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      31 Self Seeding Perennial Flowers to Grow This Season

      Do you have an area of your garden that you don’t know what to do with? Have you thought of adding some self-seeding perennials to that area so you don’t have to do much? If so, gardening expert Jill Drago offers 31 self-seeding perennial options for your gardens.

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      Written by Last updated: August 8, 2023 | 16 min read

      self seeding perennials

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      Self-seeding perennials make a beautiful garden feel effortless. Plants that self-seed are those where the flowers produce seed heads that will drop or float on the wind and sow themselves into your soil, eventually growing new plants to fill your garden.

      These plants can be just as impactful as annual flowers, but they will return year after year with less work. Here are 31 self-seeding perennials for your garden!

      Bachelor’s Button

      Close-up of a flowering plant, Centaurea montana, commonly known as Mountain Cornflower or Perennial Bachelor's Button. It is a herbaceous perennial plant that forms clusters of upright stems covered with grey-green, lanceolate leaves with deep lobes. The flowers are large, showy, have a bright blue-violet color. The flowers have a characteristic thistle shape with a central disc surrounded by fringed petals.
      The bachelor’s button is a beautiful, colorful perennial that spreads quickly through seeds and rhizomes.
      botanical-name botanical name Centaurea montana
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun to Partial Sun
      height height 1-2 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 3-8

      As a small perennial with brilliant, impactful color, the bachelor’s button is a great choice. This plant also goes by the name of mountain cornflower. Whichever name you prefer, this plant is a beauty.

      Bachelor’s button produces lovely soft green foliage in an attractive mounded shape. The brightly colored blooms have a reddish-pink center surrounded by blue frilly petals. They can even be added as a colorful edible garnish to summer recipes!

      This perennial is a rapid spreader by seeds and rhizomes. Fortunately, it isn’t invasive. You can deadhead spent blossoms to prevent excessive spreading by self-seeding.

      Beebalm

      Close-up of flowering plants Monarda didyma, commonly known as Bee Balm. The plant has erect stems covered with large opposite leaves, lanceolate, dark green in color, with jagged edges. The flowers are tubular in shape and arranged in tight terminal clusters resembling pompoms or fireworks. They are bright red.
      This versatile perennial herb forms mounds of dark green leaves and produces showy red or pink blossoms.
      botanical-name botanical name Monarda didyma
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun to Partial Sun
      height height 2-4 feet tall, 2-3 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 4-9

      Beebalm has a reputation as both an herb and an ornamental perennial. This plant grows into beautiful mounds of dark green, lance-shaped leaves. The flowers themselves are small when seen individually.

      However, an abundance of red or bright pink blooms appears on top of extremely showy bracts. This colorful show can last up to 2 months in your garden. Cut your beebalm back to the ground at the end of the growing season to help promote healthy growth in the next season.

      Beebalm is a prolific spreader and will self-seed if you do not deadhead the spent blossoms. To ensure your beebalm continues to appear attractive, divide your clumps every few years. If you begin to notice that the center of the plant is dying or looking sparse, it’s time to divide.

      Black-Eyed Susan

      Close-up of flowering plants Rudbeckia hirta, commonly known as Black-eyed Susan, in a sunny garden. The plant has strong, upright stems covered with hairy, lanceolate leaves arranged alternately. They are dark green in color and have prominent veins. The flowers are similar to daisies with golden yellow petals surrounding a dark brown or black center.
      Black-eyed Susans are a classic, dependable garden plant with bright yellow or bi-colored blooms.
      botanical-name botanical name Rudbeckia hirta
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun
      height height 2-3 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 3-9

      The black-eyed Susan is a classic garden plant. The bright yellow or bi-colored flowers have earned their reputation for being as dependable as they are beautiful. The golden petals are arranged neatly around a deep chocolate eye, creating a sun-like appearance. The foliage is an attractive shade of green with lance-shaped leaves.

      Black-eyed susans are very low-maintenance plants. They are drought and heat tolerant and are incredibly forgiving. If you do not want this plant to self-seed, deadhead the spent blossoms and expect more blossoms later in the year.

      If you are open to growing more black-eyed Susans in your garden, allow the flowers to mature on the stem. The seeds will attract birds to your garden in the fall and will fall into your garden and produce new plants.

