By Justin Hancock

I love perennials because they come back every year: Plant them once and enjoy them for years! This makes perennial plants a great value, but it also means you have to plan your garden if you want them blooming in spring, summer, and fall. While annuals bloom for months, most perennials bloom for weeks.

But never fear! Use this perennial bloom guide to pick varieties that you like -- and that work for your yard -- so you can enjoy beautiful flowers from first thing in spring, through the heat of the summer, and giving your landscape a strong fall finish.

	Armeria Bloom Time: Mid-Spring, Late Spring Light: Full Sun or Part Shade Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 4-8 Groundcover; Tolerates Salt Perfect partner: Dianthus
	Asiatic Lily (Lilium) Bloom Time: Midsummer Light: Full Sun Water: Keep Soil Moist Zones 4-8 Good Cut Flower Perfect partner: Yarrow
	Aster Bloom Time: Late Summer, Fall Light: Full Sun Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 5-10 Attracts Butterflies, Good Cut Flower Perfect partner: Switch grass
	Astilbe Bloom Time: Late Spring, Summer Light: Shade or Part shade Water: Keep Soil Moist Zones 4-9 Good Cut Flower Perfect partner: Hydrangea
	Balloon Flower (Platycodon) Bloom Time: Midsummer, Late Summer Light: Full Sun Water: Keep Soil Moist Zones 3-8 Easy to Grow; Blooms Profusely Perfect partner: Daylily
	Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) Bloom Time: Late Summer, Early Autumn Light: Full Sun Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 3-7 Attracts Butterflies, Blooms Profusely Perfect partner: Russian sage
	Blanketflower (Gaillardia) Bloom Time: Late Spring, Summer, Autumn Light: Full Sun Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 3-9 Attracts Butterflies, Easy to Grow, Flowers Profusely Perfect partner: Pincushion flower
	Bleeding Heart (Dicentra) Bloom Time: Spring Light: Shade or Part Shade Water: Keep Soil Moist Zones 3-8 Easy to Grow Perfect partner: Hosta
	Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) Bloom Time: Summer, Autumn Light: Sun Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 5-10 Attracts Butterflies, Easy to Grow, Fragrant Flowers Perfect partner: Bee balm
	Candytuft (Iberis) Bloom Time: Early Spring, Mid-Spring Light: Full Sun Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 3-8 Blooms Profusely Perfect partner: Creeping phlox
	Clematis Bloom Time: Late Spring, Summer, Early Autumn Light: Full Sun Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 3-8 Vine Perfect partner: Baptisia
	Coneflower (Echinacea) Bloom Time: Summer, Early Autumn Light: Full Sun Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 3-8 Attracts Butterflies, Good Cut Flower Perfect partner: Lavender
	Coral bells (Heuchera) Foliage Appeal: Spring, Summer, Autumn Light: Shade to Part Shade Water: Keep Soil Moist Zones 4-8 Easy to Grow Perfect partner: Ajuga
	Coreopsis Bloom Time: Summer, Early Autumn Light: Full Sun Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 3-8 Attracts Butterflies, Tolerates Drought Perfect partner: Blue fescue
	Creeping Phlox Bloom Time: Spring Light: Full Sun or Part Shade Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 3-9 Groundcover Perfect partner: Spring bulbs
	Daisy (Leucanthemum) Bloom Time: Spring, Summer Light: Sun to Part Shade Water: Keep Soil Moist Zones 5-9 Good Cut Flower Perfect partner: Alstroemeria
	Daylily (Hemerocallis) Bloom Time: Summer, Early Autumn Light: Full Sun Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 3-9 Easy to Grow Perfect partner: Feather reed grass
	Ice plant (Delosperma) Bloom Time: Late Spring, Summer, Autumn Light: Full Sun Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 5-8 Groundcover Perfect partner: Catmint
	Delphinium Bloom Time: Early Summer, Midsummer Light: Full Sun or Part Shade Water: Keep Soil Moist Zones 3-8 Good Cut Flower Perfect partner: Yarrow
	Dianthus Bloom Time: Mid-Spring, Late Spring, Summer, Early Autumn Light: Full Sun Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 3-8 Fragrant Flowers, Easy to Grow Perfect partner: Salvia
	Foxglove (Digitalis) Bloom Time: Late Spring, Early Summer Light: Full Sun to Part Shade Water: Keep Soil Moist Zones 4-8 Attracts Hummingbirds Perfect partner: Baptisia
	Gaura Bloom Time: Late Spring, Summer Light: Full Sun Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 5-8 Easy to Grow, Flowers Profusely Perfect partner: Gaura
	Iris Bloom Time: Late Spring Light: Full Sun Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 3-9 Easy to Grow, Fragrant Flowers Perfect partner: Peony
	Irish Moss (Sagina) Foliage Appeal: Spring, Summer, Autumn Light: Shade to Part Shade Water: Keep Soil Moist Zones 6-8 Blooms Profusely Perfect partner: Hosta
	Isotoma Bloom Time: Late Spring, Summer Light: Full Sun Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 6-9 Easy to Grow Perfect partner: Blue-eyed grass
	Ivy (Hedera) Foliage Appeal: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter Light: Shade to Part Shade Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 5-9 Easy to Grow, Groundcover
	Lavender (Lavandula) Bloom Time: Midsummer, Late Summer, Early Autumn Light: Full Sun Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 5-8 Attracts Butterflies, Easy to Grow, Fragrant Flowers Perfect partner: Shrub roses
	Lithodora Bloom Time: Late Spring, Early Summer Light: Sun to Part Shade Water: Keep Soil Moist Zones 6-10 Tolerates Drought Perfect partner: Lavender
	Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon) Foliage Appeal: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter Light: Shade to Part Shade Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 7-10 Groundcover Perfect partner: Hosta
	Oriental Lily (Lilium) Bloom Time: Late Summer Light: Full Sun Water: Keep Soil Moist Zones 5-8 Fragrant Flowers, Good Cut Flower Perfect partner: Lamb's ear
	Penstemon Bloom Time: Late Spring, Summer Light: Full Sun Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 3-8 Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Hummingbirds, Easy to Grow Perfect partner: Red hot poker
	Peony (Paeonia) Bloom Time: Late Spring Light: Full Sun Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 3-8 Easy to Grow, Good Cut Flower Perfect partner: Iris
	Phlox Bloom Time: Midsummer, Late Summer, Early Autumn Light: Full Sun Water: Keep Soil Moist Zones 3-8 Fragrant Flower, Good Cut Flower Perfect partner: Coneflower
	Primrose (Primula) Bloom Time: Early Spring Light: Part Shade Water: Keep Soil Moist Zones 5-8 Attracts Butterflies Perfect partner: Heuchera
	Salvia Bloom Time: Late Spring, Summer, Early Autumn Light: Full Sun Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 4-10 Attracts Butterflies, Blooms Profusely Perfect partner: Coreopsis
	Pincushion Flower (Scabiosa) Bloom Time: Mid-Spring, Late Spring, Summer, Early Autumn, Mid-Autumn Light: Full Sun Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 5-9 Attracts Butterflies, Blooms Profusely, Good Cut Flower Perfect partner: Veronica
	Sedum Bloom Time: Summer, Early Autumn, Mid-Autumn Light: Full Sun Water: Tolerates Drought Zones 3-10 Groundcover Perfect partner: Artemisia
	Veronica Bloom Time: Mid-Spring Light: Full Sun to Part Shade Water: Keep Soil Moist Zones 4-8 Groundcover Perfect partner: Gaillardia