Perennial flowers offer great appeal in the spring, ringing the bell of activity of the gardening season.  The great news is that perennials do not bloom only in spring – they offer ever-changing garden views in all seasons.  If you plan your garden well, it will offer texture, color and movement appeal whenever you look at it.

There are several keys to success:

1. Planning the garden on paper before buying the plants. Think about color combinations, plant height and width, moisture needs, season of bloom and sun/shade preferences. Knowing this information about each plant helps tremendously when grouping them together.
2. Loosening and enriching the soil. A sod spade or pitchfork is an essential tool to break up the soil, especially clay soil, followed by incorporation of an inch or two of compost.
3. In a new perennial bed, application of a preemergence herbicide is recommended.  Be sure to read and follow all label directions.  The use of wood chip or pine needle mulch will suppress many weeds before they germinate as well.

Here is a listing of perennials that bloom in each season:

Spring

Baptisia

Columbine

Bergenia

Brunnera

Sweet William

Bleeding Heart

Coral Bells

Peony

Lungwort

Creeping Phlox

Anemone

Summer

Pink Turtlehead

Butterfly Milkweed

Astilbe

Shasta Daisy

Coreopsis

Echinacea

Gaillardia

Cranesbill

Baby’s Breath

Hosta

Liatris

Lychnis

Balloon Flower

Rudbeckia

Veronica

Fall

Japanese Anemone

Aster

Boltonia

Plumbago

Sedum

Salvia

New England Aster

Garden Mum

Helenium

Goldenrod

John Fech

Horticulture Extension Educator at Nebraska Extension

John Fech is a horticulturist with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and certified arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture. The author of 2 books and over 200 popular and trade journal articles, he focuses his time on teaching effective landscape maintenance techniques, water conservation, diagnosing turf and ornamental problems and encouraging effective bilingual communication in the green industry. He works extensively with the media to extend the message of landscape sustainability, making over 100 television and radio appearances each year.