Perennial Plants Worth Knowing

A perennial dies back in the ground each winter and returns in spring, needing to be planted only once. That single planting-and-return cycle is what makes perennials less work overall than annuals, even though most individual blooms only last about three weeks.

A Few Reliable Favorites

Aster grows two to four feet tall and blooms from August through October in purple, lavender, pink, or red — give it moist, well-drained soil, full sun, and about 18 inches between plants since it grows broad and bushy. Coral bells offer striking purple, silver, or bronze foliage and tiny pink or red flowers in late spring; they tolerate partial shade to full sun but want frequent water to keep leaves from scorching. Daylilies grow in clumps of fan-shaped foliage and come in an enormous range of colors and forms.

Hollyhocks for Height

Hollyhocks tower five to eight feet, most striking in their first year of growth, making them a good choice for a new garden that still needs height and color while shrubs and trees fill in. They bloom in nearly every color from white to almost black, from late June through September, and work equally well as single dramatic plants against a wall or massed together as a border.