Whether you're planting a small garden, decorating the backyard or boosting your curb appeal, colorful flowers are the finishing touch your outdoor space needs. While there are thousands of varieties to choose from, the best perennial flowers require very little care and provide years of beautiful blooms. While some flowers, like tulips, may return for only a few years, others (think peonies and hydrangeas) will pop up for decades, possibly even a century.
Here, we've rounded up the best perennials, complete with zone requirements, sunlight needs and optimal blooming times. Unlike annual flowers (plants that complete their life cycle in a single year), perennials come back year after year — so you don't have to worry about reseeding or replanting every spring. Some perennials, like daffodils and phlox, bloom in early spring, while fall flowers, like allium or summer lilacs, may bloom well into September. Meanwhile, a few of our favorite summer blossoms include sage, aster and lavender flowers (hint: some leaves are great for making tea).
The only downside? Most perennials have a relatively short bloom season, which ranges from a few days to a few weeks. For this reason, most gardeners choose to interplant perennials with annuals, so a well-designed backyard looks colorful year-round. We've rounded up flowers of nearly every shade, including white, yellow, purple, pink, blue, red and orange — so you're sure to find a plant that fits your style. You'll even spot some easy-to-grow flowers, including Baby's Breath. And if the flower's meaning is important to you, we've sprinkled in plenty of pretty options with symbolic meanings.
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1
Clematis
Clematis is a popular perennial climbing plant defined by its vibrant petals that are purple, pink or blue. The vining plant, which looks beautiful winded along a fence, trellis or pergola, blooms twice a year — once during early summer and once again late summer or late fall.
Zones 4-9; prefers full sun; blooms early to mid-summer, then again late summer to late fall
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2
Daffodils
Just when you're wishing winter away, these gorgeous yellow flowers begin to bloom. Aside from their cheerful color, daffodils provide nectar for bees and other early-season pollinators. Daffodils are known to multiply quickly and return to bloom each spring with little effort. They prefer sun, but can tolerate partial shade and they're not fussy about soil.
Zones 3-8; prefers full sun or partial shade; blooms late winter to early spring
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3
Baby's Breath (Gypsophila)
Baby's Breath, known for its delicate flowers, is a popular filler in floral arrangements. Hint: The small, bushy stems pair beautifully with roses and hydrangeas. Gypsophila is easy to grow, but thrives best in dry climates and when planted in soil with excellent drainage.
Zones 3-9; prefers full sun; blooms late spring through early summer
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4
Roses
A symbol of love, beauty and romance, roses come in many varieties — like English roses, grandiflora roses and tea roses that are commonly found in gardens. Rose bushes come back every year, but keep in mind that every rose variety may prefer slightly different conditions.
Zones 5-8; prefers full sun; blooms late spring to early autumn
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5
Tulips
Not only are tulips possibly one of the easiest perennial flowers to grow, they're one of the most colorful. The elegant flower grows in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors, including shades of red, pink, purple, yellow and orange. Plant bulbs in the fall and you should see blooms by early spring. The only downside? Tulips may only come back for a few years before you need to plant new bulbs.
Zones 3-8; prefers partial or full sun; blooms early spring
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6
Monarda Didyma (Bee Balms)
This easy-to-grow plant has strong stems, large leaves and berry red flowers. Use them to attract hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. It requires a lot of water, and the foliage can be cut back after flowering to encourage growth. Added bonus? When crushed, the flowers release a spicy fragrance that's perfect for tea.
Zones 4-9; prefers full or half sun; blooms early summer to early fall
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7
Mother of Thyme
The Mother of Thyme is a low-growing ground cover plant that's full of color and fragrance. Also referred to as the Creeping Thyme Plant, this choice is perfect for use between stepping stones, surrounding a vegetable garden or as a flowering lawn substitute. Plus, the leaves are ideal for making potpourris and calming teas.
Zones 4- 8; prefers full sun; blooms late spring to early summer
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8
Digitalis Dalmatian (Foxglove)
Defined by its tall stems and bell-shaped blooms, the Foxglove comes in a few color variations: white, pink, red, yellow and shades of purple. The short-lived perennials are ideal for pollinators, tolerate shade well and attract hummingbirds, all while resisting rabbits and deer. If you're lucky, you'll have blooms in the first year, but most likely in the second year.
