Arricca Elin SanSone is a freelance writer, editor, and digital content developer. She specializes in lifestyle and interior design content with a focus on gardening. Arricca earned dual bachelor’s degrees summa cum laude in English and classics from Hiram College, as well as an MBA cum laude from Georgia Southern University. Before writing full-time, Arricca studied in Rome, traveled in Europe, and taught school in Asia. With over a decade of experience, Arricca has pitched, researched, and crafted fresh story ideas and content to appeal to national audiences. She has written thousands of articles for print and digital publications such as Country Living, Good Housekeeping, Prevention, House Beautiful, and more. She’s passionate about gardening, baking, reading, and spending time with the people and dogs she loves.","jobTitle":"Contributing Writer","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/rover/profile_photos/29dc1f78-ddae-4377-840a-1dba434b76d7_1525357351.file"},"@context":"http://schema.org","about":{"@type":"ItemList","numberOfItems":29,"itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Perennial Geranium","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-1","description":"Perennial geraniums have a spicy scent that keeps deer and rabbits at bay. These low-growing beauties bloom in late spring to early summer. They spread rapidly and do best in part sun.SHOP PERENNIAL GERANIUMRelated: 38 Dear-Resistant Plants to Protect Your Garden from Bambi and Friends","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/geranium-magnificum-in-flower-in-an-english-garden-royalty-free-image-1722890903.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Helenium","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-2","description":"This is also known by the fun name \"sneezeweed,\" not because it causes hay fever, but because people used to make the dried petals into snuff. This pretty orange-flowered perennial is a bright addition to mixed borders. Give it full sun for summer blooms. Pollinators love it!SHOP HELENIUM PLANTSRelated: The Best Orange Flowers to Make Your Garden Pop","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/orange-helenium-in-a-summer-garden-royalty-free-image-1722890180.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Coreopsis","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-3","description":"These cheerful blooms float above their grass foliage. It's a reliable full-sun performer, attracting tons of butterflies and bees. SHOP COREOPSIS PLANTSRelated: 22 Flowering Plants That Attract Bees","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/yellow-red-tickseed-royalty-free-image-1722890420.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Balloon Flower","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-4","description":"Bright blue, pink or white flowers—shaped like balloons before they bloom—are a must-have in the perennial garden. They prefer full sun but tolerate a little shade.SHOP BALLOON FLOWERSRelated: 21 Garden Layout Ideas for Every Size Garden","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/campanula-rotundifolia-flowers-in-bloom-in-royalty-free-image-1722890627.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Japanese Painted Fern","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-5","description":"Got shade? These colorful ferns are no-muss, no-fuss plants. Deer and rabbits also leave them alone!SHOP JAPANESE PAINTED FERN","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/japanese-painted-fern-royalty-free-image-1722891174.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":6,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Aster","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-6","description":"Asters are a great native collection of different species. Pollinators such as bees and butterflies rely on them for late-season food. They come in various shades of purple and pink and are long-lived perennials, thriving for a decade or more in full sun.SHOP ASTERSRelated: How to Design a Pollinator Garden That Actually Works","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/monarch-butterly-on-purple-aster-flowers-royalty-free-image-1722882004.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":7,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Astilbe","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-7","description":"This underrated perennial should be part of any shade garden. The feathery plumes come in many different colors, from pink to white to hot pink. Butterflies love it!SHOP ASTILBERelated: These Shade Perennials Thrive Outside the Sun","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/close-up-of-a-fluffy-pink-astilbe-inflorescence-royalty-free-image-1706806466.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":8,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Roman Chamomile","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-8","description":"Yes, you can make tea from these dried flowers! (You can also make a pretty tasty cocktail.) Make sure to plant sun-loving Roman chamomile, a low-growing perennial, and not the annual, called German chamomile. SHOP CHAMOMILE SEEDSRelated: How to Grow Chamomile In Your Garden","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/beautiful-scented-fresh-chamomile-growing-in-the-royalty-free-image-1706807560.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":9,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Chrysanthemum","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-9","description":"Nothing says fall like sun-loving mums! They're perennial if you get them in the ground early in the season (spring through mid-summer) so that their roots can get established. If you plant them too late in fall, they may not have enough time to get settled before winter, but you can treat them as annuals.SHOP CHRYSANTHEMUMS Related: How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Chrysanthemums","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/chrysanthemums-royalty-free-image-1722882987.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":10,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Salvia","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-10","description":"These gorgeous blooms do best at the back of your border in full sun. They're drought tolerant once established and bloom mid to late summer for several weeks. Also, deer tend to leave these plants alone. SHOP SALVIA PLANTS","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/blue-salvia-at-the-flower-market-royalty-free-image-1706809104.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":11,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Hellebore","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-11","description":"Your garden doesn't have to be colorless all winter long! Plant these exquisite shade lovers, which are also known as Lenten roses because they typically bloom around Lent in mid to late winter. SHOP HELLEBORESRelated: 20 Winter Flowers That Add Life to a Snowy Garden","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/close-up-image-of-a-spring-flowering-dark-pink-royalty-free-image-1706810318.