The ability to live more than 2 years and produce beautiful flowers and gorgeous foliage is what makes perennials such a favorite among landscapers and homeowners.
Perennials are used in landscaping a lot. Not only do they look beautiful in any space. But the fact that they flower for a long time is also what makes these landscape plants so popular.
Let’s take a look at some of the favorite perennial landscape plants:
Peonies
Peonies are not famous just for their beautiful blooms. But they are actually the longest living perennials out there.
They bloom during mid to late spring and continue on till winters set in. Even then, it is quite common to see a couple of stubborn blooms poking their heads out. Even though everything else around them is pretty much dead.
The showy, rotund blooms come in various colors. The size of the flowers depends on the kind of peonies you have planted. There are single, double, and semi-double blooms.
These plants don't like to be moved or to be crowded. So make sure to give them enough space to grow right from the very beginning.
Hostas
If it's lush green foliage that your landscaping design needs, look no further than the hardy Hostas. Dark green fleshy leaves with white or yellow borders is what make them such a looker.
Most varieties have small flowers that don’t really take away any attention from the foliage. There are varieties with large flowers if you can find them. Find out how to keep deer away from munching on your Hostas.
These bloom in early summer to late fall, so make sure to plant a couple of months earlier for best results.
Partial sunlight does them good. Continuous shade or direct sunlight will lead to droopy leaves.
Black-eyed Susans
Black-eyed Susans are probably one of the hardiest perennials. The cheerful yellow heads that surround a cone-like black mound grow in abundance once they have gotten settled.
Landscapers and designers love them because they just don't know when to stop flowering. Expect stunning single stalk flowers all through late summer to mid-winter. Sure to make passersby stop and stare for a while!
The flowers love full sunlight. But they can make do with partial sunlight as well.
These are perfect for marking out borders. They can be grown easily in containers as well as in plant beds. And the best part? These little guys reseed themselves.
Salvia
Salvias are stunningly beautiful and a must-have addition to any landscaping design. These are great as borders. This is because they flower for a long time and grow fairly fast. There are also some varieties that grow well in pots.
The spiky flowers jutting out of a bush is the perfect entrancement for butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees. Not to mention, they will stop anybody in their tracks. Especially during the growing season.
These plants can tolerate heat and even drought well. Perfect for those hot summers when everything else has gone brown and dead.
They need a lot of water, so make sure to water twice a day during summers.
Coneflowers
The best thing about Coneflowers is that they are available in almost every shade under the sun. Shop these in reds, oranges, pinks, purples, yellows, and more!
It is very easy to grow and its blooms last for several weeks. It flowers from midsummer to early fall. But you might see a few flowers even during late fall. Especially if the plants are in their second season.
This is the plant for you if you are going for a wildflower meadow theme. Mix and match several colors to create a stunning effect.
Asters
Asters are perfect for year long gardens. These delicate looking light blue, pink, lavender or purple flowers start blooming in late fall when other plants have closed up shop for the year.
Showy flowers and dense foliage! What’s not to love? These are perfect for rock gardens and even borders. Plant them closer together for creating perfect borders.
Put them in full sunlight for best results. They can also grow well in partial sunlight, but full sunlight for a couple of hours everyday is a must.
Water your Asters daily and thoroughly. These are a magnet for bees and butterflies.
Dianthus
Dianthus has always been a popular perennial thanks to its tiny but perfectly formed flowers. The flowers come in several colors, from red to pink to white to purple.
Even the plant itself comes in several forms. There are creeping Dianthus as well as those that grow straight upwards. There are over 300 species of Dianthus that can grace your landscaping project.
Almost all Dianthus plants need full sunlight to reach their full potential. However, some species can do well in partial sunlight as well.
They also love moist soil so do not skimp on the watering. Dianthus blooms from spring to early summer. And this is when they need more water than other times.
Chrysanthemums
Although Chrysanthemums are considered perennials, they are a bit tricky to salvage years in a row. If you can plant them in spring or latest by mid-summer, you can be sure to have a crop of these beauties standing sentinel as the most beautiful borders ever.
The soil should be well drained to avoid formation of ice crystals near the roots. This is the main reason for Chrysanthemums dying in the winters.
Remember that if you plant them too close to winter, they won't have enough time to settle down. This is actually what makes landscapers treat Chrysanthemums as annuals.
These perennials can suit plenty of landscaping designs and themes. And with such superb blooms and foliage, you can plan a year-round garden too. Flower beds or pots, these landscape plants can survive it all.
So what’s stopping you from going ahead and getting that garden of dreams that you have always wanted? Plan your landscaping theme today.
