18 Low-Maintenance Perennials For Your Garden

If you long for your flower garden to bloom year after year with minimal effort, try planting a few low-maintenance perennials!

Not only are they stunning and easy to care for, but they’re also cost-effective in the long run. With a wide range of colors, textures, and heights, they beautify gardens in many different hardiness zones.

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Perennials return year after year, which makes them a smart investment for your garden’s longevity.

Why You’ll Love Perennials

The word perennials means “everlasting.” Plants in this category tend to live between three and five years in the same spot after being planted.

If you’re starting a garden, there are TONS of good reasons to invest in perennial plants and flowers, which I’ll talk about, below.

Quick Care Tips for Your Perennial Garden

Perennials can be very low maintenance, but they need to be looked after.

You’ll still need to spend time watering, pruning, deadheading, fertilizing, and mulching your plants.

You’ll also need to ensure they’re not overtaken by weeds, which can take over a garden and add to the workload.

Also, perennials don’t bloom all year, so purchasing plants with different bloom times is wise.

This way, you can extend the life of your garden and enjoy a flowering yard for several months out of the year.

Perennials are known to blend seamlessly, creating beautiful flower beds that look uniform, so don’t be afraid to choose different types of colors!

Low-Maintenance Perennials For Garden Beginners

Without further ‘ado, here’s a list of low-maintenance perennials to consider planting in your garden. Some prefer shade while others can tolerate full sun.

1. Astilbes

Astilbe flowers are a beautiful addition to any yard with upright fern-like flower clusters. The clusters vary, some reaching very tall, and the plant’s height can vary from 6 inches to several feet.

They’re the perfect perennial for shady spots in the garden because they tend to burn under direct sunlight.

Pair them with hostas and ferns for a truly stunning show.

For more on care for this shade perennial, head to my post on How to Grow Astilbes.

2. Achillea (Yarrow)

If you love clumps of feathery foliage, then Yarrow is for you.

This long-blooming plant features a flat-topped flower that grows effortlessly in most climates and soils. They also attract butterflies and come in various colors!

It’s one of the easiest low-maintenance perennials to care for, and its foliage can add much-needed greenery to your garden.

Plant it alongside other perennials with similar needs, and you’ll see how well it complements other flowers and shrubs, like the hosta.

 

3. Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’)

If you want to add a bright pop of color to your garden, you need to plant some Black-eyed Susans as soon as possible!

These flowers bloom from mid to late Summer and are pretty drought-resistant.

They’re the perfect choice for a gardening newbie. 

If you plan to start gardening this year, this low-maintenance perennial should be at the top of your list.

It won’t be fussy or require a huge amount of your time in order to thrive.

4. Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata ‘Bright Eyes’)

Garden Phlox stands at about 18 inches tall and would suit almost any garden.

This low-maintenance perennial has a sweet fragrance that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds, too.

The phlox loves sunlight and is also an excellent option for growing flowers in containers.

They’re pretty resistant to mildew and are great for cutting and placing in vases thanks to their sturdy stems.

5. Blue False Indigo (Baptisia Australis) 

This gorgeous low-maintenance perennial is drought-resistant and can even tolerate less-than-ideal soils.

It grows between 3 to 4 feet tall and does best under direct sunlight or part shade. Its roots are wide-spreading, and it blooms in the Spring.

Be mindful of where you plant Blue False Indigo, as it can quickly take over your yard. 

If you want to add shades or purple and yellow to your flower bed, this is a perfect choice!

Its blooms look soft and delicate, and their light green stems give them height and a showy quality. They’ll be one of the easiest plants in your garden to grow and care for.

6. Blazing Star (Liatris spicata ‘Kobold’)

If you’re looking for an upright and colorful plant that does well in hot temperatures and humidity, the Blazing Star is a great option.

This perennial grows to about 2 to 4 feet tall and grows beautiful, fluffy flower heads that look unique and exotic.

Blazing Star will add a rich shade of purple to your flower garden, and all it asks for is full sun exposure and moist soil!

7. Coreopsis

No garden is complete without a delicate pop of yellow!

Coreopsis is among the easiest low-maintenance perennials to grow and is long-blooming and drought-tolerant.

This plant blooms from early Summer through Fall. It grows in clumps and makes an excellent filler for a garden or vase of flowers.

Make sure you deadhead them during the Summer to keep them blooming optimally!

8. Daylily (Hemerocallis)

This upright, fragrant flower comes in a variety of colors, including light to bright-pink petals and a yellow throat.

They grow in dense clumps and require full sun or partial shade. They bloom all Summer and contrast beautifully against their dark green foliage.

Plant daylilies in your garden if you love all things pink!

Plus, just look at its flower petals! It’s one of the most interesting, unique, and lovely petal shapes you can find.

The color combinations will lend an exotic quality to your garden.

9. Blanket Flower (Gaillardia Grandiflor)

This daisy-like flower will bring an exotic mix of color to your garden. It blooms from late Spring to Fall and can even withstand a cold Winter.

They can be found in color combinations of yellow, orange, and red, with maroon or orange banding at the base of its petals. Gorgeous!