      Bleeding Heart

      Close-up of a flowering Dicentra spectabilis plant in a garden. The plant has thin, fern-like leaves of a bright green color. Leaves are compound and deeply lobed. The flowers hang gracefully from long, curved stems, resembling heart-shaped or tear-drop pendants. Each flower consists of a series of pink pendulous petals that form a characteristic heart or teardrop shape,
      Bleeding heart is a perennial with heart-shaped blooms and attractive foliage. It spreads through rhizomes and self-seeds.
      botanical-name botanical name Dicentra spectabilis
      sun-requirements sun requirements Partial Sun
      height height 2-3 feet tall, 1-3 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 3-9

      A beautiful and classic garden perennial, bleeding heart will add unique splendor to your gardens. The heart-shaped flowers delicately dangle from arching stems in shades of pink or white.

      The foliage is equally attractive, producing deep green divided leaves. Bleeding hearts will bloom from spring to fall in cooler climates. However, if you live in a warmer climate, this plant will begin to fade in the heat of the summer.

      Bleeding heart will spread through rhizomes, but it will also self-seed. Do not cut your bleeding heart’s back if you wish for them to self-seed and produce new baby bleeding heart plants.

      Butterfly Weed

      Close-up of Asclepias tuberosa flowering plant in the garden. The plant has lanceolate leaves arranged alternately along strong upright stems. The leaves are bright green in color and have a smooth texture. The flowers grow in clusters at the tops of the stems, forming bright orange umbels. Each flower is made up of five individual petals that fold back, giving them the appearance of a star. The intricate structure of the flowers includes a central crown-like structure known as the corona, which is adorned with small, orange appendages.
      Butterfly weed is a stunning perennial with bright orange blossoms that attract monarch butterflies.
      botanical-name botanical name Asclepias tuberosa
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun
      height height 1-2 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 3-9

      Butterfly weed, also called orange milkweed, doubles as a stunning perennial and a crucial part of the monarch butterfly’s diet. This perennial produces gorgeously bright orange flowers that will bloom in your garden all summer long. Butterfly weed is an herbaceous perennial with sturdy stems and leaves to support this floriferous perennial.

      In the fall, these blooms will give way to attractive seed pods. If you do not remove these seed pods, they will eventually open and disperse their seeds throughout your garden.

      Butterfly weeds will naturalize beautifully in your garden if you allow them to self-seed. Ensure you allow plenty of space because this perennial beauty can take over. Get ready for the butterfly show!

      Columbine

      A close-up of an Aquilegia, commonly known as Columbine, flowering plant in a sunny garden. The plant has attractive light green lobed leaves. The leaves are arranged in a basal rosette at the base of the plant and along the stems, giving the fern a feathery appearance. Each flower consists of five characteristic spurred petals that coalesce at the base to form a tubular shape. The petals are stretched back and widen at the ends, resembling a delicate and elegant hat or lantern. Soft purple flowers with white spurred petals.
      Columbine is a stunning perennial with unique flowers in various shades and tolerance of different conditions.
      botanical-name botanical name Aquilegia spp.
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun to Partial Sun
      height height 1-3 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 3-8

      Columbine is a stunning and unique herbaceous perennial. Deeply cut, heart-shaped leaves form an attractive mound, while the flowers are on slender stems. They will bloom in the early summer in shades of blue, red, pink, white, purple, or yellow. Columbine will struggle with the heat in the mid-summer, so you should cut the plant to the ground.

      Columbine is pretty low-maintenance. It is tolerant of different sun exposures as well as soil types. When the blossoms begin to fade, snip the stems if you don’t want them to reproduce. If you allow the blooms to mature on the stem, the plant will self-seed into the garden producing many volunteer plants.

      This can be handy since Columbine tends to be a shorter-lived perennial, and self-sowing keeps a vigorous display of healthy, young plants appearing yearly.

