Longest Lived Perennial Flowers

By
Jamie McIntosh
Jamie McIntosh
Jamie McIntosh
Jamie McIntosh has written about gardening and special occasion flowers for the Spruce since 2011. She has more than 20 years of experience caring for flowers and plants. She was a feature writer for Organic Gardening at Suite101, where she won awards for her writing.
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Updated on 06/15/22
Balloon flowers with purple star-shaped petals on leaves with buds

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

In the gardening world, annual flowers generally refer to those that complete their entire life cycle in one growing season, and perennial flowers are those that return year after year. However, not all perennials are created equal. It's frustrating to design a new flowerbed around your favorite perennial flowers, like delphiniums, Shasta daisies, and pincushion flower, only to see them peter out after three or four years. Other perennial flowers are notorious for their longevity. These are the specimens you see in old neighborhoods, planted when the homes were built, and still blooming decades later. Choose these, and use the money you'll save in subsequent growing seasons for lush hanging baskets or container gardens.

  • 01 of 12

    Balloon Flower

    Balloon flowers with purple star-shaped flowers and white anthers in sunlight

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    Balloon flowers deliver that coveted shade of blue that blends well in any garden design, without the finicky needs some blue flowers exhibit. A native of China, these flowers endure a wide range of temperatures and conditions in full sun or partially shady gardens. Compact varieties that don't need support are the easiest to grow, including 'Apoyama' and the container-ready 'Sentimental Blue.' Once settled in, balloon flowers rarely need to be divided, and don't require deadheading, although shearing may produce a second flush of blooms at the end of summer.

  • 02 of 12

    Black-Eyed Susan

    Black-eyed Susan flowers with radiating thin and yellow petals

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    Sometimes confused with daisies, Rudbeckia plants are the later-blooming, longer-living cousins in the Asteraceae family. Although the classic gold flowers of plants like this 'Goldsturm' variety are common in garden centers, you can find gorgeous burgundy and orange toned varieties, as well as fluffy doubles that act as enduring stand-ins for lookalikes such as zinnias or dahlias.

  • 03 of 12

    Butterfly Weed

    Butterfly Weed

    MckinneMike / Getty Images

    Anyone who cares about the future of our Monarch butterflies should include the premier food for Monarch caterpillars, the butterfly weed. The Perennial Plant Association named this 2017 Plant of the Year, but the desirable attributes of Asclepias tuberosa will linger on in your garden: drought tolerant, free-flowering orange blooms, and disease and pest-free plants will grow in average soil and full sun for many years.

  • 04 of 12

    Daffodil

    Daffodil flowers with white and yellow flowers in garden

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    Hybrid tulips and hyacinths are attention hogs in the spring garden, but these are some of the shortest-lived perennial bulbs you can plant. Instead, choose hardy daffodils, which will multiply over the years to form a handsome naturalized colony in flowerbeds or wild parts of your property.

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  • 05 of 12

    Daylily

    Daylily flowers with orange and yellow trumpet-shaped flowers

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    Have you ever noticed a wild clump of daylilies on the side of a highway or back country road? This should give you a clue to the tenacity of the versatile daylily. If you like orange hues, try a hybrid like the more civilized 'Orange Crush' shown here. Or, branch out to many shades of the rainbow, as you can get blooms in all shades except for pure white and true blue. Drought tolerant and nearly pest-free, some consider daylilies to be an essential part of any blooming landscape.

  • 06 of 12

    Geranium

    Potted geranium plant with rounded leaves and bright pink and red flowers

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

     Unlike the pelargoniums sometimes referred to as geraniums at the garden center, true geraniums are hardy perennials that will grow and return in the unforgiving climates of Siberia and Alaska. In addition to the delicate flowers, gardeners also appreciate the ornamental foliage of some varieties, which features divided leaves with dark-colored bands.

  • 07 of 12

    Hellebore

    Hellebore plant with pink-purple flowers on thin stems

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    A harbinger of spring, the hellebore or lenten rose fills two difficult niches: it thrives year after year in shady spots, and it blooms well before the last frost has kissed the landscape. Old hellebore varieties didn't generate much excitement with their muddy-colored blooms that turned their faces to the soil, but newer cultivars are bigger and brighter. 'Pink Frost' is notable for its large and upward facing flowers.

  • 08 of 12

    Liatris

    Liatris plant with purple flower spikes on thin stems

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    You may have noticed the fluffy stems of liatris in your cut flower arrangements, and wondered where the exotic-looking flowers came from, but cultivars like 'Floristan' pictured here couldn't be easier to grow. The North American wildflowers still grow on prairies and grasslands, nourishing butterflies and bees with nectar-rich flowers that bloom from the top down. Grow in full sun and average soil in USDA zones 5-9.

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  • 09 of 12

    Lungwort

    Lungwort plant with tiny purple and pink flowers and white spotted leaves

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    Pulmonaria plants like this 'Mrs. Moon' cultivar will already be blooming before many perennials have even emerged from the soil. Depending on the variety you plant, you will see petite white, pink, or blue flowers complemented by highly ornamental foliage with interesting white freckles. Give it ample moisture and rich soil, and watch a few plants multiply into a dozen over the seasons in your woodland garden.

  • 10 of 12

    Peony

    Peony flowers with light pink ruffled petals in sunlight

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    Peonies take a few years to get established in the garden, but the wait is worth it. Just ask any bride who pays a premium to include these softball-sized, fragrant blooms in her bouquet. Plant them in well-drained soil, in a sunny spot, and keep the eyes just below soil level to ensure many years of spring blossoms.

  • 11 of 12

    Sedum

    Sedum plant with tiny pink flower clusters and green buds

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    Sedum plants are as tough as nails, and will survive such insults as being rudely yanked from the landscape and replanted by a toddler with a shovel. Leathery, succulent leaves contribute to the vigor of the sedum, retaining moisture during periods of drought. Sedum plants like the popular 'Autumn Joy' or the dramatic 'Purple Emperor' attract pollinators and thrive in clay or sandy soils with no additional fertilizing or spraying.

  • 12 of 12

    Siberian Iris

    Siberian iris with purple, yellow and white ruffled petals on tall stems

    The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

    Include a selection of these easy perennials in your deer-resistant garden for late spring to early summer blooms. Although not invasive, irises do need dividing every few years to maintain vigor. Share a few rhizomes with friends, and they can enjoy the same three-foot flower spikes in their floral arrangements as you.