Perennial Plants

Perennials are plants that return year after year from their roots. That makes them one of the most dependable choices for any garden. Some live for just a couple of seasons, while others thrive for many years. Most also grow fuller and more established with every passing season. That long-term reliability is what makes perennial plants such a smart foundation for garden beds, borders, and landscapes.

Most perennials bloom for a defined window during the growing season. However, many rebloom if you trim them back after their first flush. That gives you a second round of color later in the season. Because hardiness varies by variety, always choose varieties suited to your USDA hardiness zone. That's what ensures they come back reliably year after year.

A dense cluster of small, white flowers with green stems and leaves blooms in bright sunlight—'Peter Cottontail' Yarrow (Achillea) - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.
Close-up of blooming Sweet Romance® Lavender (Lavandula) with vibrant purple petals, set against green foliage - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Close-up of a dense patch of Sweet Romance® Lavender (Lavandula), showing clusters of small purple flowers and green stems for a vibrant, textured look - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Sweet Romance® Lavender (Lavandula)

$17.99
$17.99

Close-up of blooming purple Cat's Pajamas' Catmint (Nepeta) with green leaves, grows in a garden bed covered with mulch - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A cluster of purple Cat's Pajamas' Catmint (Nepeta) blooms with green leaves in a mulched garden bed by a white lattice fence - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

'Cat's Pajamas' Catmint (Nepeta)

$17.99
$17.99

Close-up of a dense cluster of tall, purple-blue spikes of Denim 'n Lace' Russian Sage (Perovskia) rises among green foliage with blurred green and orange garden plants in the background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.Tall stems of Denim 'n Lace' Russian Sage (Perovskia), a compact perennial, showcase clusters of small purple flowers and dense silvery-green foliage in the garden - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

'Denim 'n Lace' Russian Sage (Perovskia)

$18.99
$18.99

Clusters of bright orange Butterfly Weed Milkweed (Asclepias) flowers bloom above green, slender leaves, with buds still unopened—creating a dense, vibrant butterfly garden display - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Clusters of vivid orange Butterfly Weed Milkweed (Asclepias) flowers with narrow green leaves thrive in full sun - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Butterfly Weed Milkweed (Asclepias)

$17.99
$17.99

Top-down view of 'Pink Profusion' Perennial Salvia with tall spikes of vibrant purple and pink flowers packed among green leaves, creating a dense, colorful display all season from this reblooming perennial - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Close-up of 'Pink Profusion' Perennial Salvia features tall spikes of vibrant pink and purple blooms surrounded by green foliage, creating a lively, colorful garden display - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

'Pink Profusion' Perennial Salvia

$18.99
$18.99

A large pink Summerific® 'Edge of Night' Rose Mallow (Hibiscus) flower features delicate veins, a yellow central stamen, and is set against dramatic black hibiscus foliage - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Two large Summerific® 'Edge of Night' Rose Mallow (Hibiscus) blooms with red centers stand out against burgundy-green, almost black foliage and buds in a garden - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Summerific® 'Edge of Night' Rose Mallow (Hibiscus)

$18.99
$18.99

Close-up of five 'Rozanne' Cranesbill (Geranium) flowers with delicate veins bloom among lush green leaves, creating a charming, colorful groundcover that's perfect for enhancing any garden - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.‘Rozanne’ Cranesbill (Geranium) is a bushy perennial with abundant small purple flowers and green leaves, thriving as a groundcover in sunny garden spots - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

'Rozanne' Cranesbill (Geranium)

$18.99
$18.99

A close-up of a round cluster of small, purple flowers blooming on 'Millenium' Allium with slender green leaves and more blooms softly blurred in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A dense cluster of vibrant 'Millenium' Allium blooms among green foliage in a garden surrounded by trees and grass, all under a partly cloudy sky - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

