The Best Flowering Perennials That Will Thrive Anywhere

Are you looking to invest in your garden wisely to enjoy beautiful blooms year after year? If so, perennials are the way to go! Unlike annuals that need to be replanted every year, perennials make a solid investment, providing a long-lasting return that only gets better with time.

If you’re like me, you appreciate the value of perennials and the joy they bring to your garden. The idea of creating ever-evolving tapestries of color and texture as perennials mature year after year is truly satisfying.

So, let’s dive into 17 outstanding flowering perennials that are not only easy to grow but can thrive almost anywhere in the USA or the UK. These perennials are garden essentials that will add beauty and charm to your outdoor space.

Flowering Perennials for Temperate Climates

1. Balloon Flower

2. Platycodon is an easy-to-grow plant that prefers full sun to part shade and organically-rich, well-drained soil.

3. Choose from blue, white, or pink blooms in single- or double-petal varieties.

4. Use balloon flower as a focal point in your garden, interplanting it with other flora for a cohesive look.

5. Black-Eyed Susan

6. Rudbeckia is a native wildflower that blooms from June to September, attracting pollinators to your garden.

7. With varieties ranging from yellow-orange to deep orange and red, black-eyed Susan adds medium-height color saturation throughout the summer.

8. Blazing Star

9. Liatris spicata is a native wildflower that boasts spikes of pink, purple, or white blossoms, adding vertical drama from July to September.

10. Use blazing star to create bold impact in your garden, interplanting it at mid-story or at the back of beds for structural definition.

11. Bugleweed

12. Ajuga is a fast-growing evergreen ground cover that thrives in sunny to partly shady areas with average to moist, well-drained soil.

13. Use bugleweed along walkways and in troublesome areas where other plants struggle to grow, appreciating its year-round interest and weed inhibition.

14. Clematis

15. A non-invasive flowering vine that comes in various colors and shapes, clematis grows well in full sun to part shade and moist, organically-rich soil.

16. Train clematis up lattice frameworks, arbors, and fences to create privacy and add a touch of elegance to your garden.

17. Coneflower

18. Echinacea‘s native purple coneflower blooms from summer to fall, attracting songbirds like goldfinches with its colorful blossoms.

19. Use coneflower to provide consistent mid-level color in your garden, interplanting it with similar soil culture plants like black-eyed Susan.

20. Cranesbill Geranium

21. A mounding species that thrives in full sun and average, well-drained soil, cranesbill geranium fills the mid-level with a profusion of blooms.

22. Use this plant as a filler in beds and borders, with shrubs behind and shorter flora in front for a balanced look.

23. Creeping Thyme

24. A culinary herb that serves as a stunning ground cover in full sun and average, well-drained soil, releasing a pleasant minty fragrance when brushed past.

25. Plant creeping thyme en masse along walkways, driveways, and borders to showcase its vivid color and drought tolerance.

26. Daylily

27. A clumping root plant with multiple bold blossoms per stem, daylily grows well in full sun and organically-rich, well-drained soil.

28. Use tall daylilies as standalone plants or back-of-border anchors, and shorter types to define border frontage with a splash of color.

29. English Lavender

    • Thriving in full sun and dry, sandy, somewhat acidic soil, English lavender is known for its fragrant spikes of blue-purple blossoms.
    • Place lavender near bed and border perimeters to release its aroma, mingling it with other plants for an appealing contrast.

30. Siberian Iris

    • Growing from a rhizome in full sun to part shade, Siberian iris features showy clumps of colorful blossoms ideal for a dramatic spring garden display.
    • Choose from a rainbow of colors including blue, pink, purple, white, and yellow, and plant in well-drained soil for best results.

31. Giant Allium

    • This striking ornamental onion bulb thrives in full sun and moist, organically-rich soil, boasting large globes of purple blossoms on tall stems.
    • Use giant allium sporadically for a quirky accent or mass it in a drift to define the back of a border with whimsical pops of color.

32. Hellebore

    • An evergreen perennial that appears as early as January and lasts into spring, hellebore prefers moist, well-drained soil and a little shade.
    • Choose from green, pink, red, and yellow cultivars to add early spring color beneath deciduous trees and companion with spring bulbs.

33. New England Aster

    • A native aster that attracts pollinators and blooms profusely in late summer to fall, New England aster thrives in full sun with average, well-drained soil.
    • Prune aster early in summer to minimize legginess and enjoy a continuous display of small, feathery purple blossoms.

34. Montauk Daisy

    • Requiring full sun and average, well-drained soil, Montauk daisy features shiny, succulent-like leaves and showy white petals with greenish centers.
    • Plant Montauk daisy as a mid-story companion to bee balm and balloon flower, creating a patriotic red, white, and blue display in your garden.

35. Perennial Tickseed

    • Thriving in poor soil with good drainage, perennial tickseed is a low-maintenance, sun-loving plant that blooms profusely from May to July.
    • Naturalize tickseed to enjoy its bright yellow-orange blossoms and attract beneficial insects to your garden.

36. Yarrow

    • Growing in full sun and sandy, well-drained soil, yarrow comes in rich shades of red, white, and yellow, reaching heights of two to four feet.
    • Group clumps of yarrow to achieve color saturation and drought tolerance, pruning in late spring to encourage compact growth and optimal blooming.

Incorporating these flowering perennials into your garden design will not only elevate the visual appeal of your space but also provide long-lasting beauty year after year. Deciduous and evergreen shrubs, as well as native and ornamental grasses, can further enhance the textural and structural impact of your garden.

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Ready to create enduring gardens that evolve beautifully with each passing year? Say goodbye to haphazard assortments of annuals and hello to the enduring gardens of your dreams, where perennials complement each other and grow more beautiful with time.**

Remember, you can divide perennials to expand your garden for free or exchange them with gardening friends for a fun and cost-effective way to diversify your outdoor space. So, what’s on your garden list this year? Share how these extraordinary perennials guide your design plan and bring your outdoor vision to life!

For more perennial flower suggestions, check out:

• 15 Flowering Ground Covers to Meet Landscaping Challenges
• Perennials for Butterfly Gardens
• Choosing the Perfect Flowering Perennials: 5 for Your Shade Garden
• 9 Best Full-Sun Flowering Perennials for Southern Gardens

By incorporating these top flowering perennials into your garden design, you can create visually stunning and low-maintenance outdoor spaces that will bring you joy for years to come. Happy gardening!