Adding perennials to your garden is an easy way to create lasting color without the need for constant replanting. These reliable plants come back season after season. Some spread quickly, filling in bare spots, while others thrive with little maintenance, reducing the costs of water and fertilizer.
With the right selections, you can fill your space with lush, eye-catching blooms without overspending. Here are 21 affordable perennials that will bring long-lasting beauty without stretching your wallet this year.
Clematis
Clematis has striking, vivid purple flowers. This sun-loving perennial prefers moderate watering and well-drained soil. Once established, it rewards gardeners with a breathtaking display year after year.
Lamium (Lamium maculatum)
Also known as dead nettle, lamium is a tough and adaptable ground cover, ideal for controlling erosion in shady areas. Its dense foliage helps stabilize soil while its pink, purple, or white flowers add subtle color. Low-maintenance and drought-tolerant, lamium also suppresses weeds, making it an excellent choice for difficult spots in the garden.
Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale)
Despite its name, sneezeweed won’t trigger allergies but will brighten up your late-summer and fall garden with cheerful daisy-like blooms in shades of yellow, red, and bronze. These hardy flowers attract pollinators and make excellent cut flowers.
Catmint (Nepeta)
A tough and undemanding perennial, catmint thrives in sun or partial shade, producing delicate lavender-blue flowers all summer. It’s drought-resistant, deer-resistant, and grows up to two feet tall, making it an easy choice for low-maintenance gardens.
Daylily (Hemerocallis)
Known for their resilience and prolific blooms, daylilies come in a variety of warm colors. Each flower lasts only a day, but with multiple buds on each stem, they provide continuous color for weeks. These perennials multiply over time, making them a cost-effective choice for filling garden beds.
Columbine (Aquilegia)
Columbine’s uniquely shaped flowers, available in bold solid or two-tone colors, add character to any garden. Perfect for slopes and open spaces, this deer-resistant perennial attracts hummingbirds while thriving in sun or partial shade.
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
A must-have for pollinator gardens, butterfly weed is a variety of milkweed with fiery orange, yellow, or red blooms. This hardy perennial thrives in well-drained soil and full sun, supporting monarch butterflies while requiring little maintenance.
Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis)
With its romantic heart-shaped flowers dangling from graceful arching stems, bleeding heart brings charm to shaded garden areas. It prefers rich, well-draining soil and is one of the longest-blooming perennials.
Coneflower (Echinacea)
A pollinator favorite, coneflowers feature bold, nectar-rich blooms that continue from summer to frost. These sun-loving perennials are low-maintenance and drought-tolerant, making them perfect for any easy-care garden.
Hostas (Hosta spp.)
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No shade garden is complete without hostas, prized for their lush foliage in an array of colors, patterns, and textures. While they spread over time, they’re easy to divide and transplant, providing a cost-effective way to expand your garden.
Lenten Rose (Helleborus spp.)
One of the earliest perennials to bloom, Lenten Rose offers cup-shaped flowers in shades of white, pink, and burgundy. It’s deer-resistant, drought-tolerant once established, and thrives in partial to full shade, making it a reliable choice for year-round interest.
Aster (Aster spp.)
Asters bloom in late summer and fall, adding bursts of purple, pink, and yellow to garden beds just as other flowers begin to fade. They attract butterflies and bees, supporting pollinators well into autumn.
Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum spp.)
Chrysanthemums, or mums, are classic fall bloomers, offering bright colors in a variety of shapes and sizes. They thrive in full sun and well-drained soil, adding seasonal charm to garden beds and containers.
Lavender (Lavandula)
This fragrant perennial adds beauty, attracts butterflies, and repels deer. Thriving in dry, sunny conditions, lavender is perfect for low-maintenance gardens and makes a great addition to herbal and pollinator-friendly landscapes.
Coral Bells (Heuchera spp.)
Coral bells feature vibrant foliage in shades of green, purple, bronze, and silver, with delicate flower spikes that attract pollinators. They thrive in shaded areas and require little care, making them a great choice for woodland gardens.
Sedum (Autumn Joy)
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Sedum is a sun-loving, drought-tolerant perennial that provides late-season blooms in pink and red hues. It attracts butterflies and is perfect for cutting and drying, adding year-round interest to your garden.
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)
Chives aren’t just a useful herb—they also produce ornamental purple flowers on slender stems. Their strong scent helps repel pests, making them a valuable addition to vegetable and flower gardens alike.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
With its clusters of small, flat-topped flowers in shades of yellow, pink, white, and red, yarrow is an easy-care, drought-tolerant perennial. It thrives in full sun and is great for naturalizing open spaces.
Hybrid Astilbe (Astilbe spp.)
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Perfect for shady gardens, astilbe produces feathery plumes of pink, red, or white flowers above fern-like foliage. It’s a great way to brighten up darker corners of the garden while requiring minimal upkeep.
Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
This hardy perennial offers bright golden blooms with dark centers, attracts butterflies, and thrives in sunny conditions. Black-eyed Susans bloom from midsummer to frost and can be used as ground cover, border plants, or focal points in flower beds.
Tickseed (Coreopsis)
Tickseed is a cheerful perennial with daisy-like flowers in shades of yellow, gold, orange, and even pink. This low-maintenance plant blooms from early summer to fall, thriving in poor soil and dry conditions.
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