Top 20 Perennials For 2024

Perennials are great plants that come back every season to fill your garden with beauty for many years. Mixing them with annuals allows you to create a gorgeous garden with constant color. Perennials have a short blooming period, lasting from a few weeks to a few months. These plants are a budget-friendly choice because they provide colorful blooms and foliage every year after they are established.

Choosing the best perennials can seem overwhelming, especially if you are new to gardening. When choosing perennials, choose those that survive winter in your hardiness zone and plant them in their ideal growing conditions. Here is a list of the top 20 perennials for 2024, which are spring, summer, fall, and even winter bloomers. You can start with these perennials and ignite your garden with lovely colors of blooms that return to your yard year after year.

1. Peonies

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9

Growing Conditions: Full sun, well-drained soil

Peonies are a worthwhile investment for a perennial garden because they are known to be queens of spring gardens. Nothing beats the huge, lush blooms of richly scented peonies, which come in many colors and forms. Peonies bloom from late spring to early summer, and this perennial plant grows bigger every year. Each stem produces a robust double bloom 3-4 inches in diameter.

2. Japanese Anemone

USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8

Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade, evenly moist and well-drained soil

These charming perennials bear tall stems of white and pink-colored saucer-shaped flowers. They bloom from late summer to fall, which makes them a great choice for extending the blooming season in cottage gardens and borders. Japanese anemones, or windflowers, are delicately gorgeous plants with abundant white or pink flowers nodding on long stems above their mounded foliage. Try to plant it in its final position because it regrows from pieces of root.

3. Daylily (Hemerocallis)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9

Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun, fertile and well-drained soil

Daylilies are hardy, sun-loving perennial plants with colorful open trumpet blooms hanging in clusters on sturdy stems. These plants bloom in mid-summer and last only one day (hence the name). However, they produce flowers in profusion to give a gorgeous display over several weeks in summer. The blooms of daylilies come in orange, red, and yellow colors.

4. Salvia

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9

Growing Conditions: Full sun, well-drained soil

Salvia is an herbaceous perennial plant that has spikes of pink, purple, or white flowers. This plant is a summer bloomer, and its blooms last several weeks. Salvia attracts pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds all summer. This perennial plant is hardy, drought-tolerant, and trouble-free, so it must be planted in a sunny garden. Also, this gorgeous plant works well as a garden border. Despite drought conditions, they can grow 18 inches to 5 feet tall.

5. Hostas

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9

Growing Conditions: Partial to full shade, well-drained and moist soil

Give your landscape a tropical look with this bold, low-maintenance foliage, which comes in a range of green shades and is varied with yellow or white markings. Hostas are grown for their bold, large leaves. Flowers bloom in summer, but leaves are the main attraction of this plant. They can thrive in full to partial shade. If cared for properly, they can survive for decades.

Moreover, they have the drawback of attracting slugs and snails. Although they rarely kill plants, they eat leaves and make holes that look unattractive. Additionally, hostas grow well in containers or pots because it is easier to protect plants there.

6. Dahlia

USDA Hardiness Zones: 8-11

Growing Conditions: Full sun, loamy and well-drained soil

Dahlias are pretty, easy-to-grow perennials. They come in a range of colors, types, and sizes. Their shapes vary from small ball-shaped blooms to large flowers of a dinner-sized plate. Dahlias are hardy in 8-10 zones, so they need no special care in these warm zones. Gardeners in colder areas with zones 3-7 can grow dahlia as annuals because dahlia tubers won't survive the winter.

7. Yarrow (Achillea)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9

Growing Conditions: Full sun, well-drained soil

Yarrow is another easy-to-grow and drought-resistant herbaceous perennial that produces large heads of tiny flowers above clumps of feathery leaves. It blooms throughout the summer and makes excellent cut flowers. Yellow-colored varieties of yarrow predominate, but there are also red and orange types. Divide plants every two years in spring or autumn to encourage healthy growth.

Related Post: The Best Drought Tolerant Perennials

8. Cranesbill (Geranium)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8

Growing Conditions: Full sun to light shade, moist and well-drained soil

Cranesbill, or geranium, is a tough and stunning perennial plant that can tolerate extreme cold. Its attractive foliage has a spicy scent that repels hungry rabbits. Geraniums produce flowers in purple, lavender, red, pink, and white shades. Delicate flowers top the foliage in early summer, and newer varieties of cranesbill bloom all season. Geranium is perfect for raised beds and borders. Rozanne is the best geranium variety that blooms for several months.

9. Lungwort (Pulmonaria)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9

Growing Conditions: Partial shade, moist and well-drained soil

Lungwort is a beautiful perennial for shade gardens. The plant is also known as pulmonaria because it was formerly used to treat breathing conditions. This lovely plant bursts into color in spring. It can grow in both shade and sun. Bees love the white, pink, or blue flowers of this plant. Some lungwort types have stunning marbled leaves. Due to its ability to tolerate shade, it is usually found under tall trees, in shady borders, and woodland gardens.

