Top 10 Best Perennial Plants

Choosing a perennial can sometimes be overwhelming with literally thousands of different varieties available in every colour on the palette. To make things easier, we’ve consolidated our top 10 pick of the best varieties deserving of a place in every garden. These stalwarts of the perennial garden provide a mix of colourful blooms, fabulous foliage, pleasing architectural forms and wildlife appeal.

1) Achillea

Commonly known as Yarrow, Achillea are beautiful, reliable, long-flowering traditional herbaceous perennials producing an abundance of flowers in a range of bright and pastel colours from summer through autumn. The flowers are borne on long stems in architectural flat sprays that are highly attractive to bees and butterflies, above aromatic, finely dissected, fern-like silvery-grey-green foliage. Growth habits range from low-growing mat-forming varieties to taller specimens reaching up to around a metre high. Achillea plants are pest and disease free and require little attention once established, other than deadheading regularly to extend the flowering period. The legend goes that Achillea plants originally sprang from the blood of the hero Achilles after the siege of Troy.

2) Anemone

Anemone are free-flowering, late summer perennials producing masses of saucer-shaped, bright or pastel flowers from August to October on elegant, slender stems. Blooms in shades of whites, pinks and purples are held aloft on long, stiff flowering stems, contrasting beautifully with the fresh foliage. Anemones are perfect for the mixed border or adding a splash of colour to partially shaded areas of the garden, highly effective when massed in a woodland setting or dotted amongst the rockery garden. They can be divided into three main groups: (1) those from woodland & alpine pastures which flower in spring; (2) Anemones originating from the Mediterranean or Central Asia which flower in late spring or early summer; and (3) larger herbaceous species which flowers in late summer to autumn.

3) Astrantia

Astrantia is a striking cottage garden perennial producing an abundance of charming, star-shaped flowers in umbels, often with colourful, papery bracts throughout the summer months. Commonly known as Masterwort, signifying its use in food or medicine, Astrantia is equally suitable for the border or container plantings and a good option for slightly shaded areas. It has a clump-forming growth habit with basal rosettes of lobed or palmate dark green leaves, typically reaching a height of up a metre. Astrantia originate from the alpine woods and meadows of Europe and western Asia and combine well with Delphiniums, Echinacea, Lupins and Monarda plants to make a particularly eye-catching arrangement. Their blooms are attractive to bees and butterflies, making them perfect for enticing wildlife into your garden, and well-suited for use in cut or dried flower arrangements.

4) Echinacea

Echinacea plants are the ultimate prairie perennial, producing masses of large, show stopping daisy-like flowers in rich hues of oranges, pinks, reds and whites from mid-summer through early autumn. Irresistible to bees and butterflies, they make a fabulous addition to the landscape with their brightly-coloured blossoms and long flowering season, traditionally popular in the cottage garden but now a favourite in contemporary schemes and increasingly in vogue following resurgence of prairie-style designs. These impressive perennials are a must for the middle of a sunny mixed or herbaceous border, preferring a south or west-facing spot in a rich, well-drained soil.

5) Geranium

Not to be confused with annual Geraniums, Cranesbill Geraniums are hardy, vigorous spreading perennials which flower on and off from early summer through to August. Hardy geraniums are renowned for adding colour and beauty to the garden from late summer through early autumn, just as many other flowers are starting to fade. They produce an abundance of saucer-shaped flowers, often with distinctive veins and sometimes a block of contrasting colour in the centre. Versatile and unfussy, hardy geraniums are a cottage garden favourite and equally outstanding in mixed borders, patio containers or even to brightening up shady corners of the garden. They'll succeed in a range of soil types in full or partial shade and are perfect for attracting bees and butterflies.

6) Hostas

Hostas are popular and distinctive, shade-loving perennials with large, lush tropical foliage that makes a beautiful addition to any garden. Robust, easy to grow and long-lived, they go dormant over the winter before bursting into life from new shoots each spring. Perfect for a dark shady corner of the border and equally happy in a container, the stunning foliage almost brings a touch of the exotic and provides some interest to dark shaded corners which would otherwise struggle for colour. Hostas produce summer flowers held on spikes high above the foliage in shades of mauve through to white. Originating from China and Japan, there is a wide selection available in a range of colours, leaf shapes and sizes. As a rule of thumb, the lighter the foliage colour, the more sunlight they should receive. Deeper green varieties retain their colour best in moderate shade, whereas varieties with prominent splashes of white, cream or gold need more sunlight to maintain their variegation.

7) Geum

Geums are popular, hardy clump-forming perennials, producing pretty, ruffled daisy like flowers in rich shades of yellows, reds and oranges from late spring to late summer. They’re perfect for the front of a border, forming a compact matt of weed-suppressing, semi-evergreen foliage which provides the perfect backdrop for the beautiful blooms. Attractive to pollinating insects, Geums work well in flower beds or mixed borders and will thrive in full sun or dappled shade, combining particularly well with primulas and Hemerocallis. Geums are cheerful, easy to grow and trouble free, happily spreading by underground rhizomes and resilient to pests and diseases, especially when grown in the border.

8) Rudbeckia

Rudbeckia are popular, bushy perennials which never fail to impress. Their large swathes of brightly-coloured, daisy-like flowers are like a ray of sunshine, filling the garden with cheer. The blooms grace the garden from mid-summer to mid-late autumn with a prominent central dome, giving them the common name dome flower. Yellows are the most common, including the enduringly popular RHS Award of Garden Merit winner Rudbeckia Goldsturm, but in recent years some red and orange-flowered varieties have been produced too. Rudbeckia are perfect for adding vibrant colour to borders, containers alike and particularly well suited to prairie-style planting schemes. Like its close relative echinacea, old flowers heads can be left on as they will provide seed and food for the birds during the winter.  They combine particularly well with border perennials such as echinacea, perovskia and persicaria and their strong stems make them ideal for cut flowers.

9) Veronica

Veronica is a favourite with gardeners and bees alike. These tough, low-maintenance, long-lived, carefree perennials range from low-growing, mat-forming varieties to upright specimens with flower spikes reaching over a metre tall. They have long, compact, sometimes wavy spikes of saucer-shaped flowers that look exquisite in soft shades of pink, purple and blue, perfectly set off against silvery-green foliage. Low growing Veronica plants are effective in the rock garden, containers and as border edging, whilst taller varieties are a valuable addition to flower beds and mix borders. Mat-forming varieties tend to flower in spring with upright forms flowering throughout the summer. Native to Europe, their flowers are attractive to butterflies, pollinating insects and hummingbirds and make a beautiful naturalistic display in a container or as cut flowers. Stake tall-growing varieties in exposed conditions and cut stems back to ground level after the first frost.

10) Hellebore

Hellebores are easy to grow and undemanding evergreen perennials, producing exquisite nodding flowers in shades of pinks, purples, yellows and whites from late winter through spring. The blooms tend to be downward-facing with decorative spots on the inside of the sepals, making them well-suited to growing on a slope or raised flower beds to show them off at their best. They're produced above bold leathery foliage, often with an attractive marbled or silvery appearance, that will enliven the winter and spring garden. Typically woodland edge plants, Hellebores are well-suited to naturalistic schemes and informal plantings, combining particularly well with crocus, snowdrops, daffodils, phlox, bleeding heart and evergreen ferns. Commonly known as Lenten rose as they hold their flowers as Christian's are observing Lent, they grow best in a free-draining soil and benefit from a mulch in the spring to help retain moisture. Be mindful that hellebores are toxic to people and pets.