A perennial garden offers continuing beauty year after year once plants are established. According to Garden Design, after being planted, perennials can last up to five years. If starting a new flower bed or expanding an existing one, knowing which perennials suit your climate and site helps ensure success. Take inspiration from this list of top-rated perennials to consider adding to your landscape.

1. Coneflowers for Sunny Spots

Native Echinacea species, commonly called coneflowers, thrive with full sun exposure and average to dry soil. These hardy perennials come in shades of purple, pink, yellow, and white, depending on the variety. They bloom continuously for months on end if spent flowers get removed. Coneflowers attract songbirds, bees, butterflies, and more wildlife to your garden. Plant them singly or in drifts for vibrant color from midsummer into fall. Just be sure the site drains well -- soggy soil spells doom for these prairie natives.

2. Salvia for Season-Long Color

This huge perennial genus contains hundreds of varieties, ranging from short groundcovers to tall border plants. Called sages or salvia, many types pump out blue or violet floral spikes for months on end with adequate moisture and sun. Pineapple sage shows off red blooms later in the season and smells distinctly fruity too. Deer and rabbit-resistant qualities make salvias ideal for properties plagued by such wildlife. Bees and hummingbirds also flock to the tubular flowers. Salvia establishes fast and spreads nicely without becoming aggressive.

3. Ornamental Grasses for Texture

Add height, drama, and unique texture to your beds and borders with ornamental grasses. Perennials like maiden grass, fountain grass, dwarf pampas grass, and more offer interesting foliage all season long plus plumes or seed heads in the fall. Their spiky shapes contrast beautifully with mounded coneflowers, spires of salvia, and other more traditional flowers. Grasses require minimal care and maintenance once established. Place them to sway gracefully in the breeze! Just beware that most grasses self-seed readily. Some, like fountain grass, even qualify as invasive in certain regions.

4. Astilbe for Dappled Shade

Few perennials can tolerate deep shade, yet astilbe thrives in dark garden corners. Sometimes called false spirea, astilbe produces feathery flower plumes ranging from white to pink to red depending on variety. Lacy leaves remain attractive when not in bloom, making astilbe a versatile choice even without flowers. Use astilbe as a ground cover or border plant. Combining varieties creates lovely drifts of layered textures and colors. One thing astilbe needs is consistently moist soil, making drainage intervention necessary in drier sites.

5. Lavender for Fragrance

English lavenders like Hidcote and Spanish lavender withstand humidity better than other varieties, making them suitable perennial choices in southern zones. Their silvery foliage smells wonderfully aromatic when stroked or crushed. Bee and butterfly magnets during bloom time, lavenders continue looking ornamental after spent flowers dry in place. These Mediterranean natives appreciate well-drained soil and at least six hours of hot sun daily. Once established, lavender needs almost no watering except in severe drought. Just don’t over-fertilize! Excess nitrogen causes leggy growth prone to wilting.

6. Russian Sage for Blue Mist

Another plant that thrives on neglect, Russian sage offers loose clusters of cobalt blue flowers from midsummer until frost. Its finely textured foliage resembles tall grasses more than a traditional shrub. Tiny flowers attract bees while they perfume the garden with an aromatic, floral scent. Russian sage self-sows a bit, but never aggressively. Sit it alongside coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, and ornamental grasses for a prairie feel. Russian sage truly shines in late summer and fall when few other perennials still look their best.

7. Lady’s Mantle for Chartreuse Drama

Finally, add some pop to shady beds with lady’s mantle. This old-fashioned perennial bears enormous leaves akin to floppy green parasols. Ruffled leaf edges catch rainwater and dewdrops beautifully too. Tiny chartreuse flowers on wiry stems appear in early summer, but the foliage steals the show. The flat rover spreads slowly to form attractive patches. Lady’s mantle thrives in part sun to full shade and moist, organically rich soil. Use it as a foliage filler around astilbes, ferns, hostas, and other shade lovers.

Let these diverse perennials ignite new inspiration for your planting beds and borders this season! If you're looking for the perfect perennials for your garden, our local nursery can help. Visit Wagner Nursery Inc today to get expert advice as you start shopping for plants for your new garden.