Every perennial flower has its own growing requirements and some perennials are much easier to grow than others. When you design your perennial flower garden, select plants suited to the growing conditions you have. If the plant is not suitable to your site, it will not be perennial for you! Here I have selected some lovely and colorful yet easy, low maintenance perennial flowers that are widely adapted and should be successful in a sunny location for most gardeners.
Beginning perennial gardeners find the wide selection of plants bewildering. So, here are eight reliable perennial performers for a sunny site: peony, Siberian iris, daylily, bulb lily, black eyed Susan, purple coneflower, cranesbill and sedum. These are widely adapted, easy to grow, and beautiful.
Check Your Winter Hardiness Zone
If the plant is considered winter hardy in your zone, it should survive the winter in your area. (The USDA Winter Hardiness Zones are based on average winter low temperatures.) The lower the zone number, the colder your climate. Check your winter hardiness zone by using your zip code. Now record it in your garden journal! (See Keeping A Garden Journal.)
A plant described as hardy in zones 3-8 will handle a winter as cold as zone 3 or as mild as zone 8, or anything in between. If only one number is listed, that is the coldest zone it can grow in. Although there may be variation depending on the specific species and/or cultivar you look at, in general the zones listed above usually apply.
Botanical Names, Common Names
To shop for these eight perennials, you'll need their botanical names (shown above). Botanical names tell you the genus, then the species and/or the cultivar or variety (if applicable.) Using them avoids confusion between, say, the common names daylily and bulb lily (Hemerocallis vs. Lilium), or the perennial cranesbill (Geranium) vs. the annual we commonly call geranium (Pelargonium.)
I hope you enjoy growing these eight great perennials. For perennial garden design tips, see Perennial Flowers All Season. If you have a hot and sunny spot, you might also like Perennials for Hot Sun. If you are new to perennial gardening, you might also like Starting With Perennials -- or you might enjoy Flower Garden Design Ideas Tips and Inspiration...check the listing of All Flower Gardens Articles So Far if you like to browse.
MORE FLOWER GARDENS ARTICLES and FLOWER GARDENS BLOGS Copyright 2006 Barbara Martin All Rights Reserved Rudbeckia "Goldsturm" Photo courtesy of W. Atlee Burpee & Company