'Millenium' Allium

$18.99
$18.99

Close-up of clusters of bright yellow flowers with narrow petals bloom among green leaves on 'Hello Yellow' Milkweed (Asclepias) - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.A cluster of bright yellow 'Hello Yellow' Milkweed (Asclepias) flowers with green leaves fills the foreground, while blurred pink and pale yellow blooms brighten the background, creating a vibrant butterfly garden scene - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

'Hello Yellow' Milkweed (Asclepias)

$18.99
$18.99

A dense cluster of small, white flowers with green stems and leaves blooms in bright sunlight—'Peter Cottontail' Yarrow (Achillea) - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Clusters of small, white 'Peter Cottontail' Yarrow (Achillea) flowers with green stems grow densely outdoors in sunlight with a blurred background of soil and greenery - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

'Peter Cottontail' Yarrow (Achillea)

$17.99
$17.99

Five vibrant orange Supreme™ 'Cantaloupe' Coneflower (Echinacea) perennials bloom among green leaves and scattered purple flowers in a garden - Photo Courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.Five orange Supreme™ 'Cantaloupe' Coneflowers (Echinacea) with spiky centers bloom among green leaves and purple flowers, creating a vibrant garden display - Photo Courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.

Supreme™ 'Cantaloupe' Coneflower (Echinacea)

$19.99
$19.99

A top-down view of a bushy Sun King' Golden Japanese Spikenard (Aralia) with bright green leaves grows among mulch and other plants in a garden bed, with purple flowers visible on the right side - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCLarge Sun King' Golden Japanese Spikenard (Aralia) with bright green, compound leaves dominates a shaded garden. Pink flowers and various other green plants surround the bush, with tall trees and dense foliage in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

'Sun King' Golden Japanese Spikenard (Aralia)

$18.99
$18.99

Close-up of ‘Serendipity’ Allium features dense clusters of vibrant purple, spiky, ball-shaped flowers atop slender green stems - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A cluster of vibrant 'Serendipity' Allium, a perennial with globe-shaped purple blooms and tall green stems, grows outdoors in a garden with grass in the background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

'Serendipity' Allium

$18.99
$18.99

Clusters of small, bell-shaped 'Pink-a-Blue' Lungwort (Pulmonaria) flowers in blue and pink bloom early in the season above green leaves speckled with white - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.A dense bush of 'Pink-a-Blue' Lungwort (Pulmonaria) with green, spotted leaves and clusters of small funnel-shaped pink and blue flowers blooms early in the season, thriving in soil - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

'Pink-a-Blue' Lungwort (Pulmonaria)

$19.99
$19.99

Close-up of a vibrant pink Double Scoop™ Watermelon Deluxe Coneflower (Echinacea) with two sets of spiky pink petals and a dark red center, surrounded by green leaves and other coneflowers in the background - Photo Courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc.A close-up of Double Scoop™ Watermelon Deluxe Coneflower (Echinacea), a vibrant, pink perennial with layered spiky petals and a dense center, surrounded by similar blooms and lush green foliage - Photo Courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc.

Double Scoop™ Watermelon Deluxe Coneflower (Echinacea)

$20.99
$20.99

Close-up of a Summerific® 'Evening Rose' Rose Mallow (Hibiscus) features vibrant pink blooms with striking yellow stamens, set against green and purple-tinged foliage - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Summerific® 'Evening Rose' Rose Mallow (Hibiscus) features large, vibrant pink blooms and deep green leaves, thriving in garden beds bordered by grass and greenery - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Summerific® 'Evening Rose' Rose Mallow (Hibiscus)

$21.99
$21.99

A large white bloom of Summerific® 'Cookies and Cream' Rose Mallow (Hibiscus) with ruffled petals and a pale yellow center stands out against dark green and purple foliage - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A large white Summerific® 'Cookies and Cream' Rose Mallow (Hibiscus) flower with a yellow stamen blooms amid dark green, purple-tinged leaves in sunlight - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Summerific® 'Cookies and Cream' Rose Mallow (Hibiscus)

$21.99
$21.99

Close-up of rosette-shaped Chick Charms® Gold Nugget Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum), a drought-tolerant perennial with yellow and orange pointed leaves, surrounded by other Chick Charms® succulents in green and purple - Photo Courtesy of Garden Solutions.Close-up of Chick Charms® Gold Nugget Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum), a perennial with pointed, yellow-green leaves tipped red, arranged in a spiral - Photo Courtesy of Garden Solutions.