Zones 4-9; prefers full sun to part shade; blooms early summer to mid-summer
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9
Amsonia (Blue Star)
These low-maintenance plants are commonly referred to as Blue Star flowers — obviously due to their periwinkle blue, star-shaped flowers that bloom in clusters. Thriving in hot and humid climates, the Amsonia pairs well with larger leaved plants, like peonies and hostas (also among the best perennial flowers).
Zones 3-11; prefers full sun; blooms late spring to early summer
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10
Aquilegia Clementine Red
Ideal for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds, these large fuchsia red flowers will also sit beautifully in a vase when cut.
The spring blooms require very little care (they can even tolerate shade) — just fertilize them annually. What's more? If conditions are ideal, a re-bloom can occur in the fall.
Zones 3-9; prefers full sun to part shade; blooms mid-spring to early summer
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11
Leucanthemum (Shasta Daisy)
If your neighborhood deer nibble on everything in sight, consider planting a patch of Shasta Daisies. Along with being deer and rabbit-resistant, these short-lived perennials grow in clumps, filling up any empty spots with bright bursts of white and yellow. Bonus: You can cut the flowers at the stem for an instant vase filler or centerpiece, and they'll regrow in no time.
Zones 5-8; prefers full sun; blooms late spring to fall
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12
Hostas
Bring a tropical look to your garden with this low-maintenance foliage, which comes in a variety of green shades with white or purple flowers during summer or fall. While many tout Hostas as shade-loving plants, that's not necessarily the case: the lighter the leaves, the more sun it needs to thrive. Otherwise, they're fairly tolerant and can live for decades if properly cared for.
Zones 3-9; prefers partial shade; blooms summer to fall
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13
Peonies
One of the most common perennials, peonies make elegant cut flowers. The beautiful blooms come back every year and have been known to live for at least 100 years (yes, that means they may outlive you). They have a sweet scent and large, beautiful flowers that are most commonly pink but can also be white, red, orange or yellow.
Zones 2-8; prefers full sun; blooms late spring to early summer
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14
False Indigo (Baptisia)
One year after planting, lupine-like flowers will pop up, filling your garden with shades of blue, purple and green. They're basically disease- and pest-free, which means nothing can get in their way from growing year after year. Over the years (okay, decades), they'll grow up to four feet in height and fill out like a shrub.
Zones 5-9; prefers full sun/mostly sun; blooms late spring to early summer
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15
Daylily (Hemerocallis)
Affectionally called the "perfect perennial," Daylilies survive through almost anything — fluctuating temperatures, irregular watering and so on. They come in a variety of colors and sizes, so you can find the right option to suit your garden or landscaping. And while each stem grows several flowers, keep in mind the buds only bloom for one day.
Zones: 4-9; prefers full sun/partial shade; blooms early summer
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16
Phlox
Starting in early spring, low-growing phlox blooms as ground cover. Then during the summer months, the tall phlox — anywhere from three to five feet in height — pop up, creating a colorful backdrop for any low-growers. No matter the height, all of these star-shaped flowers emit a strong fragrance and require little TLC.
Zones 2 - 9; prefers full sun but tolerates shade; blooms spring to summer
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17
Lupines
Lupines are frequently spotted in the wild — ever heard of Texas Bluebonnets? — but you can also grow these spiky flowers in your garden at home. Throughout their short life, stems can grow up to five feet tall, complete with red, white, yellow, pink or purple blooms that resemble pea flowers.
Zones 4-7; prefers full or partial sun; blooms spring to summer
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18
Butterfly Bush (Summer Lilacs)
Just like the name implies, the blossoms on these shrubs attract tons of butterflies throughout the summer and fall months. While the flowers come in white and dark purple, the lavender-pink blossoms are the most appealing to the winged beauties in your area. Even though they're low maintenance, the shrub requires annual pruning to keep it in tip-top shape for the coming year.
Zones 5-10; prefers full sun; blooms summer to fall
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19
Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas have been popular for decades, and for good reason: The larger-than-life flower heads blend elegance and charm, adding touches of pink, lavender, blue and white to gardens. To ensure that they live a full life (50 years!), plant them in spring after the last spring frost or in fall before the first fall frost.
Zones 3-9; prefers partial sun; blooms summer to fall
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20
Achillea (Yarrow)
This hardy and versatile perennial is as carefree as it gets: Yarrow is pest-resistant, quick to spread and a major pollinator. Since it grows quickly, use it as ground cover, or to fill open meadows or large spaces. Once the red, yellow, pink or white flowers bloom, cut them (a.k.a. deadhead) when their color starts to fade to encourage more flowers to grow.
Zones 3-9; prefers full sun; blooms summer
