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30 best perennial plants and flowers for every part of your garden – including colourful coneflower
From sunny to shady spots, these low-maintenance plants will brighten every plot
A well-tended garden should have plenty of both annual flowers and perennial plants.
Annuals give you a chance to experiment year after year with various colours and shapes, while a good combination of shade-loving and sun-loving perennials is like the backbone of a well-plotted landscape.
Before rushing to plant yours, it's worth knowing that perennials can be slow to take off. They usually take root in the third year, but if you're worried about a spot looking patchy, you'll want to plant enough that they don't have to spread over-far to fill in a spot.
Make sure to plant your perennial flowers and plants so that they get the right amount of sunlight too. Full sun means six or more hours of direct sunlight per day, while part sun is about half that. Shade means no direct sunlight, or only a little mild morning sunshine.
On that note, take a look at the best perennial plants and flowers for every type of garden, along with the best places to buy them from.
Astrantia
Also known as Masterwort, this delicate cottage garden favourite is having a bit of a moment – and for good reason. It thrives in partial shade and moist soil and is reliably hardy. Plus the flowers are lovely in a cutting garden or dried.
Lady's Mantle
With its frothy scalloped leaves and clouds of lime-coloured flowers, Lady's Mantle, aka Alchemilla mollis, is perfectly suited to cottage gardens. It will thrive in sun and partial shade and soften any garden edging or borders beautifully.
Verbena Bonariensis
A favourite with pollinators including bees and butterflies, these tall stems are great layered through borders as they add height without bulk. The clusters of purple will look like they are floating above your other plants.
Hostas
There are good reasons you tend to see these unassuming plants poking up in practically every garden or landscape: They love shade and will happily fill in around a tree or along a fence or wall.
They have lovely variegated leaves, and it’s not difficult to find a variety that’ll grow in most gardens. Plus, they're pretty unfussy.
Hydrangea
For stunningly beautiful flowers that come back year after year, it's hard to beat a lovely hydrangea. These long-blooming plants are incredibly popular and for good reason.
They do take some care, specifically deadheading each season, but the small amount of work is well worth it. If you’ve got a sunny spot in your garden that’s just asking for some colour, get yourself a plant and reap the rewards.
Hardy Geranium
Hardy geraniums bloom in late spring to early summer, and spread rapidly once planted. The experts recommend cutting back after flowering to encourage a second flush of flowers.
Helenium
Make an orange statement in your garden with Heleniums, also known as "sneezeweed" (not because it causes hay fever, but because people used to make the dried petals into snuff).
This pretty orange-flowered perennial is a bright addition to mixed borders. Give it full sun for summer blooms.
Coreopsis
These cheerful blooms float above their grass foliage. It’s a reliable full-sun performer, attracting butterflies and bees.
Campanula
Bright blue, pink or white flowers — shaped like bells before they bloom — are a must-have in any garden. They prefer full sun but tolerate a little shade.
Japanese Painted Fern
Got shade? These decorative ferns are fuss-free plants that will liven up a partially shaded spot in no time.
Aster
Asters are late-blooming perennials known for their vibrant, daisy-like flowers that bloom from late summer until autumn. They come in various shades of purple and pink and are long-lived perennials, thriving for a decade or more in full sun.
Astilbe
This underrated perennial should be part of any shade garden. The feathery plumes come in many different colours, from pink to white and hot pink.
Roman Chamomile
These soothing plants, boasting many medicinal benefits, like a sunny spot with free-draining soil .
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemums add cheer to any garden. They're perennial if you get them in the ground early in the season (spring through mid-summer) so that their roots can get established.
Salvia
These gorgeous blooms do best at the back of your border in full sun. They're drought-tolerant once established and bloom mid to late summer for several weeks.
Hellebore
Excellent ground cover in winter, Hellebore flowers dazzle with their saucer-shaped reddish flowers. They look especially pretty when planted with spring-flowering bulbs like narcissi and hyacinths.
Columbine
Columbines come in an array of colours and delightful forms. They bloom in spring and provide early-season food for pollinators, such as hummingbirds.
Shasta Daisy
Shasta daisies are tough perennials that are drought-tolerant once established. Give them full sun, and you'll enjoy their happy blooms for years.
Astrantia
This cottage garden favourite deserves a space in your garden. Easy to grow, they are valued in borders for their subtle and muted colours. Pollinators adore it, and the flowers are lovely in a cutting garden or dried.
Thrift
The grassy foliage of this plant is attractive all season long, but the tiny ball-shaped flowers that pop up in late spring and early summer are the reason to plant this adorable perennial. Thrift takes full sun in cooler climates but will tolerate part shade in warmer regions.
Arricca Elin SanSone is a writer, editor, and content creator who specializes in lifestyle and gardening. With a background in health reporting, she applies these same research skills when writing about the science of growing things. She trials new plants in her expansive garden, and her houseplant collection consists of 60+ varieties. Arricca has written thousands of articles for publications such as Country Living, House Beautiful, Good Housekeeping, Prevention, VERANDA, Southern Living, and more. She’s happiest when digging in the dirt, baking, or spending time with the people and dogs she loves.
Christopher Michel is the former Senior Food and Gardens Editor at Country Living Magazine. Chris has well over a decade of experience writing and editing for national magazines and websites, mostly in the food space, such as Cooking Light, The Kitchn, Rodale’s Organic Life, and Bon Appetit. Prior to that, Chris worked in a variety of food spaces in New York City. In 2022, Chris completed the Alabama Master Gardener’s Program hosted by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Chris lives in Birmingham, AL, where he enjoys running, reading, and cooking for his wife and two girls.
Cara is Commissioning Editor at Country Living, covering everything from style and interiors to sustainability, artisans and the great outdoors. She has previously worked for Good Housekeeping, Homes & Gardens, House Beautiful, Prima and Red, and has an MA in Magazine Journalism from City University and a BA in Music from the University of Oxford. Follow Cara on Instagram @caralaskaris or Linkedin.
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