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Perennials live for multiple years, but no single plant list suits every garden. This curated selection brings together 31 flowers and foliage plants named in university and horticultural guidance; it is not a measured popularity ranking. Choose by your local climate, sunlight, soil moisture and drainage, wildlife pressure, and the space each plant needs at maturity.
How to choose perennials for your garden
Herbaceous perennials often die back to ground level and return from surviving roots. Others, including some evergreen and semi-evergreen types, retain foliage through part or all of the year. A perennial is not necessarily evergreen or maintenance-free. The Royal Horticultural Society explains the distinction in its guide to growing perennial plants.
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- Check the site: Note how much sun the bed receives in summer, whether the soil drains quickly or stays moist, and what plants can tolerate local wildlife pressure.
- Allow room: Compare mature height and spread with the available space, rather than planting to the size of a nursery pot.
- Plan more than flowers: Combine bloom seasons, foliage, plant shape, and height so the garden has structure between flowering periods. Bloom dates vary with weather, soil, and elevation.
- Group by needs: Place plants with similar light, moisture, and soil preferences together, and choose for the garden’s purpose—such as a shade bed, pollinator planting, or cut flowers.
University of Maryland Extension notes that perennials may take around three years after planting to become well established and fuller in appearance. For more on site assessment and care, see its perennial selection, planting, and care guidance. Regional recommendations also differ: Iowa State’s examples are especially useful for Midwest conditions, while Mississippi State’s list is written for Mississippi. Consult local guidance before buying.
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31 perennial flowers and plants to consider
The descriptions below preserve the regional context of the cited recommendations. Bloom seasons are approximate for the relevant source’s region, not guarantees for every climate. Several entries overlap by common name or plant group because the extension guides use different naming conventions; this is a curated set of recommendations, not a claim of 31 verified distinct taxa or a rank order.
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Easy-to-grow choices with Iowa State guidance
- Hosta (Hosta spp.): A foliage-first option for partial to full shade in moist, well-drained, organic soil. Flowers in early to midsummer. Iowa State’s easy-to-grow perennial guide provides the site guidance.
- Daylily (Hemerocallis spp.): Suits full sun or light shade. Plants can flower over several weeks, although each bloom lasts one day; the main season is early to midsummer. Choose named cultivars rather than aggressive ditch daylily.
- Perennial salvia: Prefers full sun and well-drained soil. Flower spikes appear from late spring to early summer, and some plants rebloom after cutback. Hardiness depends on species and cultivar.
- Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea): Grows in full sun and average-to-dry, well-drained soil; blooms from early to late summer. Iowa State notes its central U.S. nativity and wildlife value.
- Stonecrop (Sedum / Hylotelephium): Upright forms prefer full sun and dry-to-average, well-drained soil, bloom from late summer into fall, and tolerate drought.
- Catmint (Nepeta): A full-sun plant for well-drained soil. It tolerates heat and drought after establishment and flowers from late spring through summer; shearing can encourage another flush.
- Yarrow (Achillea): Suits full sun and dry-to-average, well-drained soil, with early- to midsummer flowers. It tolerates drought but can spread readily.
- Thread-leaf coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata): A sunny-site choice for average-to-dry soil. It flowers in early summer and often continues into late summer.
- Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum × superbum): Prefers full sun, well-drained soil, and moderate moisture; flowers in early to midsummer.
- Iris: Most prefer sun and flower from late spring to early summer. Bearded iris especially needs good drainage; Siberian iris tolerates more moisture.
Other plants named in extension and horticultural guidance
- Fernleaf yarrow (Achillea filipendulina): Purdue lists it for sun, with a July–August flowering season in its guide.
- Common yarrow (Achillea millefolium): Purdue lists a pink-red form for sun and July–August bloom; Mississippi State also names yarrow selections. Check the specific form’s spread and local suitability.
- Woolly yarrow (Achillea tomentosa): Purdue recommends it for sunny rockeries, with June bloom in its guide.
- Hollyhock (Alcea rosea): A tall, sunny background plant that Purdue lists for July–August bloom. Leave room for its mature height.
- Amsonia or blue star (Amsonia tabernaemontana): Mississippi State describes a native clump-former with blue mid-spring flowers and tolerance of wet or dry soils in its Mississippi guidance.
- Asters (Aster spp.): Mississippi State lists asters for fall bloom; height varies by type.
- Canna (Canna generalis): Mississippi State lists summer flowers and bold foliage, with tolerance of both wet and dry soil in its regional remarks.
- Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis): A choice for moist or lightly shaded sites, with red flower spikes in late summer and fall according to Mississippi State.
- Chives (Allium schoenoprasum): An edible member of the onion family with spring flowers in Mississippi State’s list.
- Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata): Mississippi State lists spring- and summer-flowering forms. Cultivar and growth habit affect how a selection performs.
- Shasta daisy (Mississippi guide name: Chrysanthemum maximum): Mississippi State describes a popular white daisy. Iowa State uses Leucanthemum × superbum for Shasta daisy; the differing names are reported here as each guide gives them, not asserted as a verified taxonomic synonym.
- Ox-eye daisy (Mississippi guide name: Chrysanthemum leucanthemum): A spring-flowering plant named in Mississippi State’s regional list.
- Butterfly lily or ginger lily (Hedychium coronarium): Mississippi State lists fragrant late-summer and fall flowers and recommends winter mulch in its regional context.
- Hardy geranium (Geranium spp.): The RHS names hardy geraniums among herbaceous perennials. Select a species or cultivar for the garden’s conditions.
- Delphinium (Delphinium spp.): Another herbaceous perennial named by the RHS. Consider its mature height when choosing a planting location.
- Bergenia (Bergenia spp.): An evergreen or semi-evergreen perennial in the RHS examples, useful when persistent foliage is part of the plan.
- Epimedium (Epimedium spp.): The RHS also lists epimedium among evergreen or semi-evergreen perennials; check the chosen type’s site requirements.
- Hellebore (Helleborus spp.): An evergreen or semi-evergreen example in RHS guidance. Choose a type suited to the garden’s light and soil conditions.
- Daylily (Hemerocallis spp.): Also appears in Purdue’s recommended perennial guide. Iowa State’s advice on site and choosing named, non-aggressive cultivars applies to the garden decision.
- Coreopsis or tickseed (Coreopsis spp.): Named in Purdue, Mississippi State, and Iowa State guidance. Species and cultivar affect height, flowering, and spread.
How to use regional plant lists
Use a recommendation as a starting point, not a promise that the plant will thrive anywhere. Purdue’s recommended perennial flowers guide is useful for planning by height, flower color, bloom season, habit, form, and texture. Mississippi State’s annual and perennial flowers for Mississippi gardens is explicitly regional and non-comprehensive. Colorado State Extension’s perennial gardening guidance likewise emphasizes regional planning, grouping plants by environmental and cultural needs, and maintenance.
Before purchasing, check the plant’s exact cultivar, local hardiness, light and moisture needs, drainage preference, mature dimensions, and tendency to spread. A plant described as drought-tolerant after establishment may still need appropriate care while it settles in.
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