If you’re looking to brighten your garden without spending hours on upkeep, low-maintenance perennials are a great choice. These plants come back year after year, offering steady color with minimal effort.
The best low-maintenance perennials for your garden are those that bloom the longest, giving you more enjoyment for less work. Choosing the right perennials means you can create a vibrant garden that lasts through multiple seasons.
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
You’ll enjoy the bright yellow petals and dark center of Black-eyed Susan. It grows 1 to 3 feet tall, making it a great addition to sunny spots in your garden.
This perennial blooms from late summer until frost, giving you color for weeks. It’s easy to grow and attracts bees and butterflies, adding life to your outdoor space.
Black-eyed Susan is hardy in many zones and needs little care, perfect for low-maintenance gardeners like you.
Butterfly Bush ‘Blue Chip’
You’ll enjoy the compact size of the ‘Blue Chip’ Butterfly Bush, which grows about 2 to 2.5 feet tall and wide. Its bluish-purple flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden.
This shrub blooms from early summer into fall without needing deadheading. It’s low maintenance, requiring just an annual pruning in late winter to keep its shape and encourage fresh blooms.
Allium ‘Drumstick’
You’ll enjoy the unique oval-shaped reddish blooms of Allium ‘Drumstick’ in early summer. This plant grows between 20 and 30 inches tall, adding height and interest to your garden.
It prefers full sun and well-drained soil, including sandy or gritty soils. Once established, it needs little water and is deer resistant, making it an easy-care choice for your perennial collection.
Catmint (Nepeta)
Catmint is a great choice if you want a low-maintenance perennial that blooms for a long time. You’ll enjoy soft purple flowers that attract pollinators and bring a gentle fragrance to your garden.
This plant handles drought well and looks tidy even without much care. If you cut it back after flowering, it will encourage more blooms throughout the season. You can grow it in containers or beds, and it stays well-behaved in both.
Aster
Asters are great if you want reliable color late in the season. They bloom from late summer into fall, adding purple, pink, or white tones to your garden.
These perennials typically grow between 1 and 6 feet tall and can spread up to 3 feet wide. They thrive in full sun to part shade and need minimal care once established.
If you want a pop of late-season color without much fuss, asters are a solid choice for your garden.
Astilbe
Astilbe is a great choice if you want colorful blooms that last through much of the growing season. You’ll find varieties that bloom from late spring to early summer, with some extending even later.
They grow well in shady or partially shaded spots, making them ideal for less sunny areas. Their fernlike foliage adds texture to your garden even when flowers aren’t showing.
Plus, the tall, fluffy flower plumes are easy to cut and brighten up your indoor spaces.
Garden Phlox
If you want a low-maintenance perennial that blooms for a long time, garden phlox fits the bill. It offers colorful flowers from mid-spring through early fall.
You’ll appreciate its ability to thrive in well-draining, rich soil with regular moisture. Plus, garden phlox is fairly resistant to mildew, especially varieties like ‘Fran’s Purple.’
This plant brightens your garden and requires minimal effort once established.
Perennial Geranium
Perennial geraniums are a great choice if you want flowers that last all season with little fuss. You’ll find them easy to grow and pretty hardy, fitting well into many garden styles.
They bloom continuously and need only simple pruning to keep looking fresh. You can enjoy a variety of colors, making them a reliable option for long-lasting beauty in your garden.
Pincushion Flower (Scabiosa)
You’ll enjoy watching your Pincushion Flower bloom from spring until frost with its delicate, airy flowers. It grows best in full sun and well-draining soil, making it easy to care for.
The plant can reach about 32 inches tall and attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Its deer resistance means fewer garden worries for you.
Blanket Flower (Gaillardia)
You’ll enjoy Blanket Flowers for their bright, long-lasting blooms that appear from early summer through fall. These perennials usually grow about 2 feet tall and spread around 20 inches wide.
They thrive in sunny spots and handle drought well, making them easy to care for. Plus, their colorful flowers attract butterflies and other pollinators to your garden.
Walker’s Low Salvia
Walker’s Low Salvia is a great choice if you want long-lasting blooms. You’ll enjoy its lavender-blue flowers from late spring well into fall.
It grows well in many conditions and stays attractive with its gray-green foliage. You can keep it tidy by cutting back the top third after the first bloom. This encourages more flowers and a healthier plant.
Hydrangea
Hydrangeas are a great choice if you want flowers that bloom for a long time. They thrive in many climates, especially in growing zones 3 to 8.
You don’t need to worry about bulbs with hydrangeas. Just make sure to give them regular water, and they will reward you with vibrant, colorful blooms.
Their large flower heads add a lovely, classic touch to any garden without much fuss on your part.