Plant your blanket flowers near your Coreopsis – they’ll complement each other perfectly.

Or, if you want to create a dramatic contrast, pair with daylilies, hosta plants, or salvia. 

Make sure to keep the soil moist and well-drained for optimal results!

10. Lily of the Valley

This fragrant beauty features a deep neck and bell-shaped petals. It holds up well in hot temperatures and humidity and will bloom from May to August.

Lily of the Valley attract butterflies and are a showy perennial.

It’s hard to believe this beautiful flower qualifies to make this low-maintenance perennials list! It’s also important to note that Lily of the Valley can be a VERY aggressive grower and take over areas quickly.

For this reason, you might be better off containing this perennial by planting it in pots.

11. Hardy Hibiscus

Hardy hibiscus grows between 3 to 4 feet tall. They like moist soil and lots of sun and are even winter-hardy.

You can find them in various colors, so pick your favorite!

Hibiscus flowers feature five flat petals that overlap and hug its central staminal column.

12. Iris Sibirian

This arching, grass-like plant features beautiful, showy petals. It loves moist, well-drained soil, and does best in full sun to part shade.

It blooms in May and is perfect for those who are looking for deep pops of purple with hints of white and yellow throughout their garden. 

Plant your Iris Siberian with white flowers like the daisy to help highlight the deep shade of purple! 

13. May Night “Wood Sage”Salvia (Salvia nemerosa ‘Mainacht’)

You’ve found it in the May Night Salvia if you’re looking for an upright, clump-forming perennial.

This flower blooms from late spring to early summer and features dainty, tube-lipped petals in shades of blue, purple, and lavender.

It grows to about 2 feet tall and can be grown in dry to medium and well-drained soils under direct sunlight.

14. Bellflower (Campanula persicifolia)

It’s hard to believe that this beauty is low-maintenance, but it is.

The Campanula Bellflower prefers medium moisture and appreciates some shade mid-afternoon, as it doesn’t do as well in extreme temperatures.

It’ll spread by self-seeding; be sure to deadhead the flowers to encourage blooming.

This perennial can also be found in white, making it the perfect choice if you want to add white streaks to your colorful garden. 

15. Peonies

Who doesn’t love peonies?

They’re one of the most beloved flowers in the world, and countless brides include them in their wedding bouquets yearly.

Plus, they’re a lot easier to grow than you might think! They only need sunlight, good soil, and space to grow their roots and get adequate nutrients.

(Learn everything you need to know about growing peonies from this post.)

Plant peonies at the beginning of Fall or early Spring to enjoy their blooms in the Spring and Summer.

If you want to grow a fragrant garden, add peonies to your list of must-have, low-maintenance perennials. (See my How to Grow a Fragrant Garden post for a list of 10 best-smelling plants!)

16. Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Prairie Splendor’)

Blooming from June to August, the beautiful Purple Coneflower is a good choice for your garden.

This prairie splendor is both cheery and colorful and tolerant of hot temperatures, humidity, drought, and even poor soil.

This beautiful plant grows in clumps and even self-seeds! Make sure to deadhead to improve their appearance.

If you’re a gardening beginner, try the Coneflower, especially if you need to plant some full-sun perennials. 

17. Old-Fashioned Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis)

This low-maintenance perennial is like a work of art.

It’s an interesting flower with heart-shaped and closed petals that dangle from its arched stems.

It blooms in your garden from April to June, and its foliage remains green throughout the Summer months. 

Bleeding Heart loves moist and well-drained soil, and prefers shade over direct sunlight. 

18. Hosta

If you crave mounds of heart-shaped foliage for your garden or container, then hostas, with their lily-like blooms, are a great choice.

This drought-tolerant ground cover is a perfect garden filler and is an excellent way to add texture and depth to your flower beds!

Combine hosta with other shade perennials, like hydrangeas, for striking contrast and a lush, full garden!

Low-Maintenance Perennials Should Last for Years in Your Garden

That makes up my list of 18 low-maintenance perennials. Remember, perennials can last for years IF you care for them properly.

Low-maintenance perennials will spread their roots throughout your yard and adorn your garden season after season if grown in the right environment.

Opting to plant more than one type of plant and flower is optimal if you want something blooming in your garden for more than one season.

The trick is to plant perennials that have different bloom times. 

If you’re looking for a reputable company to buy your perennial seeds from, I recommend SeedsNow. 

They have a few wildflowers and perennial scatter mixes that include seeds of several low-maintenance flowers, so it’s an easy way to grow perennials that complement each other and thrive in the same conditions. (Pretty neat if you ask me!) 

Remember that growing perennials from seed will save you money and teach you how to care for plants, it’ll also motivate you to keep gardening because you’ll see your hard work come to fruition. 

If you have an outdoor space that you want to fill with rich pops of color, height, and texture, then you’ll want to pay attention to the list below!

If you’re going to plant these low-maintenance perennials in your garden, read up on how to care for them so that they grow quickly and to the best of their ability! 

For a list of full sun perennials, head over to this post and for shade perennials, read my 12 Shade Perennials that will Beautify Your Yard post!