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":12,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Columbine","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-12","description":"Columbines come in an array of colors and delightful forms. They bloom in spring and provide early season food for pollinators, such as hummingbirds. SHOP COLUMBINE SEEDSRelated: 21 Best Flowers to Attract Hummingbirds","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/beautiful-blue-spring-aquilegia-flower-also-known-royalty-free-image-1722883545.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":13,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Shasta Daisy","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-13","description":"How can you not smile when you see these cheerful plants? Shasta daisies are tough perennials that are drought tolerant once established. Give them full sun, and you'll enjoy their happy blooms for years. SHOP SHASTA DAISIESRelated: How to Grow Daisies","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/leucanthemum-phyllis-smith-flowering-in-a-summer-royalty-free-image-1722884006.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":14,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Astrantia","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-14","description":"This cottage garden favorite deserves a space in your garden! Its beautiful flowers bloom for a long time from early summer to early fall. Pollinators adore it, and the flowers are lovely in a cutting garden or dried.SHOP ASTRANTIARelated: Here's How to Grow an At-Home Cutting Garden","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/beautiful-pink-summer-flowering-astrantia-flowers-royalty-free-image-1706810507.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":15,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Thrift","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-15","description":"The grassy foliage of this plant is attractive all season long, but the tiny ball-shaped flowers that pop up in late spring and early summer are the reason to plant this adorable perennial. Thrift takes full sun in cooler climates but will tolerate part shade in warmer regions.SHOP THRIFTRelated: 30 Best Spring Flowers to Plant In Your Garden","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/pink-blossoms-of-carnation-armeria-maritima-royalty-free-image-1706810896.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":16,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Coneflower ","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-16","description":"Coneflowers come in a staggering array of colors, ranging from pink to salmon to orange and everything in between. They prefer full sun and range in height from 12 to 36 inches tall, so read the tag so you plant them accordingly in your mixed border. SHOP CONEFLOWERSRelated: 33 Ideas for Making Flower Beds Look Stunning","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/perennial-flowers-purple-coneflower-1673990920.jpeg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":17,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Iris","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-17","description":"With more than 70,000 named varieties, you'll find an iris that will look smashing in your garden! Give them full sun and they'll be happy. Divide them to make new plants when they get overcrowded in a few years (you'll know it's time because they will stop blooming as profusely). SHOP BEARDED IRISESRelated: How to Care for Irises Like an Expert","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/close-up-image-of-a-beautiful-summer-flowering-royalty-free-image-1722885648.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":18,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Amsonia","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-18","description":"Amsonia is a lesser-known perennial, but it's definitely worth planting in your garden. Masses of star-shaped blue flowers appear in late spring to early summer. SHOP AMSONIARelated: 56 Back Yard Ideas for Small Budgets","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/pale-blue-amsonia-orientalis-eastern-bluestar-in-royalty-free-image-1722886296.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":19,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Daylily","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-19","description":"Poor soil? Grow daylilies! They thrive in all sorts of soils conditions. As you'd guess, each flower lasts for only one day, but there are multiple buds on each stem. Give them full sun. But think twice about planting if Bambi likes to visit your garden: These are one of their favorite foods.SHOP DAYLILY PLANTS Related: 17 Best Cottage Garden Ideas for a Picture-Perfect Space","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/daylilies-royalty-free-image-1722886540.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":20,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Sedum","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-20","description":"Sedum has fleshy leaves, so it's drought-hardy and sturdy. It comes in an astonishing number of forms. Look for low-growing or creeping types, as well as more upright varieties such as autumn joy, which make long-lasting cut flowers. Give it full sun.SHOP SEDUM PLANTSRelated: Everything You Need to Know About Autumn Joy Sedum Care","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/three-of-a-kind-royalty-free-image-1722887160.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":21,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Baptisia","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-21","description":"This striking-looking perennial, also known as false indigo, is lesser-known, but it's a gorgeous plant! Available in bright purple-blue, pink or lemony-yellow, this perennial loves full sun. The handsome seed pods remain after the flowers fade. SHOP BAPTISIA","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/baptisia-australis-commonly-known-as-blue-wild-royalty-free-image-1722887396.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":22,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Lavender","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-22","description":"Lavender blooms for weeks throughout the summer, depending on the type. Make sure you choose a variety that's hardy to your USDA planting zone. Harvest the dried buds for teas, scones, or scented sachets. Or mix up some refreshing lavender limeade!SHOP LAVENDER PLANTSRelated: Your Complete Guide to Growing Lavender ","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/pollinator-honey-bee-in-a-lavender-field-royalty-free-image-1722888099.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":23,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Penstemon","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-23","description":"Penstemon, also called beardtongue, has tall upright spikes of flowers in pink or purple with green or burgundy foliage. This is a popular plant with hummingbirds.SHOP PENSTEMON PLANTSRelated: The Best Hummingbird Nectar Recipe","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/pale-blue-and-lilac-summer-flowers-of-penstamon-royalty-free-image-1722888896.