The secret to color year-round for the lazy gardener is out. While your neighbors are deadheading, babying flowers, and watering, smart gardeners know not to bother. These 12 perennials love neglect and make beautiful gardens for years to come.
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This prairie native blooms from June to October, attracting butterflies and needing almost no care. Just plant in the full sun and forget it. Drought conditions actually increases the intensity of bloom. It self seeds and produces more plants every year.
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2. Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)
Starting from July and lasting until the first frost, our golden blooms will light up your garden! These incredibly hardy, drought tolerant, and poor soil thriving perennials will naturally spread and fill your bare spots. Dead heading is optional because the seed heads will feed surrounding birds all winter!
3. Sedum 'Autumn Joy'
The perfect perennial for people who want a low-maintenance plant that will give them beautiful pink flowers in the fall. This succulent does well in poor, dry soil and never needs to be divided. It’s a great plant for fall because it will provide nectar for late-season pollinators!
4. Daylilies
While these plants may be called daylilies, each flower only lasts one day. However, the daylilies will produce flowers for 4 to 6 weeks during early to mid-summer. They handle full sun to partial shade and are known to multiply quickly. Different varieties also lengthen the flowering span from May to September.
5. Catmint (Nepeta)
From late spring to autumn, plants display fragrant, spikes of blue flowers and gray-green foliage. These drought tolerant perennials naturally repel pests and attract beneficial pollinators. After the first set of flowers, the plants can be quickly pruned and will produce new blooms within weeks.
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6. Russian Sage (Perovskia)
Starting from the summer to the frost, this plant's silvery leaves and ethereal purple/blue flowers create a cloud-like effect. This perennial is drought-resistant and thrives in poor soil and windy environments that would kill other plants. The fragrant leaves naturally repel deer and rabbits.
7. Blanket Flower (Gaillardia)
Cheerful red and orange daisies bloom from early summer to late fall. They prefer sandy soil and actually struggle in rich soil. The continue to bloom in extreme heat and drought.
8. Coral Bells (Heuchera)
These plants are grown mainly for their bright foliage, which can be purple, silver, lime, and burgundy. Although delicate flower spikes appear in late spring, the real show is their year-round bright leaves. These perennials are clump-forming and will rarely need to be divided.
9. Lamb's Ear (Stachys byzantina)
The leaves of this plant are soft and silvery, contrasting beautifully with other darker toned foliage. They also provide different textures throughout the seasons. In summer, pink flower spikes bloom and many gardeners remove the flowers to keep the foliage looking fresh. This groundcover is drought tolerant and spreads to naturally suppress weeds.
10. Hardy Hibiscus
From mid-summer through the frost, dinner-plate sized flowers open in white, pink, or red. Flowers grow on 4- to 6-foot sturdy stems and are joined by large, rapidly growing, moisture-loving perennials that are established. Each flower stays open only one day, but continues to grow and open new flowers for a months.
11. Bee Balm (Monarda)
From mid summer to early autumn, blooming fragrant flowers in red, pink, purple or white attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Handling both full and partial shade, this native perennial spreads by runners to form natural colonies. Leaves that are aromatic make great herbal tea!
12. Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium niponicum)
In shade gardens where there are few season long blooms to choose from Silver fronds with burgundy stems offer season long color. This perennial is deer resistant, grows in clumps, and is non-invasive. The foliage does more to lighten dark corners than any flower.
The key to success with these champions is careful placement and then patience. Position them in their ideal conditions and water them thoroughly during the first season and then let them do their thing. Most will triple in size in three years and will need less care than annuals. While you enjoy your weekends doing something other than gardening, your garden will reward you with a ongoing show of color and will thank you for less maintenance.
