Perennials for Beginners

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Perennials are plants that reliably grow back year after year. They come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, colors, and textures. It can be a bit overwhelming to stand in the perennial section and look out at this great sea of color, but the following list should help make your choices easier….

Perennials that grow very tall- Hollyhocks, delphiniums, Joepye weed, plume poppy, lovage, bugbane, Russian sage

Perennials with fragrant flowers- carnation, lily of the valley, sweet William, tall phlox, peony, Centaurea

Perennials suitable for rock gardens- bellflower, dianthus, dwarf iris, creeping phlox, Arabis, hens & chicks, sedum

Perennials for hot, dry areas- yarrow, sedum, Russian sage, blue flax, meadow sage, bearded iris, Gaillardia, Artemesia

Perennials that do well in shade- Hosta, astilbe, ferns, primrose, lady’s mantle, lily of the valley, ajuga

Perennials for damp, wet areas- Siberian iris, creeping jenny, Joepye weed, ligularia, Helenium, Monarda

Perennials good for cutflowers- Monarda, Liatris, Delphinium, Chrysanthemum, tall phlox, lilies, bleeding heart, yarrow, bellflower, iris

Perennials that do well in containers-Hosta, fern, sedum, Rudbeckia, ornamental grasses, lilies, daylilies

Perennials that self seed- Hesperis, Iceland poppy, Meadow sage, blue flax, maiden pink, columbine

Perennials with attractive foliage- Silvermound, Heuchera, Hosta, fern, blue fescue, lady’s mantle, bergenia

Perennials that deer would rather not eat- Bleeding heart, Artemesia, Russian sage, Monarda, Monkshood, Asclepias

Perennials that flower late in the year- Chrysanthemum, fall aster, ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum, Japanese anemone,

Perennials that make good groundcovers- sedum, creeping thyme, snow in summer, Arabis, creeping phlox, maiden pink

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