10. False Indigo (Baptisia)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9

Growing Conditions: Full sun, well-drained soil

This is a lesser known but one of the most beautiful perennials for filling empty spaces in your landscape. It has the prettiest spikes of indigo blue, yellow, white, pink, or purple-black flowers that become eye-catching seedpods in the autumn. Baptisia has an attractive vase shape that is ideal for under-planting. Once established, these plants are long-lived. Moreover, pollinators love this perennial.

11. Amsonia (Blue Star)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-11

Growing Conditions: Full sun, well-drained soil

Amsonia is a low-maintenance perennial plant commonly known as the blue star flower due to its starry blue flowers that bloom in clusters. The gorgeous clusters of flowers cover the plant in spring or early summer. This plant can thrive in hot and dry climates, which makes it perfect for planting with larger-leaved plants like hostas and peonies. In addition, it is pollinator-friendly and deer-resistant.

12. Bee Balm (Monarda)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9

Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun, good fertile soil

This is one of the easy-to-grow and top perennials of 2024 that produce berry red or pink flowers, large leaves, and strong stems. Its flowers are rich in nectar, and bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects are attracted to them. Bee balm requires plenty of water, and the foliage should be trimmed after flowering to promote plant growth. When the flowers are crushed, they release a spicy fragrance that is perfect for tea. Plant this bold perennial in full sun for the best results.

13. Phlox

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9

Growing Conditions: Full sun, well-drained soil

Phlox is a low-growing ground cover plant that starts in early spring. It is a spring-flowering plant, so plant it after the last frost. The tall phlox pops up during summer, creating a colorful backdrop for low growers. Its star-shaped flowers release a strong fragrance and are attractive to pollinators. You can plant this perennial in a sunny flower bed, butterfly garden, or cutting garden.

14. Clematis

USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9

Growing Conditions: Full to partial sun

Clematis is a renowned perennial climbing plant that comes in diverse colors and shapes. These plants are defined by their vibrant petals, which are pink, purple, or blue. Clematis plants prefer shade for their roots and sun for top growth. Plant this vining plant along a wall, fence, or trellis. They bloom twice a year, once in early summer and then in late summer or fall.

15. Sedum

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9

Growing Conditions: Full sun, well-drained soil

Sedum is an easy-to-grow perennial in creeping, trailing, and upright varieties. These succulents love the sun and are drought-hardy. Midnight Velvet is the newest variety of sedum that won't disappoint you. This variety has color-changing blooms and rich, dark purple leaves that add garden interest as soon as spring emerges. Clusters of buds start in late summer and open with rose-red flowers. You can leave seedheads to provide food to birds in winter.

16. Lupin

USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-7

Growing Conditions: Full or partial sun, good fertile soil

Lupin is a favorite perennial for cottage gardens. It is known for its tall vertical spikes adorned with tiny, colorful blooms. A wide range of colors are available, including pink, blue, red, white, and yellow. The young leaves of lupines are attractive to slugs, so protect the plants with covers in spring. The plant can reach a height of five feet.

17. Aster (Michaelmas Daisies)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9

Growing Conditions: Full sun, well-drained soil

Asters are hardy plants that bloom in late fall. You should plant these sturdy and beautiful perennials for a final burst of color before winter. Aster bears large clusters of daisy flowers on strong stems in dazzling pink, purple, and white shades. This is also an excellent plant for pollinators.

18. Bergenia, Elephant's Ears

USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9

Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade, can tolerate a wide range of soil conditions

Bergenia is a versatile perennial that grows well in any reasonable soil and makes excellent ground cover in sun and shade. This plant has bold, large, rounded leaves. In late winter and early spring, large clusters of white, pink, or purple flowers are produced. Bergenia's are an excellent choice for the front border, where their rounded foliage contrasts with plants with finely textured leaves.

19. Solidago (Goldenrod)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-8

Growing Conditions: Full sun, dry to medium and well-drained soil

Add a gorgeous contrast to the greens in your garden with the vibrant golden-yellow spikes of this perennial. It is an easy-to-grow plant that can tolerate poor and dry soil. Some gardeners consider solidago a weed because it overgrows. However, it is an excellent flowering plant if you love the wildflower look and can manage it each season.

20. Catmint

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-8

Growing Conditions: Full sun, well-drained soil

Catmint is another low-maintenance and top perennial of 2024. It produces beautiful lavender flowers from spring through fall and stunning chartreuse foliage that maintains its color all season. With its gray-green leaves and purple flowers, this perennial gives color to sunny areas in your garden. It is not only attractive to pollinators but also cats. They enjoy a harmless chemical found in the plant.

The Bottom Line

There you have it. Plant these perennials in your garden, raised beds, or containers. These 20 perennials are beautiful and reliable plants that will bring seasonal beauty and a pop of color to your garden for years. Include them in your yard with annuals and make your garden shine each season!