Perennials are plants that live from season to season in contrast to annuals that live one year or season and then die. Technically trees and shrubs are perennials but usually the term usually refers to herbaceous plants.
EVERGREEN PERENNIALS
Evergreen perennials usually bloom during one season and keep their green leaves all year.
Primrose (Primula polyanthus) comes in a wide range of colors and prefers part shade. It starts blooming in February and continues until June when the hot weather comes.
Primula ‘Belarina Pink’
Primula ‘Amethyst Ice’
Primula ‘Belarina Cream’
Primula ‘Belarina Lively Lilac’
Primula ‘Belarina Double Valentine’
Primula obconica
Erigeron ‘Cape Sebastian’
Beach Aster (Erigeron glaucus)
Erigeron glaucus ‘Wayne Roderick’
Sea Breeze Aster (Erigeron glaucus ‘Sea Breeze’)
Sun Drops (Calylophus drummondianus)
Catmint (Nepeta faassenii)
Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’
Fairy Wand (Dierama pulcherrimum) The gophers love this plant.
Aphyllanthus monspeliensis
Pincushion Flower (Scabiosa caucasica)
Blanket Flower requires a lot of deadheading. This deadheading took over an hour but resulted in flowers throughout the summer.
This deadheading took 20 minutes with the battery powered hedge clipper.
Gaillardia ‘Arizona Apricot’ seed heads still look good even before deadheading.
Gaillardia ‘Fanfare Blaze’
Penstemon ‘Firebird’
Penstemon ‘Sour Grapes’
Penstemon pinifolius
Penstemon pinifolius ‘Mersea Yellow’
Society Garlic (Tulbaghia violacea)
Giant-flowered Soapwort (Saponaria lempergii ‘Max Frei’)
Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens)
Groundcover Phlox (Phlox subulata)
Red-Hot Poker (Kniphofia hybrid)
Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos cv. )
Comfrey (Symphytum officinalis ‘Hidcote Blue’)
Mullein (Verbascum chaixii ‘Album’)
Throat Wort (Trachelium caeruleum)
This plant readily reseeds and is drought tolerant.
See post of November 13, 2023 “Trachelium ”
Hellebore (Helleborus orientalis)
See post of Feb. 7, 2019 “Hellebores”
Rudbeckia fulgida spreads by rhizomes and blooms 3-4 weeks in the summer. It can become invasive. It dies back in the winter but still has a few green leaves.
Gloriosa Daisy (Rudbeckia hirta) is a clumping perennial and blooms longer than R. fulgida – up to 2 months. It dies back in the winter but still has some sprouted seedlings around it in the winter. It may only last 3 years in the garden.
Purple Jelly Bean Plant, Flax Lily