While oft over-looked as “landscaping plants”, perennials are hands-down one of our favorite plants to cultivate for beautiful blooms, unique textures and fragrant foliages to add to bouquets and arrangements.
Not only do perennial plants add incredible diversity to your floral designs, unlike growing tender annuals from seed, perennials are both cost and labor efficient.
Plants that produce unique foliages, blooms and fragrances AND take less work? There’s a reason why we love them!
Actually there are many reasons why we love growing perennials so much…
Perennials require less labor to grow. Plant a perennial in good soil, harvest stems all season, give it a trim or prune in the fall or early spring…and that’s it. Compared to growing tender annuals from seed, perennials are truly a breeze! They’re truly the “fix it and forget it” of your cut flower garden.
While perennials can feel pricey upfront (especially compared to the cost of a packet of tender annual seeds), they are hands-down an excellent investment in your garden. A half-gallon or even four inch potted perennial may seem pricey now, but each year it will return bigger and better, whereas tender annuals are finished and ripped out at the end of the season.
Perennials require less: less water, less fertilizer, less intervention for disease and pest management. All around, you’ll be inputing less which isn’t just a win for you: it’s a win for the environment too.
The Right Plant in the Right Place for the Right Purpose
Now that we’ve sold you on saving more space in your garden for perennials, it’s time to decide which ones to plant!
There are three simple factors to consider when choosing a perennial:
Is it the right plant for my growing zone? This one is usually pretty easy to answer as recommended growing zones are listed on the back of the plant’s tag.
Do I have the right space to grow it? Again, recommended light exposure and soil conditions are listed on the back of perennials growing tag.
Is this the right plant for what I need? Depending on your garden and aesthetic, this could be one question or it could be several: Do you need more foliages? Blooms? Unique colors/textures/berries? How will this plant look in your landscaping or cut flower garden-does it match your garden’s aesthetic?
Once you’ve nailed this down, you’re ready to start picking perennials! Below you’ll find some of our all time favorites. While this is by no means an exhaustive list, it’s a good place to start!
Perennial Shrubs with Beautiful Blooms
Whether you start these plants from seed (we’re looking at you yarrow, echinchea and ) or purchase a 4 inch pot from your local nursery, you’ll be so glad you added some of these workhorses to your garden this year!
Sedum (We especially love ‘Autumn Joy’, pictured above)
Geum
Japanese Anemone
Rudbeckia (‘Sahara’, or ‘Triloba’)
Echinacea
Perennial Scabiosa (‘Butterfly Blue’ or ‘Fama’)
Eryngium
Echinops
Astilbe
Shasta Daisy
Fever Few
Phlox
Hellebore
Fox Glove
Delphinium
Peony
Yarrow
Perennial Plants with Awesome Foliages
While blooms get all the glory, foliages really are the unsung heroes of dynamic, vibrant bouquets. Here are just a few of our favorites…
Heuchera
Hostas
Lamb’s Ear
Dusty Miller
Lady’s Mantle
Kent Beauty Oregano
Ferns
Scented geraniums (Ok, technically these are not perennial in most growing zones, but we’ve found if you can pot them up and bring them indoors or even in a garage, they’ll almost always overwinter!)
Perennial Grasses
We’ve always been big fans of bouquets and arrangements that look a little wilder and more natural…so of course we think perennial grasses are a must-grow in your cut flower garden. Even a few stems can bring movement and sparkle to an arrangement.
Northern Oats (pictured above)
Miscanthus (Note: Giant Miscanthus is the ONLY variety known to be sterile and therefore non-invasive)
Feather Top
Bunny Tails
Perennial Herbs
Again, oft over-looked, herbs not only add beautiful foliage and color, but especially fragrance. If you’re growing a lot of unscented blooms (we’re lookin’ at you dahlias), herbs are a simple, delightful addition to your floral designs.
Anise Hyssop
Monarda “Lambada”
Sage (Common (pictured above) or Purple are favorites!)
Mint (Pineapple Apple or Chocolate Mint)
Rosemary
Greek Oregano
Wild Marjoram
Lemon Balm
German Thyme
Lavender
Perennial Shrubs, Trees & Vines
While it often takes these larger plants a year or two to get established, once they are you’ll be rolling in armloads of beautiful, useful stems.
Spirea (‘Bridal Veil’ is a must grow!)
Forsythia
Ninebark (Green-leaved is native in many areas, or try ‘Summer Wine’ or ‘Diablo’)
Honeysuckle
Lilac
Snowberry or Coral Berry Bush
Korean Boxwood (A great option if you don’t care for the fragrance of English Boxwood.)
Japonica Pieris
Crab Apple
Red Twig Dogwood
Viburnum
Dahphe
Thornless Raspberry
Thornless Boysenberry
Blueberry (Branches are a beautiful addition in every season)
Hydrangea
Which of these are you already growing? Which are missing from our list that are ‘must-grow’ in your garden? Let us know below!