Perennials

Perennials are plants that return year after year, making them a reliable and cost-effective choice for Minnesota gardens. They typically bloom for a specific season and then go dormant during the winter, surviving cold temperatures underground. With proper care and placement, perennials can create a long-lasting and low-maintenance landscape filled with color, texture, and structure. Many varieties are well-suited to Minnesota’s climate and can thrive through the state’s freezing winters and warm summers.

Perennial plants include:

Milkweed

This flower is not only beautiful, but it is the host aand food plant for butterflies such as the monarch and the queen.

Columbines

This flower is prized for its multi-colored, spurred blooms and blue-green foliage.

Daylilies

It’s true that the big, beautiful, sun-loving flowers of this plant last only a day, but a mass of daylilies in the garden is so prolific that a gardener won’t notice. Daylilies are tough plants that need little care.

Echinacea

Yes, varieties of this plant can be used medicinally, but most folks grow them for their beautiful, daisy-like blossoms. Echinacea is drought-tolerant, easy to grow and blooms from summer to fall.

Hosta

These low-growing plants with their heart-shaped leaves are just the thing for a shady spot on the property.

Hydrangeas

The blossoms of these plants can be open or come in compact balls. An interesting thing about hydrangeas is that the petals are different colors depending on the pH of the soil. If a hydrangea is planted in acidic soil, they are blue. If it’s planted in alkaline soil, they’re pink.