      Coneflower

      Close-up of flowering Echinacea plants in a sunny garden. Echinacea, commonly known as Coneflower, is a striking and hardy perennial plant. The plant has long lanceolate leaves, which are located in a rosette at the base. The flowers are large, daisy-like flowers with prominent, cone-shaped centers. The petals are purple in color, arranged in rays radiating outward from the central cone. The cone-shaped center is orange in color and consist of densely packed disc florets.
      Coneflowers are tough and colorful perennials that bloom all summer with bright petals surrounding a central cone.
      botanical-name botanical name Echinacea spp.
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun to Partial Sun
      height height 2-5 feet tall, 1-3 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 3-8

      Coneflowers, or echinacea, are a welcome sight to any gardener. These tough perennials come in an array of brightly colored blooms that will fill your garden all summer. The colorful petals will surround a deep brown or orange cone, where the seeds will form. They bloom on tall rigid stems which rise out of lance-shaped leaves.

      Coneflowers are drought and heat tolerant once established in your garden. As the flowers mature, the petals will drop, and the seeds will become more robust and eventually fall to the ground.

      You can collect the seeds or allow the new plants to grow where the seeds lay. If you do not wish for this to happen, do not worry! You will have plenty of time to deadhead the older blossoms before the seeds drop.

      Coreopsis

      Close-up of many flowering Coreopsis plants in the garden. The plant has thin lanceolate leaves, bright green. The flowers look like daisies of a bright yellow hue. The petals are flat and broad, radiating outward from a prominent center.
      Coreopsis, a brightly colored perennial with fern-like foliage, produces abundant daisy-like flowers with frilly petals.
      botanical-name botanical name Coreopsis spp.
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun
      height height 1-2 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 5-9

      Coreopsis, or tickseed, is a brightly colored perennial with fern-like foliage. The flowers tend to be golden yellow, orange, or red. However, there are a few pink varieties on the market. The foliage is bushy and full.

      The coreopsis flowers may be small, but there are so many of them it will not make a difference. These flowers are daisy-like and have a frilly edge to the petals.

      Coreopsis seeds grow into tough plants. Try planting it in your garden borders or perennial gardens in groupings for a showy display. After the first bloom, you can trim the whole plant back or deadhead the flowers to promote a second bloom. If you allow the flowers to mature on the stem, they will produce seeds, and the plant will continue to take up more space in your garden.

      Cushion Spurge

      Close-up of Euphorbia polychroma, commonly known as Cushion Spurge, flowering plants in a sunny garden. The plant has dense tufts of bright green leaves that form a compact, cushion-like mound. The leaves are narrow, elongated, and have a glossy appearance. The flowers are small, form bright yellow-green bracts that surround the real flowers.
      This elegant showy plant grows in a mounded shape and produces long-lasting yellow flowers.
      botanical-name botanical name Euphorbia polychroma
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun to Partial Sun
      height height 1-2 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 4-8

      If you are looking for a showy plant for your border gardens, cushion spurge may be it! This species of euphorbia is elegant. It grows in an attractive mounded shape and produces yellow flowers which are flat and not very showy. However, their bright petals are very long-lasting and, of course, are the key to self-seeding. In the fall, the cushion spurge has colorful autumn foliage.

      You can feel free to deadhead spent flowers as you wish. Letting your flowers mature on the plant will increase the likely hood of your cushion spurge self-seeding and producing plants that will fill your garden.

      Delphinium

      Close-up of a flowering Delphinium plant against a blurred garden background. Flowers form dense oblong inflorescences that spiral up tall stems. Flowers are bright blue with purple hues. Each individual flower has a characteristic shape resembling a dolphin's nose or spur.
      Delphinium, an elegant plant with tall flowers in various colors, is a perennial that can self-seed if not deadheaded.
      botanical-name botanical name Delphinium spp.
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun to Partial Sun
      height height 2-6 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 3-7

      Delphinium is an elegant plant that you can start from seed. These tall flowers come in shades of blue, white, pink, and purple. Delphinium is a short-lived perennial that can be annual or biennial, depending on where you live. The flowers bloom in clusters on tall stems in the late spring and early summer. They attract hummingbirds and other pollinators. The leaves are deep green and attractively large.

      Delphinium will self-seed into your garden if you do not deadhead the blossoms, although flowers grown from self-seeding by a named cultivar will often become a different color than the parent plant.

      It is very considerate of the delphinium plants to do this for us since these perennials tend to be short-lived. This will keep the beautiful blossoms coming in one form or another for years to come and will allow your garden to adapt naturally over time!

