Perennial Landscape Plants

Though most of our landscape plants are perennials, what we mean by perennial landscape plants are small herbaceous plants that persist for more than a year, often for many years. Many perennial plants may reseed like annual plants do, and form small colonies in the garden. Perennials are often important nectar plants and larval host plants for insects.

Perennials tend to be some of the most magnificent flowering plants around as well.

We encourage you to mix up your perennials and try to diversify your perennial bed as best you can. Don’t forget to mix in some native grasses in your perennial bed—native grasses work well to support pollinators when mixed with flowering perennials.

Perennials tend to need some care, often they need to be cut back occasionally. And though they persist in the garden, they sometimes go dormant, dying to their roots only to re-emerge when its their season. Perennials, like all plants, may be winter-growing, summer-growing, or evergreen.

The following profiles are alphabetized by botanical name.

Photo of chocolate flower (Berlandiera lyrata) by Liz Markings, SEINET.