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":24,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Bee Balm","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-24","description":"As you'd guess from the name, bees (and pollinators of all kinds!) love this plant. Its fringed flowers come in pinks, reds, and purples. Plant it in full sun in huge swaths for the best impact. SHOP BEE BALM PLANTSRelated: How to Attract Mason Bees to Your Garden","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/bee-balm-with-bee-royalty-free-image-1706818125.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":25,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Tradescantia","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-25","description":"Also known as spiderwort, this perennial has pretty grassy foliage and bright purple flowers. It doesn't mind different kinds of soils but does best in moist, well-drained areas. Give it full sun.SHOP TRADESCANTIA","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/macro-of-a-honey-bee-apis-mellifera-sitting-on-a-royalty-free-image-1722889503.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":26,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Dianthus","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-26","description":"This short-lived sun-loving perennial comes in many forms, from creeping to upright. Some varieties are sweetly scented. The flowers have fringed petals and come in every color including pink, white, coral, and peach. SHOP DIANTHUS PLANTSRelated: 30 Pretty Pink Flowers for Your Garden","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/perennials-dianthus-1645827984.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":27,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Lamb's Ear","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-27","description":"Yes, this sweet perennial does have fuzzy, silver foliage like a lamb's ear! It tolerates even poor soils. Though it prefers full sun, it will grow okay in shade, too. SHOP LAMB'S EAR PLANTSRelated: 25 Plants That Thrive in the Shade ","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/stachys-byzantina-purple-flowers-with-green-foliage-royalty-free-image-1573171458.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":28,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Creeping Thyme","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-28","description":"You might not think of this herb as ornamental, but planted en masse, it's quite striking! Many different varieties exist, but they're all hardy, drought-tolerant, and don't mind poor soil. Plant it on a hillside for erosion control. It needs full sun but will tolerate some shade.SHOP THYME PLANTSRelated: 20 Perennial Herbs for the Tastiest Garden Ever","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/creeping-thyme-royalty-free-image-1706819800.jpg"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":29,"item":{"@type":"Thing","name":"Heuchera","url":"https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/g1143/best-perennials-for-any-yard/#slide-29","description":"Heuchera is grown more for its flashy foliage, which comes in every color of the rainbow, than its tiny spikes of flowers. However, the flowers do attract pollinators such as hummingbirds.SHOP HEUCHERA PLANTS","image":"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/heuchera-plant-in-striking-colour-royalty-free-image-1578685329.jpg"}}]}}
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Perennials are a great long-term investment in your garden. For one thing, they'll come back for many seasons. Some, such as peonies, are extraordinarily long-lived and can thrive for decades!
Secondly, perennials typically spread, so you will fill your garden with beauty without having to replant every year. In a few seasons, you may even be able to divide and transplant sections of your perennials.
One thing to keep in mind: Perennials are a wee bit slow to take off. So don't worry if they don't fill in immediately. They usually start to kick into high gear by the third year in the ground.
You'll also want to make sure you read the plant tag or description so that you'll choose a plant that will survive winters in your USDA Hardiness zone. (Find your zone here.) Hardiness zones also were updated recently, so read more here to learn if your zone has changed.
Finally, make sure to plant your perennial flowers and plants so that they get the right amount of sunlight. Full sun means 6 or more hours of direct sunlight per day, while part sun is about half that. Shade means no direct sunlight, or only a little mild morning sunshine.
Perennial geraniums have a spicy scent that keeps deer and rabbits at bay. These low-growing beauties bloom in late spring to early summer. They spread rapidly and do best in part sun.
Asters are a great native collection of different species. Pollinators such as bees and butterflies rely on them for late-season food. They come in various shades of purple and pink and are long-lived perennials, thriving for a decade or more in full sun.
Nothing says fall like sun-loving mums! They're perennial if you get them in the ground early in the season (spring through mid-summer) so that their roots can get established.
If you plant them too late in fall, they may not have enough time to get settled before winter, but you can treat them as annuals.
Your garden doesn't have to be colorless all winter long! Plant these exquisite shade lovers, which are also known as Lenten roses because they typically bloom around Lent in mid to late winter.
This cottage garden favorite deserves a space in your garden! Its beautiful flowers bloom for a long time from early summer to early fall. Pollinators adore it, and the flowers are lovely in a cutting garden or dried.
The grassy foliage of this plant is attractive all season long, but the tiny ball-shaped flowers that pop up in late spring and early summer are the reason to plant this adorable perennial.
Thrift takes full sun in cooler climates but will tolerate part shade in warmer regions.
With more than 70,000 named varieties, you'll find an iris that will look smashing in your garden!
Give them full sun and they'll be happy. Divide them to make new plants when they get overcrowded in a few years (you'll know it's time because they will stop blooming as profusely).
Poor soil? Grow daylilies! They thrive in all sorts of soils conditions.
As you'd guess, each flower lasts for only one day, but there are multiple buds on each stem. Give them full sun. But think twice about planting if Bambi likes to visit your garden: These are one of their favorite foods.
Sedum has fleshy leaves, so it's drought-hardy and sturdy. It comes in an astonishing number of forms. Look for low-growing or creeping types, as well as more upright varieties such as autumn joy, which make long-lasting cut flowers. Give it full sun.