      Forget-Me-Not

      Close-up of a flowering plant, Myosotis sylvatica, commonly known as Forget-Me-Not, in a garden. The plant has a rosette of basal leaves that are hairy and oblong in shape. The leaves are dark green in color and grow close to the ground, forming a dense mound of foliage. The flowers are small, about 1 cm in diameter, and grow in clusters on thin, wiry stems that rise above the foliage. The flowers have a five-petal structure and are sky blue in color.
      A small but sweet plant, forget-me-not produces abundant blue flowers for a dazzling display in late spring.
      botanical-name botanical name Myosotis sylvatica
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun to Partial Sun
      height height 6 inches to 1 foot tall, 1-2 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 3-8

      Forget-me-not is a sweet and small plant that packs a punch in the flower department. The simple blue flowers may be small, but they are plentiful and create a dazzling display in late spring and early summer. The foliage of forget-me-not is low-growing and can be evergreen in warmer climates.

      This perennial is stunning when planted in a grouping, which is easy to do if you allow it to self-seed. Forget-me-not is considered invasive in some areas. Take caution when choosing a planting site to ensure it stays in check. Then, leave the flowers to mature on the plant, and you will have plenty of seeds to produce new forget-me-nots.

      Foxglove

      Close-up of a flowering plant Digitalis purpurea against a blue sky. The plant has a tall and upright growth, forms a basal rosette of large lanceolate leaves, dark green and velvety to the touch. The leaves are arranged in a spiral. The flowers are tubular, bell-shaped, and have an elongated lower lip. They grow on tall strong stems that emerge from the center of the rosette. The flowers are pink with intricate specks or markings on the throat.
      This beautiful tall plant features dramatic tube-shaped flowers in various colors.
      botanical-name botanical name Digitalis purpurea
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun to Partial Sun
      height height 2-5 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 5-9

      A stunning plant to add height to your perennial gardens, foxglove produces dramatic tube-shaped flowers that will be the start of your flower beds. These flowers are available in an array of colors from peach to white and many shades of purple and pink. There are even dramatic bicolor combinations as well. These flowers form on tall stems which rise from a rosette of leaves.

      Foxglove is a biennial that will only hang around for two growing seasons. The good news is this plant produces enough seed to keep repopulating itself (so it’s almost a perennial). Foxglove is considered invasive in some areas.

      This can be controlled by deadheading the flowers before they go to seed. If you wish to collect the seed, this is another great way to control the foxglove without letting it take over.

      Globe Thistle

      Close-up of Echinops, commonly known as Globe Thistle, flowering plants in a garden. The plant forms a group of basal leaves with deep lobes or pinnatipartite. The leaves are grey-green in color and have a rough texture. The plant produces globular flower heads that resemble prickly balls. The flowers are made up of numerous tiny inflorescences and come in vibrant shades of blue and purple.
      Globe thistle, an excellent tough plant with prickly foliage, produces beautiful globe-shaped flowers in purple or white.
      botanical-name botanical name Echinops spp.
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun to Partial Sun
      height height 2-4 feet tall, 1-3 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 3-9

      The globe thistle is a tough plant that produces gorgeous globe-shaped flowers. Its foliage is slightly prickly but not as harsh as it appears. This prickly foliage helps to keep predators away. The globe-shaped flowers are clusters of tiny purple or white flowers. When the petals drop, you will be left with seed heads that are equally as interesting.

      When these seed heads begin to dry, they will open, and seeds will fall out onto your soil and germinate easily. If you wish to collect seeds, this is fairly easy to do. Simply snip the seed heads and collect them in a bag and allow them to dry completely before planting in the spring.

      Hellebore

      Close-up of a flowering Hellebore plant, also known as Lenten Rose or Christmas Rose, in a sunny garden. The plant has glossy, dark green leaves that are leathery in texture and have a serrated edge. The flowers are cup-shaped, single, with delicate pink petals with dark pink veins.
      Lenten roses are evergreen shade-loving perennials that bloom in late winter with unique bowl-shaped flowers.
      botanical-name botanical name Helleborous spp.
      sun-requirements sun requirements Partial Shade to Shade
      height height 1-2 feet tall, 1-4 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 3-9

      Lenten roses, also known as hellebores, are evergreen shade-loving perennials. This perennial blooms in late winter or early spring and is a welcome sight to gardeners at the earliest times of the garden year. Their flowers are unique and will either be bowl-shaped or nodding, and they come in many pastel colors but also a deep purple which is nearly black.

