 8
How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
When It Blooms: Late summer to late fall
12. Black-eyed Susan
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The cheery yellow faces of black-eyes Susan are a must-have in the garden. These study perennials are drought-tolerant once established. They are available in both annual and perennial types, so make sure to read the plant tag or description so you know what you’re buying.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 to 9
How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
When It Blooms: Late summer
13. Creeping Thyme
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This culinary herb makes a surprisingly pretty and sturdy ground cover. It has tiny pink, white or purple flowers and looks amazing tumbling over walls or holding slopes in place to prevent erosion. Pollinators love the blooms! This is one perennial that’s easy to grow from seed.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 to 9
How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
When It Blooms: Late spring to early summer
14. Siberian Iris
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Siberian irises have pretty sword-shaped foliage and intricate-looking flowers in an array of colors ranging from yellow to pale purple to dark amethyst. They like rich soil but can adapt to poor soils, too. They’re fairly pest and disease-resistant and will spread rapidly in the right conditions so that you can divide them in a few years and replant elsewhere in your garden.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 to 8
How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun to part shade
When It Blooms: Early summer
15. Catmint
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If you want to plant a perennial that thrives on neglect, catmint is a winner! The silvery mounded foliage sends out lovely purple spikes of flowers that pollinators, such as bees and hummingbirds, adore. Because of its minty-scented foliage, hungry garden visitors (ahem, deer and rabbits) tend to leave it alone. It thrives in even very poor soils and is drought-tolerant once established.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 to 8
How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun to part shade
When It Blooms: Late spring to fall
16. Thrift
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With grassy-looking foliage and tiny ball-shaped flowers, this charming perennial is a fun addition to a rock garden or the front of borders. It’s also extremely cold hardy.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8
How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
When It Blooms: Early to mid-summer
17. Cranesbill
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Cranesbill, also known as perennial geranium, are amazing ground cover perennials. With attractive crane’s bill-shaped flowers that float above pretty foliage, they spread rapidly in good conditions. Some rebloom throughout the season, especially if you trim them back after their initial bloom period. Their minty-scented leaves keep bunnies and deer away from snacking on them.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 9
How Much Sun It Needs: Part to full sun
When It Blooms: Late spring to early summer
18. Allium
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Allium, or ornamental onions, have adorable round flowers on long stems. There are many different varieties, ranging from tiny chives to tall, stately alliums with flowers as big as a softball. Rabbits and deer them alone, too.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 9
How Much Sun It Needs: Part to full sun
When It Blooms: Late spring to late summer, depending on the variety
19. Balloon Flower
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Fat little buds, which resemble balloons, open to reveal purple-blue, pink or white star-shaped blooms. These add charm to any perennial bed, but they don’t like soggy soils so make sure to plant in a well-draining area of your garden.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 8
How Much Sun It Needs: Part to full sun
When It Blooms: Mid-summer
20. Coral Bells
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Coral bells, or heuchera, come in an array of colors ranging from lime green to nearly black. They’re grown more for their colorful foliage than their small spikes of flowers, though hummingbirds do like them.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 9
How Much Sun It Needs: Part to full sun
When It Blooms: Mid-summer
21. Roman Chamomile
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Tiny white flowers that resemble daisies and fern-like foliage make Roman chamomile a pretty addition to the front of borders. Use the flowers, dried or fresh, in salads or to make tea. Make sure to purchase the Roman variety, as German chamomile is an annual.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 8
How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
When It Blooms: Mid-summer
22. Penstemon
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Also called beardtongue because of the appearance of its flowers, penstemon has pretty green, bronze or burgundy foliage and tall spikes on which the flowers appear. Some types readily self-seed to spread the plant. Hummingbirds love these flowers.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 9
How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
When It Blooms: Summer
23. Lamium
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Low-growing foliage with silvery spots and pretty pink, purple or white flowers make this a great addition as a ground cover or front of border plant. It’s also drought tolerant once established, and deer and rabbits tend to leave it alone.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 9
How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
When It Blooms: Summer
24. Chrysanthemum
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Chrysanthemums, or mums for short, mean fall has arrived! Available in every shade from creamy white to pumpkin orange, these sturdy flowers add much-needed color toward the end of the growing season. Although technically perennials, make sure to get them in the ground as early as possible in the season so they can get established in time to survive winter; otherwise, treat them as annuals and buy new every year (they’re relatively inexpensive when it comes to perennials).
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9
How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
When It Blooms: Early fall
25. Coreopsis
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Coreopsis, also known as tickseed due to the unusual shape of their seed capsules, are cheery, daisy-like flowers. They come in an array of colors from lemony-yellow to bi-colors with cherry-red center petals. They will rebloom sporadically if you deadhead, or trim off spent blooms. Bees and butterflies love them.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 9
How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
When It Blooms: Mid-summer
26. Bleeding Heart
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With charming heart-shaped flowers dangling from long stems, these early spring bloomers add welcome early-season color to landscape beds. It’s a beautiful, old-fashioned perennial that lives for many years. Bleeding heart looks especially delightful alongside tulips and other spring bloomers.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 9
How Much Sun It Needs: Part to full shade
When It Blooms: Mid to late-spring
27. Elephant’s Ear
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If you’re looking for a real showstopper in your landscape, elephant ears are a must-have. These stunning plants are grown for their huge leaves, which, yes, they do resemble an elephant’s ears! They’re perennial in warm climates, but you’ll need to dig up the bulbs in the fall in zones 8 and colder to save for next year. They grow in sun or shade but need afternoon shade in hot climates.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zones: 9 to 11
How Much Sun It Needs: Sun or shade
When It Blooms: N/A
28. Bee Balm
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The fringe-y flowers of bee balm are a pollinator magnet. Available in shades of red and pink, these flowers bloom for weeks. Make sure to plant where there’s good air circulation around them, or they tend to get powdery mildew.
Fast Facts
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 9
How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
When It Blooms: Mid-summer
29. Hummingbird Mint
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As the name suggests, this native perennial is a favorite food of hummingbirds. The minty foliage isn’t that tasty to deer and rabbits, so it’s a good choice if you’re dealing with Bambi in your garden. The tall, showy spikes of flowers bloom for weeks.
30. Veronica
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Veronica boasts cute, little spikes of purple, pink or white flowers that pollinators love. It makes a great ground cover plant, or plant it at the front of borders. Look for both creeping and more upright varieties.
31. Lady’s Mantle
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This pretty ground cover plant has scalloped leaves that catch and reflect dew and raindrops in the most enchanting way. Hundreds of tiny chartreuse flowers appear in spring.
How to Divide Perennials (So You Can Make Lots of Free Baby Plants)
