Ornamental Perennials Every Master Gardener Should Know

by Elizabeth McCoy · Published November 21, 2024 · Updated November 22, 2024

Perennial plants feature prominently in most gardens. They may be evergreen or deciduous, have showy flowers or may be grown mostly for their foliage. Some steal the spotlight for only a few weeks while others remain productive over several months. Flowering perennials, whether native or not, help support a variety of pollinating insects. Those that produce seeds may support birds long into the winter.

Plants readily available in the nursery trade are most likely hybrids or named cultivars of specific species within a larger genus. Although there are many variations in bloom color, plant form, leaf size and color, and season of bloom, the plants within a genus have more in common than characteristics that separate them. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list and will not cover native perennials not available in the nursery trade. It is merely a starting point for a lifetime’s learning about ornamental plants.

Iris pallida is a species Iris popular in Europe that colonists brought with them to Virginia. It is common now in our area. The roots of Iris pallida are dried and ground to make Orris root powder. Irises grow very well with most herbs, and some sources class this species of Iris as an herb. There are over 300 species in the Iris genus, plus many more hybrids and cultivars.

Evergreen Perennials

Dianthus hybrids, Carnations, Cottage Pinks

Echeveria spp., Mexican Rosettes

Helleborus spp., Hellebores, Lenten Rose, Christmas Rose

Heuchera spp., Coral Bells

Iris spp.,Iris

Sedum spp. Stonecrop

Sempervivum tectorum, Hens and Chicks

Stachys byzantina, Lamb’s Ears

Yucca spp., Adam’s Needle

Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’ is a pollinator magnet. Can you spot the hummingbird?

Deciduous Perennials

For Sun

Agastache spp. Hummingbird Mint

Coreopsis spp., Coreopsis, Tickseed

Echinacea spp. and hybrids, Coneflower

Geranium maculatum, Cranesbill Geranium, Wild Geranium

Hibiscus spp., Hibiscus (some species are hardy, others tender in our area.)

Lantana camara, Lantana (This is a type of Verbena, and only some varieties are hardy in our area.)

Paeonia hybrids, Peony

Rudbeckia spp., Black-eyed Susan, Coneflower

Salvia spp . , Salvia, Sage

Solidago spp., Goldenrod

Verbena spp. and hybrids, Verbena, Vervain

Mayapple, Podophyllum peltatum, grows into a dense ground cover each spring. Flowers and fruits form beneath its large leaves. This is an ephemeral that disappears by mid-summer.

For Shade

Aquilegia canadensis, Eastern Columbine

Begonia grandis, Hardy Begonia

Dicentra spp., Bleeding Heart, Dutchman’s Breeches

x. Heucherella, Foamy bells (evergreen in some climates)

Hosta spp. and hybrids, Hosta, Plantain Lily

Podophyllum peltatum, Mayapple, Mandrake

Polygonatum biflorum, Solomon’s Seal

Tiarella cordifolia, Foamflower

Ajuga reptans, Saxifraga stolonifera and Japanese painted fern form a living ground cover.

Perennial Ground covers

Ajuga reptans, Ajuga, Bugleweed

Carex spp. and hybrids, Sedge

Lamium maculatum, Spotted Deadnettle

Liriope spp., Lily Turf, Monkey Grass

Ophiopogon planiscapus, Mondo Grass

Pachysandra spp., Allegheny Spurge, Pachysandra

Saxifraga stolonifera, Strawberry Begonia

Muscadine grapes, Vitis rotundifolia, may be grown from seeds saved from delicious muscadine grapes varieties native in our area. Virginia Creeper grows here with the grapes.