      Hellebores will self-seed directly into your garden when left to their own devices. Depending on the variety you are growing, you may notice the blossoms on the new hellebore plants are not quite the same shade as the parent plant.

      You can collect the seeds in an envelope and plant them indoors over the winter or directly in the soil yourself in the spring. This will allow you to control where your hellebore grows and how much it will take over an area.

      Hollyhock

      Close-up of flowering plants of Alcea rosea, commonly known as Hollyhock, against a blurred green background. The plant has high vertical hairy stems of gray-green color, covered with large showy flowers. The flowers are bright pink, with a distinct central column or "beak" surrounded by colorful petals. The flowers have a soft, papery texture and a slightly ruffled appearance.
      Hollyhock readily self-seeds but can be controlled by cutting back after flowering.
      botanical-name botanical name Alcea rosea
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun
      height height 2-8 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 6-9

      A cottage garden classic, the hollyhock is a perfect addition to a garden that needs a splash of color and a bit of height. There are a lot of different varieties that vary in height as well as color. You can also find hollyhocks with single flowers as well as double flowers. Whichever variety you choose, these plants will produce tall stems with beautiful flowers arranged all around the stem.

      This perennial will self-seed readily by just dropping its seeds into the soil. If you wish to control the spread of your hollyhocks, cut them back after flowering. Aside from watering, hollyhocks don’t require much as far as maintenance is required. It is recommended that you support your hollyhocks with a stake or trellis.

      Lady’s Mantle

      Close-up of a flowering plant, Alchemilla mollis, commonly known as Lady's Mantle, covered in raindrops. This is a herbaceous perennial plant. It has soft, velvety, rounded leaves with scalloped edges. The leaves are pale green in color and slightly hairy in texture. The foliage forms low mounds or rosettes, creating a lush and attractive ground cover in the garden. The flowers of Lady's Mantle are small, appearing in clusters or splashes above the foliage, and are carried on thin, curved stems. Flowers are yellow-green.
      Lady’s mantle, a beautiful perennial with attractive foliage and yellow foamy clusters of flowers, can self-seed.
      botanical-name botanical name Alchemilla mollis
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun to Partial Sun
      height height 1-2 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 3-8

      Primarily grown for its foliage, lady’s mantle is a beautiful herbaceous perennial perfect for your border or flower beds. The large green leaves unfurl attractively, resulting in scallop-edged leaves that collect raindrops. The flowers are not the most showy, but they arrive in masses of yellow foamy clusters.

      Many gardeners will clip the spent flowers from the lady’s mantle to neaten their gardens. If you allow these flowers to hang around, they will self-seed and increase the amount of lady’s mantle in your garden in the next growing season.

      Lamb’s Ear

      Close-up of a flowering Stachys byzantina plant in a garden. Stachys byzantina, commonly known as Lamb's Ear, is a distinctive perennial plant cherished for its soft, fuzzy foliage. The leaves are thick and densely covered with soft, velvety hairs reminiscent of the texture of a lamb's ear. The leaves are silver-gray, forming dense rosettes, creeping along the ground.
      Lamb’s ear features soft silver foliage and tall purple spikes of flowers, adding height and color to early spring gardens.
      botanical-name botanical name Stachys byzantina
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun
      height height 6 inches to 2 feet tall, 1-3 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 4-10

      Lamb’s ear produces lovely, soft silver foliage, which is the primary focus of this plant. However, it also produces tall purple spikes of flowers, adding height and color to your early spring garden. The foliage resembles small lamb’s ears in shape and is very attractive when used in a cottage garden border or any full sun flower bed.

      These flowers will self-seed. Deadheading them will not only stop the self-seeding, but it will also promote more vigorous foliar growth. Either way, this plant will spread nicely throughout your garden.

