8 Perennial Seeds to Plant This Spring

By: Ashleigh Smith for True Leaf Market

Perennials are back in style! With many home gardeners looking to simplify their outdoor gardening tasks, selecting perennial plants is the perfect way to go. Perennials offer great color, shape, and coverage without requiring a yearly or seasonal refresh. Now, don’t feel like you are stuck for life with your perennial selections. While perennials can last for several years, many are short-lived, lasting only 3-5 years before it is best to replant or replace them with another selection. This allows you to get greater value for your dollar, as perennial flowers last longer without being a totally permanent commitment. Perennials further stretch your investment by often requiring less water and fertilizer than annual flowers. Below, you will find 8 of the best perennial flower selections for a colorful and low-maintenance garden.

1. Black-Eyed Susan

While most people picture the traditional Black-Eyed Susans with bright yellow petals and a dark brown-black center, there are many other options to choose from. With the same resilient qualities as the traditional Rudbeckia Black-Eyed Susan seeds, pink, bi-colored, and double-flowered varieties are sure to put on a show in your garden! There is a reason these blooms have stood the test of time and continue to be a powerhouse in the home garden and professional landscapes. They are proven to grow well in challenging conditions such as heat, drought, and poor soil quality. However, it is best to keep an eye on developing plants as they become established.

2. Coneflower

Echinacea Coneflower is a key variety in the perennial pollinator-friendly garden as it is known to attract bees, butterflies, and more with its eye-catching blooms. Purple may be the most popular color for this bloom; however, it is also available in white, yellow, orange, and red. Mixes like Cheyenne Spirit will have your neighbors asking what is growing in your beautiful flower beds.

3. Shasta Daisy

While daisy-like blooms dominate the wildflower category, Shasta Daisies take the cake for their classic white petals and yellow centers. Shasta Daisies are a hardy perennial that continues to spread each year. While some wildflowers are known for their uncontrolled spreading habit, these blooms will only expand in a mounding form from their planted point. When planting, plan for some elbow room as they continue to fill in with their luscious floral show. Over the years you may want to divide or cut back your plant. When shopping for Shasta Daisy seeds, the most significant consideration is how tall they will grow, as most varieties have a standard single flowering form with white petals and a yellow center.

4. Lavender

Lavender is one of the most versatile herbs available as it can be used for its floral value in the garden, as an herb with culinary uses, cut for aromatic or home decor, or harvested for its essential oil value. Not only is it beautiful and useful, but it is also known to thrive in conditions many gardeners find challenging. Unlike many other herbs, lavender thrives in hot, dry growing conditions. To really bring out its purple color, we recommend pairing lavender along with plants that produce bright green foliage.

5. Columbine

Columbine is one of the most popular flowers for mountainous regions as it requires a cold period in order to bloom. However, this can easily be accomplished by storing the seeds in a damp paper towel placed in the refrigerator for about 2-6 weeks before planting. After planting, the temperature change, along with the hydrated soil conditions, will help trigger the germination of your seeds. Columbine is favored for its bell-like flowers and spurs, ability to attract pollinators, and low-maintenance nature as it tolerates many soil conditions and is resistant to drought once established.



6. Milkweed

Milkweed is known as the must-grow flower to attract butterflies to your garden. As a nectar-rich flower, milkweed is great for attracting other pollinators as well, including bees and hummingbirds. Like many other wildflowers, milkweed is also a low-maintenance plant because of its tolerance to poor soil conditions and drought. While many flowers perform well in containers, this selection is best planted in the ground as it does not handle re-potting or disturbance well. 

7. Lupine

Lupine is a well-known wildflower favored for its tall stalks and flower spikes. Native varieties are seen along coastal regions where the soil is sandy and temperatures do not get too warm. This combination is vital as lupines do not tolerate wet soils or hot temperatures. They also require acidic soil conditions and will not perform in alkaline soils. As a legume, this flower does not require nutrient-dense soil and is able to fix its own nitrogen from the atmosphere. Some of the most popular varieties include the Russell Series, known for its bright pink, orange, red, and purple blooms.

8. Heuchera

Heuchera, also known as Coral Bells, is grown for its attractive foliage and flowers. The leaves are ruffled and appear with colors from bright green to deep, reds and purples depending on the variety. The flowers rise above the foliage on tall spires with bell-shaped blooms on display from spring through summer with the foliage continuing to put on a show into the fall. For areas that experience cold winters, this is a great selection, as Heuchera is a hardy selection.

Cold Stratification Tips

Cold stratification is something that can easily be overlooked but is necessary for many wildflowers to have strong blooms. When growing wildflower mixes, this can easily be achieved by sowing your seeds in the late fall to early winter season. As the seeds rest on the ground, they get the natural cold period along with the natural temperature and moisture fluctuations with the warming spring weather. However, this is not always achievable, depending on your growing location. To imitate natural cold stratification conditions, place your seeds in a damp paper towel and store them in the fridge for several weeks before planting. Mixes can also be prepared by combining the seeds and hydrated sand before storing them in the fridge. Mixing wildflower seeds with sand also makes it easier to evenly spread the seeds when your planting time arrives. 

Not only are perennial flowers a great investment for saving money but also for supporting local pollinator populations. While annual flowers offer an impressive floral display, perennials are better known for their nectar production and habitat support to keep vital insects like bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects around.

About the Author:

Ashleigh Smith is the Managing Editor at True Leaf Market with a bachelor's degree in Horticulture from Brigham Young University - Idaho. True Leaf Market is a nationally certified organic, non-GMO seed and horticultural company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The True Leaf Market staff specializes in supplying a large selection of conventional, heirloom, and organic seeds to home gardeners everywhere. Learn more about our seeds, supplies, and other growing ideas: www.trueleafmarket.com.

All articles are copyrighted and remain the property of the author.

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