Flowering Perennials That Can Grow in Average Conditions
Below you will find a list of flowering perennials from our database that can grow in average climates. If you click on any of the photos, you will see a Virtual Plant Tag that may contain photos, plant descriptions, usage suggestions and a link to where you can buy that plant.
Many perennials that flower can flourish in years of average temperatures, average rainfall, or an overall average climate although many of these same plants can also do quite well in years with below average and above average temperatures, below and above average rainfall.
Some of these perennials are native plants and have evolved to handle a fairly wide range of weather extremes for short periods of time, have a wider tolerance for diseases, and are generally more insect resistant. A native woodland plant is American Trout Lily or Fawn Lily, Yellow Adder's Tongue or Erythronium americanum. With adequate soil moisture, the gardener is rewarded with bi-color yellow and purple blooms in the summer. A lovely group of native plants that can be used as annuals or perennials, depending on where you live in the country are Black-eyed Susan, English Bulls-eye, Gloriosa Daisies, or Rudbeckia hirta. Native from the plains east to the Carolinas, they prefer to be kept on the dry side, so growing in containers works well too. A number of introductions have been introduced for more color selection including Mahogany, Bi-color and double flowers. Trilliums or Wake-robin are fantastic for moist, shady areas in a naturalized planting.
Non-native perennials that flourish in average garden conditions include Allium or Persian Onion Hybrids; Astilbe Hybrids; Azure Monkshood (Aconitum carmichaelii); Lungworts or Bethlehem Sages (Pulmonaria) have captivating silver variegated foliage all summer in soils with adequate moisture; Hardy Geranium species or Cranesbills are tolerant of average to below average moisture, adding nice summer bloom colors; flowering blue summer through frost, the Blue Anise Sage (Salvia guarantica) handles the full sun heat; the old-fashioned favorite Campion is also known as Maltese Cross, Burning Love and Lychnis chalcedonica, add much needed pure red summer blooms; Common Sun-rose and its many cultivars are great rock garden plants; several kinds of Avens (Geum) can be garden assets; gaining popularity in the landscape are Foamy Bells (Heucherella x tiarelloides) a cross of plants from different genuses - the Tiarella or Foamflower and Heuchera or Coral Bells, that really brings the best of both for long blooming times in the shady garden; try the Formosa Toad-lily (Tricyrtis formosana) for purple blooms from late summer until frost.