      Liatris

      Close-up of a Liatris spicata, commonly known as Blazing Star or Gayfeather, flowering plant in a sunny garden. The leaves are long, narrow and grass-like. They grow in rosettes at the base of the plant and along the bottom of the stems. The leaves are usually dark green in color. Peduncles emerge from the center of the rosette, consist of individual small flowers, densely collected in cylindrical or cone-shaped clusters. They bloom from the bottom up the spike, creating a vibrant color display. The flowers are purple.
      Gayfeather, also known as liatris, features purple plume-like flowers atop grass-like foliage.
      botanical-name botanical name Liatris spicata
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun to Partial Sun
      height height 2-4 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 3-10

      This pretty perennial also goes by the name gayfeather. I imagine it has this name because the purple flowers look like plumes of feathers sitting on top of long grass-like foliage. As the tall spikes of flowers pass, the foliage will remain bright green and attractive until the first frost.

      Deadhead liatris regularly to keep the plants blooming as well as to prevent some self-seeding. Leaving the flowers on the plant will provide birds with food in the fall and will maintain some height in your gardens when there is not much left to be admired.

      Lupine

      Close-up of Lupinus, commonly known as Lupine, flowering plants in a sunny garden. The leaves of Lupinus are palmately compound, meaning they are divided into several leaflets that radiate from a central point, resembling the shape of a hand. The leaves are elongated and lanceolate, dark green. The flowers grow on tall erect thorns that rise above the foliage. The individual flowers are shaped like pea flowers, with a characteristic banner (upper petal), wings (side petals), and a keel (lower petal). The flowers are purple and pale pink.
      Lupines are unique plants with palmately divided foliage and striking blooms in various colors.
      botanical-name botanical name Lupinus spp.
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun to Partial Sun
      height height 3-4 feet high, 1-3 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 4-8

      Lupines are truly one-of-a-kind plants. Their foliage is palmately divided and beautiful, but this plant’s beautiful blooms. Most notably known for the purple varieties, there are also pink, white and yellow varieties available. These flowers grow as bold spikes of tightly packed flowers.

      Lupines will self-seed in your garden. Simply deadhead the spent blossoms once the flowers pass. The foliage remains attractive through the growing season, so trim the stem back to a point where the remaining leaves hide it.

      Masterwort

      Close-up of Astrantia, commonly known as Masterwort, flowering plants in a garden. The leaves are basal, palmately lobed, giving them a lacy appearance. The leaves are dark green and deeply cut. The flowers are small, but collected in rounded inflorescences called umbels. Each umbel consists of many tiny flowers surrounded by bracts that are papery and pale pink in color. The flowers themselves have a unique structure with a central cluster of tiny florets surrounded by petal-like bracts.
      Masterwort is a stunning accent plant with pink, red, and white pincushion flowers.
      botanical-name botanical name Astrantia spp.
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun to Partial Sun
      height height 1-3 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 4-7

      Masterwort is a gorgeous accent plant to your borders and flower beds. This lower-growing perennial easily makes friends with nearby plants, while its pincushion flowers add a pop of color. These flowers can be found in pink, red, and white shades.  The foliage is equally attractive with deep green palmate leaves.

      To maintain the health of your masterwort plants, you should divide them every few years. Masterwort will self-seed directly into your soil. Deadheading is the best way to prevent this.

      Milky Bellflower

      Close-up of a flowering plant Campanula lactiflora, commonly known as Milky Bellflower, in a garden, against a blurred green background. The leaves are elongated, lanceolate, slightly serrated along the edges. They are medium green in color and grow as a rosette, producing dense and attractive foliage. The flowers are bell-shaped and grow in clusters on tall thin stems. The flowers are white. Each delicate bell-shaped flower has five petals and a charmingly curved appearance.
      The milky bellflower is a stunning, long-lived plant with multibranched stems and numerous white or light purple flowers.
      botanical-name botanical name Campanula lactiflora
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun to Partial Sun
      height height 3-5 feet tall, 203 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 5-8

      This stunning variety of bellflower is large and long-lived! Position milky bellflower in the back of your flower beds or in a sunny cottage foundation plant, and you will be the talk of the neighborhood. Growing up to 5 feet tall, the milky bellflower is multibranched, with each branch producing dozens of white or light purple flowers.

      This delightfully low-maintenance perennial does not attract wildlife nor require much as far as maintenance goes aside from moist soil. Milky bellflower will spread rather quickly in the right growing conditions. Be prepared for more milky bellflowers or to deadhead their spend blossoms.