Delphinium
You’ll enjoy delphiniums for their tall, colorful spikes that brighten your garden from early summer. They come in shades of blue, purple, pink, and white, adding vibrant vertical interest.
These perennials are fairly easy to grow if you provide full sun and well-drained soil. Cutting off the first flower spike encourages more blooms, extending the blooming period.
Coneflower (Echinacea)
You’ll appreciate coneflowers for their long bloom time and easy care. They thrive in full sun and handle drought well once established.
Their purple, pink, or white petals surround a distinctive cone-shaped center. You don’t need to do much except occasional deadheading to encourage more blooms.
Coneflowers grow about 2 to 3 feet tall, making them great for borders or wildflower gardens. They add color and attract pollinators with little effort.
Russian Sage (Perovskia)
You’ll appreciate how easy Russian Sage is to grow once it’s established. It thrives in poor, dry soils and doesn’t demand much water.
Its slender white stems and lavender-blue flowers add a soft, airy touch to your garden. Plant it in groups for the best effect.
Russian Sage blooms for a long time, brightening your space with minimal effort from you. Its aromatic foliage is a nice bonus, too.
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
You’ll like Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ for its thick, succulent leaves and upright stems. It grows to about 24 inches tall and has dark pink flowers that bloom late into the season.
This plant thrives in hot sun and dry conditions, making it great for low-maintenance gardens. Plant it in spring, after frost, to help it establish before summer heat arrives.
Lavender
Lavender is a great choice if you want a low-maintenance perennial that blooms for a long time. You’ll enjoy its fragrant violet flowers and neat, compact shape in your garden.
Some varieties are cold-hardy and bloom from late spring through early fall. Lavender also adds a pleasant scent and attracts pollinators like bees and butterflies.
You just need well-drained soil and plenty of sunlight for lavender to thrive with minimal care.
Coreopsis
Coreopsis is a great choice if you want bright, cheerful flowers that last a long time. You can expect blooms from early summer well into fall, giving your garden color for months.
These perennials thrive in full sun, so make sure they get at least six to eight hours of direct light each day. With minimal care and regular deadheading, your coreopsis will keep flowering steadily.
Yarrow (Achillea)
Yarrow is a tough perennial that thrives in heat, drought, and poor soil. You’ll appreciate its bright flowers and attractive, silver-grey foliage.
It’s low-maintenance and grows well in many garden settings. Plus, you can cut the flowers for fresh bouquets or dry them to enjoy longer.
Depending on the variety, yarrow typically grows between 10 inches and 1 foot tall, making it a neat addition to your garden.
Bee Balm (Monarda)
Bee Balm is a native perennial that adds bright, lasting color to your garden. It blooms from mid to late summer, giving you a long display of flowers.
This plant is easy to grow and does well even in poor soil. You’ll enjoy its fragrant leaves and flowers that attract hummingbirds.
To keep Bee Balm blooming longer, remove spent flowers regularly. It’s also resistant to deer and many common plant diseases.
Daylily (Hemerocallis)
Daylilies are a great choice if you want low-maintenance flowers that last. You’ll enjoy their bright, trumpet-shaped blooms from early summer well into fall.
These perennials are hardy and easy to grow, perfect for most gardens. Some varieties, like ‘Big Time Happy’, keep flowers open for many hours, giving you more viewing time.
With dense green foliage and frequent reblooming, your garden will stay lively and colorful throughout the season.
Creeping Phlox
You’ll enjoy creeping phlox for its vibrant, long-lasting blooms in mid to late spring. It typically flowers for 3 to 4 weeks, bringing bright color early in the season.
This perennial spreads low and wide, making it perfect for ground cover or filling gaps in your garden. It thrives in zones 3 and up, and some varieties have attractive foliage even after flowers fade.
Shasta Daisy
You’ll enjoy adding Shasta daisies to your garden for their cheerful white petals and yellow centers. These perennials bloom from early summer to early fall, giving you months of color.
They are easy to care for and resist deer, making them low-maintenance choices. Shasta daisies also attract pollinators, adding life to your outdoor space without extra effort.
Gaura
Gaura is a great choice if you want low-maintenance and long-lasting blooms. You’ll enjoy its delicate flowers from early summer through fall, adding color to your garden for months.
This drought-tolerant plant is easy to grow and comes back year after year. It also attracts pollinators, making it a friendly addition to your outdoor space.
Sedum ‘Dragon’s Blood’
You’ll love Sedum ‘Dragon’s Blood’ for its striking color. Its succulent leaves start green with dark red edges and turn vibrant orangey-red as they mature.
This low-growing perennial stays around 4 to 6 inches tall. It produces small, star-shaped red flowers in late summer.
Place it where it gets at least 6 hours of sunlight. It adapts well to many soils and needs little care to thrive.