Chick Charms® Gold Nugget™ Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum)

$10.99
$10.99

A close-up of a 'Roguchi' Clematis highlights its purple, bell-shaped flowers with curled petals hanging downward among lush green leaves in bright, natural light - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A single purple, bell-shaped 'Roguchi' Clematis flower hangs downward before several white clematis blooms with yellow centers amid green leaves, highlighting the long-blooming charm of 'Roguchi' Clematis - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

'Roguchi' Clematis

$20.99
$20.99

'Canary Feathers' Corydalis with bright yellow flower spikes and delicate, fern-like green leaves - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

'Canary Feathers' Corydalis

$19.99
$19.99

A large Summerific® 'Ballet Slippers' Rose Mallow (Hibiscus) with white petals edged in light pink and a deep red center blooms among green leaves in an outdoor garden - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.The Summerific® 'Ballet Slippers' Rose Mallow (Hibiscus) features white petals with light pink edges and a deep red center, creating a stunning perennial display among green leaves in the summer garden - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Summerific® 'Ballet Slippers' Rose Mallow (Hibiscus)

$18.99
$18.99

Close-up of clusters of vibrant magenta flowers of 'Firefly Fuchsia' Yarrow (Achillea) with tiny, densely packed pink blooms and green stems stand out against a blurred background - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.A cluster of 'Firefly Fuchsia' Yarrow (Achillea) with fern-like green leaves thrives in a garden bed, bordered by purple, orange, and pink flowers, creating a vibrant perennial display - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

'Firefly Fuchsia' Yarrow (Achillea)

$17.99
$17.99
'Red Lark' Hybrid Delphinium displays tall, bright pink-red blooms above green foliage beside a blue glass bottle sculpture set off by white and coral-red perennials in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.In a garden bed, 'Red Lark' Hybrid Delphinium blooms with vibrant, layered petals rise above green foliage and mulch. A house partially visible in the background - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

'Red Lark' Hybrid Delphinium

$20.99
$20.99

Close-up of a cluster of Double Coded® 'Everything's Rosy' Coneflower (Echinacea) with light pink blooms with spiky, dark pink centers brightens the lush garden, surrounded by green foliage - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.A cluster of Double Coded® 'Everything's Rosy' Coneflower (Echinacea) with pink petals and bright orange centers blooms in a mulched garden bed, surrounded by lush green foliage and softly blurred background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.plants.

Double Coded® 'Everything's Rosy' Coneflower (Echinacea)

$19.99
$19.99

FAQs

Perennials regrow year after year from the same root system, while annuals complete their life cycle in a single season. This means perennial plants are a long-term investment for a garden bed, returning each spring without needing to be replanted, unlike annual flowers that must be purchased fresh each year.

Coreopsis, Salvia, Nepeta, and Rudbeckia are among the longest-blooming perennials, often flowering from early summer into fall. Reblooming varieties of daylily and coneflower extend their color well past a traditional single flush. Cutting plants back lightly after the first wave of flowers encourages many of these to push out a second round.

Watch the spot you want to plant over the course of a day and add up how many hours of direct sun it gets. Six or more hours counts as full sun, roughly four to six is part sun, and less than four is shade. Afternoon sun is more intense than morning sun, so a bed that gets four hot afternoon hours can support plants labeled for more light than the number alone suggests.

Yes, many perennial varieties are specifically valued for attracting bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Choosing perennial flowers with these traits supports a more active garden ecosystem while still providing reliable color and structure that returns each growing season.

Generally, yes. Once established, perennial plants often require less routine replanting than annuals since they regrow from existing roots each year. Many varieties also tolerate drought or deer pressure well, reducing the ongoing care needed to keep a garden bed looking full and healthy.