      New England Aster

      Close-up of blooming Aster novae-angliae, commonly known as New England Aster, in a garden. The leaves are lanceolate and toothed at the edges. They are dark green in color and densely arranged along the stems. Aster novae-angliae flowers are medium sized, daisy-like, bright purple. Each flower has a yellow or golden center, creating a striking contrast with the bright, thin petals.
      New England asters are a stunning alternative to potted mums, with purple flowers and yellow centers.
      botanical-name botanical name Aster novae-angliae
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun to Partial Sun
      height height 1-6 feet tall, 1-3 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 3-8

      You may know New England asters from the show they put on every fall. In my opinion, growing New England asters makes a much more beautiful (and economical) addition to your garden than purchasing potted mums year after year.

      The flowers on the New England aster are purple with yellow centers. The foliage is green and will be present throughout the growing season.

      Pinch your asters back before July 4th. This will help give your aster a bushy appearance while promoting more blooms. When the show is over, either deadhead the blossoms or leave them to self-seed in your garden.

      Primrose

      Close-up of flowering Oenothera speciosa plant, commonly known as Evening Primrose or Showy Evening Primrose, in a sunny garden. The leaves of Oenothera speciosa are lanceolate and grow in a rosette. They are medium green in color and have a slightly velvety texture. The flowers are large and cup-shaped, with four pale pink petals.
      Evening primrose is a showy perennial with pastel-colored flowers that bloom in the evening.
      botanical-name botanical name Oenothera speciosa
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun
      height height 1-2 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 4-9

      Evening primrose is a stunningly showy perennial that blooms throughout the evening hours. The flowers of the evening primrose are lightly pastel-colored with yellow centers. This perennial has a sprawling nature that lends itself nicely to life as a groundcover or an addition to your flower beds.

      When the evening primrose flowers pass, they will be replaced with seed pods, each with 4 wings that will assist in carrying the seeds off to their landing space. Evening primrose can take over a space nicely, so choose an area you wish to naturalize or be prepared to deadhead!

      Rose Campion

      Close-up of a flowering Lychnis coronaria plant, commonly known as Rose Campion or Dusty Miller. The leaves are lanceolate or oblong in shape and densely covered with soft, fluffy, silver-gray pubescence. The silvery foliage forms a basal rosette and the leaves are arranged alternately along the stem. Flowers appear on tall thin stems. Flowers form in clusters at the top of the stems. Each individual flower has five bright pink petals with a white center.
      Rose Campion is an underappreciated perennial with silver foliage and small, vibrant white or magenta flowers.
      botanical-name botanical name Lychnis coronaria
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun to Partial Sun
      height height 1-2 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 3-8

      Rose Campion is a beautiful perennial that deserves more attention. Its foliage is soft and silver. The sturdy stems support small yet brightly colored flowers of white or magenta.

      Rose campion is tolerant of heat, drought, and poor soil, making growing it extremely easy. The only requirement for rose campion is that the soil is well-draining. This plant does not like having wet feet.

      Deadheading rose campion throughout the season will promote more flowering. However, this perennial will reseed beautifully, creating a swath of beautiful plants.

      Scabiosa

      Close-up of blooming Scabiosa, commonly known as Pincushion Flower, in the garden. The plant forms thin vertical stems with charming purple flowers. The flowers consist of a prominent central disc surrounded by a ring of thin petals, giving them a pincushion-like appearance.
      Scabiosa, or pincushion flower, is a long-blooming perennial with vibrant purple, pink, or red flowers.
      botanical-name botanical name Scabiosa spp.
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun
      height height 1-2 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 3-7

      Scabiosa, or pincushion flower, is a great addition to your gardens if you desire a long-blooming perennial. It is crazy easy to grow. The flowers on the pincushion flower can be purple, pink, or red.

      Each flower can reach up to two inches in diameter, creating quite the display lasting through summer and into fall. These flowers hover over mounded green and lobed leaves with a slightly-weedy appearance that plays well in cottage gardens.

      This perennial will self-seed and grow new seedlings each spring. Deadheading this plant can be quite a task due to the number of flowers. Use your garden shears to give this perennial a haircut when the flowers begin to fade. This can promote new blooms in the same season.

