Question:
I would like to establish some perennial beds in my yard, but I don't have a great deal of time for maintenance chores. What are some good low maintenance perennials?Answer:
All perennials require some maintenance. Watering, fertilizing, pinching, staking, deadheading, dividing, and providing winter protection are common maintenance chores. Some perennials require frequent attention through the growing season. Others require minimal care.
Low Maintenance Perennials for Sunny Locations
- butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
- false blue indigo (Baptisia australis)
- hardy geranium (Geranium spp.)
- hardy zinnia (Heliopsis helianthoides)
- daylily (Hemerocallis spp.)
- Siberian iris (Iris sibirica)
- blazing star (Liatris spp.)
- daffodil (Narcissus spp.)
- peony (Paeonia hybrids)
- Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
- moss phlox (Phlox subulata)
- balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus)
- coneflower (Rudbeckia spp.)
- perennial salvia (Salvia x superba)
- sedum (Sedum spp.)
- speedwell (Veronica spp.)
- ornamental grasses (various species).
Low maintenance perennials for partial to heavy shade
- lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis)
- Canadian wild ginger (Asarum canadense)
- heartleaf brunnera (Brunnera macrophylla)
- turtlehead (Chelone spp.)
- bleeding heart (Dicentra spp.)
- barrenwort (Epimedium spp.)
- hosta (Hosta spp.)
- creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera)
- lungwort (Pulmonaria spp.)
- bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
- foam flower (Tiarella spp.)
- ferns (various species).
Last updated on
February 28, 2022