KnowTheYard

Plant Profile Collection

Perennials for returning color

Build a garden that returns each year with plants suited to your zone and bloom calendar.

Browse Perennials Use Plant Finder
Purple aster flowers blooming on upright stems in a mixed perennial border.
ExplorePerennials
Keep Going

Turn a choice into a plan

Use a guide when you are ready to grow, diagnose a symptom, or compare two close options.

Growing Guide

Best Shade Plants for Gardens That Get Little Sun

A shady yard is not a gardening dead end. It is an invitation to grow a completely different palette of plants - lush…

 Side-by-Side

Annual vs Perennial: Faster Color or Longer-Term Structure?

Choose Annual for fast fill, predictable one-season color, and easy design resets. Choose Perennial when you want…
Good Places to Start

Featured Perennials

Three well-developed profiles that show the range of choices in this collection.

Purple aster flowers blooming on upright stems in a mixed perennial border.

Aster: Late-Season Color Workhorse

Symphyotrichum spp.

Gardeners often let asters flop, dry out, or bloom only once, then blame the plant. In reality, these tough North American…

Open profile
Pink astilbe flower plumes rising above ferny foliage in a shaded garden bed.

Astilbe: Feathery Color for Shade Beds

Astilbe spp.

Feathery plumes, ferny foliage, and reliable color in shade make Astilbe a workhorse perennial for damp beds and borders. It…

Open profile
Black Eyed Susan flowers with dark centers blooming in a sunny perennial bed.

Black Eyed Susan for Easy Summer Color

Rudbeckia hirta

Black Eyed Susan gives Zone 3-9 gardeners weeks of yellow flowers with very little fuss. It behaves as a short-lived…

Open profile
Plant Database

Browse Perennials

14 matching profiles

Search and filter profiles

Search checks the common name, scientific name, and profile description. Zone checks the hardiness range; sorting uses the profile name or last update.