Easy Perennials That Come Back Every Year

Perennials are the backbone of a garden. Plant them once and they return each year, getting larger and more generous with time. These selections are forgiving, long-lived and widely available.

For sun

• Echinacea — daisy-like flowers, drought tolerant, loved by bees.
• Rudbeckia — golden flowers from summer into autumn.
• Salvia — long blooming and aromatic.
• Sedum — late-season colour and winter structure.
• Lavender — evergreen, fragrant and pollinator friendly.

For shade

• Hellebore — flowers in the darkest months.
• Epimedium — delicate spring flowers and ground-covering foliage.
• Hardy geranium — dependable, long blooming and easy to divide.
• Heuchera — grown as much for foliage as flowers.
• Astrantia — starry flowers for dappled shade.

Planting and care

Prepare soil with compost, plant at the same depth as in the pot, and water through the first season. Mulch to suppress weeds and conserve moisture. Most perennials benefit from division every three to five years to maintain vigour.

Design tip

Combine perennials with grasses and shrubs so something remains interesting after flowers fade. Structure matters as much in winter as colour does in summer.