Gardening is an excellent natural stress reliever. It’s an outdoor activity that provides mental and physical health benefits. Gardening also gives you a sense of accomplishment as you step back to observe the results of your hard work.
Some of the best flowers to grow are perennials. They can provide year-round color with their blooms and foliage. Here are a few perennials that will add beauty and texture to your landscape.
1. Daffodils
Daffodils are resilient and easy-to-grow spring bulbs that spread quickly and return every spring. Daffodil flowers come in yellow, white, cream, orange, and pink.
Following the melting of the snow, strappy basal leaves appear, succeeded by trumpet-shaped flowers with six-lobed corollas.
Daffodils require only water during their active growing season. They are not demanding about the soil they grow in and will thrive in both full sun and partial shade. These plants are also undeterred by deer, rabbits, and other pests.
2. Tulips
Tulips are one of the oldest cultivated plants and come in nearly every color except true blue. All varieties of this plant thrive in direct sunlight.
Most tulips only have one flower per stem; however, some are multi-flowering varieties. The plants feature two to six strappy, waxy, blue-green leaves.
Tulips come in a variety of colors and textures, including those with ruffled, fringed, or double blooms that look more like peonies than tulips. Although there are many variations, the flowers are typically cup-shaped with three petals and three sepals.
3. Azaleas
Although mass plantings of azaleas work well in bigger spaces, they are most attractive when planted individually.
Rhododendrons and azaleas are related because they belong to the same genus. These low-maintenance shrubs come in so many varieties that it’s challenging to pick a favorite.
Most azaleas bloom in the middle of spring, while other varieties bloom earlier or later. The flower colors range from white to light pink and various tones of red and purple.
4. Flowering Dogwood
Flowering dogwood is a beautiful native tree that blooms in the spring. It has lovely spring flowers, colorful fall fruit, and a unique growth pattern that adds interest throughout the winter.
Most people know it for its spring flower display of white or pink blossoms. The leaf-like bracts beneath the small flowers are its most striking features.
The dark green summer foliage turns a magnificent reddish-purple in the fall. Although it can be planted in full sun, it thrives in moderate shade.
5. Peony
Peony blossoms are essential in a sunny flower garden because they are large, attractive, and fragrant. This herbaceous plant has long-lasting foliage that makes a stunning backdrop for other plants.
Peonies begin blooming in the spring and into summer. As summer arrives, the flowers die, leaving behind dark green foliage. Eventually, the entire plant dies and can be cut down to the ground. Come spring, new peonies will begin to appear as reddish shoots just above the soil.
Peony flowers are available in practically every color except true blue.
6. Poppy
Poppy is a classic flowering plant that gardeners have long admired in various landscape settings. Poppies require a lot of sunlight and well-drained soil.
The flowers have colorful, aromatic petals that resemble tissue or paper. They have been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes over the years. Poppies typically bloom between April and June, depending on the species.
7. Petunia
Petunias are colorful and vigorous plants that bloom from spring until the first frost. They fill the air with a delightful fragrance and will grow in the garden or containers.
These plants feature large, trumpet-shaped blooms and hairy, slightly sticky leaves. They are prolific bloomers and come in various colors, except genuine blue.
Petunias usually bloom in the summer but can also bloom in the spring and continue into the fall before the temperatures drop.
