6 Best Perennial Flowers To Grow In North Carolina
The beauty of perennial plants is that they are low-maintenance, and you can enjoy them for years. In fact, many varieties will look just as good as their annual counterparts and can add some great color to your landscape.
Read on for some of the best perennials for our region. You’ll be glad you did! Listed below are some of the best plants for your North Carolina garden. A little care and maintenance will go a long way.
The cardinal flower is the state flower of Raleigh, NC, and is an upright perennial with spiky, brilliant red foliage. It blooms from late summer through fall and attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.
It prefers moist soil and is prone to slugs and snails, but will bloom when given the opportunity. You’ll love its unique flowers and colorful foliage, and you’ll be able to enjoy them in your garden year after year.
For your North Carolina perennial garden, consider the black-eyed Susan, which is a popular late summer plant. It’s hardy and grows up to 30 inches in height.
Its dangling stems and luscious dark-blue blooms make it an ideal plant for landscaping. Its leaves are black with gold centers and requires full sun, so it is a great choice for any garden.
If you’re looking for perennial plants for your garden, try planting native species. These plants are better adapted to their region and ecosystem than exotic varieties and will require less water, fertilizer, and pesticides.
Not only will you be saving the environment, but you will also be supporting the local wildlife with their flowers. They attract hummingbirds and butterflies and have a hardy habit, making them perfect for garden settings.
The daylily is a popular perennial. It blooms all spring and into the summer. It is a hardy perennial, but it will need staking to avoid it from falling over.
Those with a garden that has adequate sunlight should cut back to the ground level to encourage new leaf growth. Mulch will protect the roots of the perennials. It is best to apply mulch to the soil after cutting the plants.
Perennials in North Carolina are best known for their ability to withstand the hot and humid summer climate. Most plants grown in the Northeast United States will not tolerate the heat and humidity of the South but can tolerate the heat.
Dahlias and cannas are both excellent choices for your yard. Some perennials are self-sowing and come back every year from seed. Whether you choose to plant annuals or perennials, be sure to check the zone for your chosen plants.
Abiqua Drinking Gourd Hosta
It is these blue bowls which are so unique in their texture and form that they will create one of the most intriguing visual effects in your garden!
I find the Abiqua Drinking Gourd Hosta (Hosta ‘Abiqua Drinking Gourd’) to be an absolutely stunning plant after it has recently rained.
It is a unique plant that has raised leaves that curl upwards.
The wonderful thing about these leaves is that they tend to collect droplets and pools of water in their deeply cupped, extremely textured foliage.
Our garden has been transformed by Abiqua and we have no doubt that you will be as amazed as we were when we introduced it to our shade garden.
A festive ornament in the form of a drinking gourd, the Drinking Gourd will add a touch of decorative flair to any garden decor.
It is a beautiful blue foliage that grows in a variety of shades. There are several different ways in which the leaves ascend in all directions, forming a loose, randomized pattern!
Those large, curled leaves catch the dew and the rain in their glaucous blue cups, and so the leaves curl upwards.
It maintains its wonderful blue color even when it is the hottest day of the year! There is no doubt why the American Hosta Growers Association named Abiqua Drinking Gourd Hosta the 2014 Hosta of the Year!
Hummelo Lambs Ear
The Lambs Ear Hummelo (Stachys ‘Hummelo’) produces thick spikes of rosy-lavender flowers that make a stunning display when they bloom in mid-summer.
There are a number of botanical names for this plant, sometimes referred to as Betony.
Easily naturalized, it forms clumps and makes a beautiful ground cover that attracts pollinators.
This mounding foliage is extremely textured and puckered, and forms vigorous clumps of long, textured leaves with lush green foliage. The foliage is stunning even without flowers!
It is more common to find Stachys with soft, silvery foliage. The foliage of Hummelo, on the other hand, is glossy and dark-green all year long. The leaves are wrinkled and puckered and have tightly scalloped edges.
Tubular blooms appear in spikes above the foliage from midsummer through frost. Due to their showy blooms, they make great additions both indoors and outdoors.
As a member of the Mint family, and Hummelo is German for bumblebee, these flowers are loved by butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds!
Halcyon Hosta
Gardeners are always looking for two things in their gardens: 1) shade plants and 2) blue plants.
Hosta Halcyon, also known as funkia or plantain lily, is a reliable winner that needs little care to thrive.
With its frosty ocean-blue color and the most interesting shape, the Halcyon Hosta has earned the 1997 Award of Merit (AGM) for its ability to survive in shade.
In July and August, the plant blooms with white-to-lavender bell-shaped flowers with pointed leaves that are ribbed at the base and bears foliage of a spear shape.
It’s the foliage itself that makes the show, though. This plant is slug-resistant and attracts hummingbirds during the blooming season.
In a well-drained spot in full shade, Halycon Hosta grows to about 2′ tall and wide in that familiar “fountain” shape, and likes a moist but well-drained soil.
It is extremely beautiful when planted in shade borders, around large shade trees, and even in large containers. This is one of the best hosta species available today. Zones 4 to 8. Make sure you order one today!
Blue Mouse Ears Hosta
A colorful and charming hosta, Blue Mouse Ears Hosta (Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’) adds color and interest to any landscape.
Dwarf varieties like this have thick, leathery leaves that have a cute curl. (Thus, the name) The tiny leaves resemble cute, little mouse ears.
Its foliage is an endearing shade of blue/green that will catch your eye throughout the season, and this hosta even features flowers in mid-summer.
Lavender bells adorn the stems extending up to one foot above the foliage during July, providing a visual treat for passers-by as well as a welcome habitat for butterflies. A curious hummingbird might even stop by to check out the scene.
Blue Mouse Ears Hosta is a perennial herbaceous plant with a compact habit. Adaptable to a variety of soil types, it thrives in full to partial shade. Despite its small size, the little gem is hardy, easy to care for, and is easy to grow.
Karl Rosenfield Peony
Is it possible to imagine a shrub covered in giant, fluffy pom-poms of bright, gleaming crimson?
Is it the dazzling red blooms which are lofted above the deep green foliage on sturdy stems?
Would you prefer these swaying gently in an afternoon breeze and emitting a rich and sweet perfume to draw you in for a closer look?
You can expect to experience all of this and even more when you plant a Karl Rosenfield Peony in your garden this year.
Karl Rosenfield is a classic, old-world peony that has been reinvented into a new and improved hybrid!
The Peony shrub is still characterized by its classic double bloom, which many people think of when picturing a Peony shrub.
The Karl Rosenfield Peony, also known as the Paeonia ‘Karl Rosenfield’, features large, double red blossoms that have a diameter of nearly 8 inches.
There are many different forms of these blooms, and each one starts in mid-to-late spring and includes a hint of yellow at its center for an added touch of shimmering beauty from within.
Blue Boa Anise Hyssop
Is it important to you that your landscape is harmonious with nature? Do you want to plant water-wise plants that will attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and a wide range of beneficial pollinators?
Looking for easy-to-maintain edible plants to add to your front yard?
All of this and more is provided by the Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum).
It blooms with beautiful spires of lavender blue flowers throughout the summer.
You don’t have to do much more than fill in the details to create a magnificent show.
An anise grows up to a height of 3 to 4 feet, spreading 2 to 3 feet wide. It grows best when exposed to full to partial sunlight, in well-drained soil.
There’s more to this wonderful herbaceous perennial than just its beauty! You can use it in cooking as well. Licorice sticks kiss the sweet-smelling leaves, which resemble candy canes.
The plant is also known for its antiviral, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Drying sprigs for potpourri without man-made chemicals is a healthy option.
