Every gardener loves adding something new to the garden, but there is a lot to be said for plants that quietly earn their place year after year. While some perennials are relatively short-lived, such as tulips and aquilegias, others can last for decades once they are happy.
As with any plant, the key is putting them in the right place. Plants that need full sun will become leggy and flower poorly in too much shade, while shade plants can struggle in hot, exposed spots. Keep new perennials well watered while they establish, usually through their first year, and longer during a dry spell.
It is also worth remembering that many perennials take time to get going. They may look modest in their first year, build strength in their second, then properly settle in from the third year onwards.
Here are the long-lived perennials worth making room for in the garden.
Catmint
This underrated perennial has aromatic foliage and tiny purple flowers that pollinators love. It flowers for weeks, copes well with dry conditions once established and works beautifully in mixed borders, edging or mass planting.
Daylily
Each daylily flower lasts only a day, hence the name, but the plants are prolific. In the right conditions, they can last for many years, and when flowering begins to slow, you can divide the clumps and replant them elsewhere in the garden.
Sedum
Sedums have earned their place in the garden for good reason. Available in upright and creeping forms, they are tough, low-maintenance plants that bring colour later in the year, just when pollinators need it most.
Lady’s Mantle
Lady’s mantle is often overlooked, but its soft, rounded foliage is one of its quiet strengths, catching raindrops beautifully after a shower. Its frothy yellow flowers appear in late spring, and the plant tends to get fuller and better with age.
Iris
Irises are among the hardiest spring-flowering plants. They can live for decades, and when flowering slows, simply divide the rhizomes to refresh the display and create more plants for elsewhere in the garden.
New England Aster
New England aster is a strong late-season perennial that provides valuable colour and food for pollinators towards the end of the growing season. Leave it alone, or cut it back by a third to a half in late May or early June to encourage bushier growth and more flowers.
Peony
Peonies are the queens of the late spring garden, with lush foliage, generous flowers and a rich scent. Established clumps can live for decades, often flowering reliably year after year with very little fuss once settled.
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Hosta
Hostas can live for many years if they are not eaten by slugs, snails or, in some gardens, deer. There are now varieties to suit almost every size of garden, from compact types for pots to large, architectural plants for shady borders.
Daffodil
Unlike tulips, which are often treated as short-lived in many gardens, daffodils are far more likely to return and multiply. Give them plenty of sun and allow the foliage to die back naturally after flowering so it can feed the bulb for the following year.
Hellebore
Hellebores are slow to settle in, often taking several years before they really fill out, but they are well worth the wait. Once established, they can flower for decades, bringing much-needed interest to the garden in late winter and early spring.
Ferns
In the right spot, ferns can live for years with very little attention. These dependable shade plants are ideal for filling darker corners of the garden with lacy fronds in shades of deep green, pale green and variegated forms. Not to mention Monty Don has a soft spot for them – and they were seen all over RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026.
Cranesbill
Cranesbill geraniums are hardworking, long-lived ground-cover plants. Their scented foliage makes them less appealing aphids and caterpillars, while their late spring flowers seem to hover above the leaves. Once established, they spread readily and weave naturally through borders.
Summer in the garden edit
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Arricca Elin SanSone is a writer, editor, and content creator who specializes in lifestyle and gardening. With a background in health reporting, she applies these same research skills when writing about the science of growing things. She trials new plants in her expansive garden, and her houseplant collection consists of 60+ varieties. Arricca has written thousands of articles for publications such as Country Living, House Beautiful, Good Housekeeping, Prevention, VERANDA, Southern Living, and more. She’s happiest when digging in the dirt, baking, or spending time with the people and dogs she loves.
