Tough Perennials For Northern Gardens
When I used to sell plants at garden centers, I’d start showing customers different plants they might be interested in, and they’d often stop me after a short time and say, “I just want it to live!” Even though they wanted help picking out nice flowering combinations and placement, their main priority was finding hardy plants with a good track record. Here’s a video I put together highlighting over 10 great (I just want it to live) perennials.
Here’s a quick recap of the top 10 covered in the video:
May Night Salvia, Salvia nemorosa 'May Night' ('Mainacht'), Zone 3-8
May night is a popular perennial known for its violet-blue flower spikes that bloom from late spring to summer. It is a low-maintenance, drought-tolerant plant that thrives in full sun, growing 18–24 inches tall, and attracts pollinators. You’ll notice a strong sage odor when cutting back the dead stems in late winter, but not as bad as the Russian Sage, our next perennial.
Russian Sage, Perovskia atriplicifolia, Zone 4-9
Russian sage is a perennial known for its late-season spikes of lavender-blue flowers and silvery-gray foliage. It’s drought-tolerant and resistant to deer browsing. But when the growing season is over, it can be a chore to cut back the long stems that reach 3-4 feet, due to the strong sage irritant released when cutting. I found myself needing a mask to avoid coughing uncontrollably when cutting back this large patch at a business that I maintain. Russian Sage can spread, so make sure you have the space for this perennial. If you lack space, see if you can find Blue Jean Baby or Little Spire, two varieties that stay around 2 feet tall.
Russian Sage - Leaf Color, Flower Color, And Haz-Mat Gear
Stella de Oro Daylily, Hemerocallis 'Stella de Oro', Zone 3-9
Stella is a popular everblooming dwarf perennial known for its fragrant golden-yellow flowers that bloom from late spring through fall. It will stay around 18-24 inches tall but can spread as wide as 3 feet (or more) after many years. With daylilies, it’s often recommended to divide the roots every 3-5 years to encourage reliable blooming, but I’ve left my Stella alone for over 15 years, and I still get good flowering each season.
Patriot Hosta, Hosta 'Patriot', Zone 3-9
Patriot Hosta is a popular perennial (1997 Hosta of the Year) with dark green leaves and bright white margins. Hostas are widely used in shade gardens, and they are excellent for those areas. But all the hosta varieties I grow get direct sun for part of the day and thrive. Since I don’t have much shade in my landscape (yet, my trees are young), my rule of thumb is to plant them in locations where they are at least shaded during the hottest part of the day. An east exposure works great. Patriot will grow to about 24 inches in height and width. If you like Hostas, here’s a link to a video I made covering dozens of varieties.
Autumn Joy Sedum (Stonecrop), Sedum 'Autumn Joy' (Herbstfreude), Zone 3-9
Autumn Joy forms masses of tiny, star-like flowers that emerge pink, gradually change to russet-red, and then turn rusty brown as they die in fall. I like to leave my tops on until late winter, as they add winter interest, contrasting with the white snow. Autumn Joy reaches 18-24 inches tall and is best grown in full sun. This Sedum is also a magnet for honey bees in the fall. I have two additional videos on the Sedum group that you may find helpful. One highlights the upright sedum group, and the other explores ground-cover sedum.
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Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass, Calamagrostis acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' Zone 4-8
Karl Foerster is a very popular ornamental, cool-season perennial grass that grows 3-4 feet tall. It features upright, narrow, clumping, green foliage, with the sought-after, showy, feathery seed plumes that develop late in the summer into fall. Karl Foerster can be used as a border, in mass plantings, or as a single vertical accent in landscapes. This is a tough and reliable grass! But if you would like more options, here's an earlier blog post that covers additional ornamental grass varieties.
Walker's Low Catmint, Nepeta faassenii 'Walker's Low', Zone 3-8
This is a great perennial that thrives in full sun and is drought-tolerant. It has lavender-blue flowers that bloom all summer long and a gray-green aromatic foliage. Walker’s Low will get wider than tall, reaching heights around 24-30” tall and as wide as 4 feet, and is excellent at drawing in pollinator insects.
Snow on the Mountain, Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegatea', Zone 4
There are a few perennials out there that use the common name Snow on the Mountain, so make sure you match up the Latin name if you decide to purchase this plant. I hesitated to include this in the top ten due to its invasive nature, but oftentimes we need a plant that can survive in challenging locations, and this is one of those plants. It thrives in shade or sun, has a showy white flower in spring, and a variegated leaf with a green center and white margin. I spritz the edges of mine with some herbicide a couple of times each summer to keep the spreading under control.
New England Aster, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, Zone 4-8
This is one of the best perennials I’ve found for attracting late-season pollinators, and it often isn't until nearly October before it begins to bloom. But once it does, it’s amazing to watch the insect activity on this beautiful purple blooming plant. You’ll need some space for this variety as it can reach 4-5 feet tall and wide. For smaller gardens, consider the Purple Dome variety, as it will only reach half the size.
Sarah Bernhardt Peony, Paeonia lactiflora 'Sarah Bernhardt' Zone 3-8
Peonies are among the old standards in gardens and landscapes, and they can live for over 100 years. I’ve highlighted Sarah Bernhardt as my top pick, but there are many other great peony varieties with various shades of pink, red, and white. It’s hard to miss a Peony when they are blooming with their large, showy blossoms. But due to those large flowers, you’ll likely want to stake your plant with supports to avoid having the flower stems fold over and lie on the ground. The problem is especially prevalent in windy areas.
It was hard to narrow it down to 10, but that’s the list (at least for now).
Thanks for stopping by Garden Hike!
Kevin
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