Lush perennial garden border with pink peonies, purple coneflowers, violet salvia, blue catmint, golden daylilies, ornamental grasses, and hostas in soft morning light.

Perennial Plants

Plants That Come Back Every Year, and How to Help Them Thrive

Detailed growing profiles, zone-by-zone advice and seasonal care for the perennials worth planting, written for gardeners in USDA zones 3 to 9.

Browse Plant ProfilesPlant Care Guides
Lush perennial garden border with pink peonies, purple coneflowers, violet salvia, blue catmint, golden daylilies, ornamental grasses, and hostas in soft morning light.

Plant Finder

Tell us about your garden and we will show you perennials that fit.

Plant Profiles

Every profile covers zones, sun, soil, planting, care, varieties and the problems you are most likely to meet.

View all profiles ›
Long bands of magenta and white creeping phlox in full bloom covering the sloped bank of a narrow river in spring

Creeping Phlox

Phlox subulata
Zones 3–9Full sunSometimes browsed
A cluster of garden phlox with pink-and-white striped flowers surrounded by violet-purple phlox blooms

Garden Phlox

Phlox paniculata
Zones 3–8Full sunSometimes browsed
A wide, soft mound of 'Walker's Low' catmint covered in lavender-blue flower spikes in a sunny garden bed

Catmint

Nepeta × faassenii, Nepeta racemosa and hybrids
Zones 3–8Full sunDeer resistant
Branching silver-white stems of Russian sage lined with small lavender-blue flowers, with a bee feeding on the blooms

Russian Sage

Salvia yangii, formerly Perovskia atriplicifolia
Zones 4–9Full sunDeer resistant
Close-up of a scarlet bee balm flower head with a ring of narrow, tubular red petals

Bee Balm

Monarda didyma, Monarda fistulosa and hybrids
Zones 4–9Full sunDeer resistant
Young coral bells with ruffled copper and amber leaves glowing in the sun, planted in a gravel-mulched bed

Coral Bells

Heuchera spp. and hybrids
Zones 4–9Part shadeDeer resistant

Late September to October

In the Garden Now: Fall

01

Plant Peonies

Early fall is prime time for bare-root peonies. Set the eyes no more than 2 inches deep in full sun.

How to plant peonies ›
02

Cut Back Spent Perennials

Clear diseased foliage after frost, and leave seed heads and sturdy stems standing for birds and winter interest.

What to cut and what to leave ›
03

Divide Crowded Clumps

Spring and summer bloomers divided now have weeks of cool, moist weather to root in before the ground freezes.

How to divide perennials ›

Plant Care Guides

Techniques and plant lists for every part of the perennial garden.

All guides ›
Evenly spaced rows of lavender clumps in a field below a stone farmhouse and autumn-colored hillside

How Far Apart to Plant Perennials: Spacing Guide and Chart

A spacing chart and how many plants you need.

Potted perennials with plant labels set out on the grass beside a garden bed, ready for planting

How to Plant Perennials: A Step-by-Step Guide for Potted and Bare-Root Plants

Step by step for potted and bare-root plants.

Golden yellow crocuses and their narrow leaves pushing up through melting spring snow

When to Plant Perennials: Spring vs. Fall Planting by Zone

Spring or fall, with planting windows by zone.

A purple coneflower seedhead capped with fresh snow, its spiky brown bracts poking out beneath the white cap

USDA Hardiness Zones Explained for Perennial Gardeners

What your zone means and how to use it.

What Is My Hardiness Zone?

Your hardiness zone tells you which perennials will survive your winters. Pick your zone to see what grows best there.