      Sea Holly

      Close-up of blooming Eryngium, commonly known as Sea Holly, in a garden, against a blurred green background. It is a perennial plant valued for its spiny foliage and intricate flower heads. The leaves are characterized by a spiny and deeply lobed appearance. They are leathery and have a silvery green color. The flowers are arranged in distinct spherical or cone-shaped clusters known as flower heads. These flower heads consist of many tiny flowers surrounded by spiky bracts. The color of the flowers is metallic bluish.
      Sea holly is a tough and ornamental perennial with blue flowers nestled in silver bracts, ideal for sunny and sandy gardens.
      botanical-name botanical name Eryngium spp.
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun
      height height 2-3 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 5-10

      Sea holly is a stunningly ornamental perennial that is as tough as it is interesting. This plant has small blue flowers that are set inside showy silver bracts. Sea holly grows best in sunny and sandy gardens, making it a great coastal plant! Don’t forget to plant sea holly in your cut flower gardens.

      When the flowers mature, they will produce seed heads that will sit in the plant’s bracts before being blown about in the wind. However, deadheading will keep the flower show going even longer into the growing season.

      Spider Flower

      Close-up of a flowering plant Cleome hassleriana in a sunny garden. The leaves are palmate, bright green. Flowers grow in tall, erect racemes or spikes. Individual flowers have long thin petals that are delicately fringed or ruffled, giving them a unique spidery appearance. Flowers vary in shades of deep pink, pale pink and white.
      Spider flower is a self-seeding annual, bringing drama to your garden with tall stems and large flower clusters.
      botanical-name botanical name Cleome hassleriana
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun
      height height 3-4 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 2-11

      Spider flower is technically an annual, but it self-seeds so prolifically that it produces the results of a perennial. These tall flowers can add some drama to your garden. Reaching up to heights of 4 feet, the stems will produce attractive foliage and large flower clusters.

      These flower clusters can grow up to 6 inches in diameter and come in shades of pink or white. Each small flower has long stamens, giving the spider flower a fun look.

      The petals of the spider flower will turn into long seed pods, which provide interest even when the temperatures drop. These seeds will fall to the soil and produce new cleome plants the following spring.

      Sweet William

      Close-up of a flowering plant, Dianthus barbatus, commonly known as Sweet William, in the garden. The plant forms compact thickets with thin stems. The leaves of Dianthus barbatus are narrow, lanceolate, growing in pairs along the stems. They have a bright green color and a slightly fleecy texture. Flowers grow in dense clusters on stems. Flowers consist of five petals with jagged edges. The flowers are bright red with white margins and a pinkish centre.
      Sweet William, a short-lived perennial, produces vibrant cluster flowers and self-seeds.
      botanical-name botanical name Dianthus barbatus
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun to Partial Sun
      height height 1-2 feet tall, 6 inches to 1 foot wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 3-9

      Sweet William is a loved perennial with beautiful clusters of brightly colored flat flowers. This plant is a biennial or short-lived perennial, but the good news is its seed can create new plants and give the appearance of a long-living perennial.

      The foliage of sweet william ranges from pale green to dark green and is arranged on rigid stems. The flowers come in shades of white, pink, and red.

      Deadheading your sweet William will encourage more blooming while also promoting plant health. However, self-seeding will help keep your garden full of sweet William plants!

      Tall Verbena

      Close-up of a flowering Verbena bonariensis plant in a sunny garden. Verbena bonariensis is a charming perennial with slender, erect stems. The plant produces clusters of small bright purple flowers that are held above the foliage. The leaves of Verbena bonariensis are narrow and lanceolate, they grow along the stems in an alternating pattern.
      Tall verbena is a tall and airy perennial that adds height and color to gardens but beware of its invasiveness.
      botanical-name botanical name Verbena bonariensis
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun
      height height 3-6 feet tall, 1-3 feet tall
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 7-11

      Tall verbena, which can be grown as an annual in cooler climates, is an airy and tall perennial for your border gardens and flower beds.

      The very tall stems can reach up to 6 feet tall and support clusters of small purple flowers. This plant adds dimension and beauty to the back of your gardens by providing height and color without the bulk.

      Tall verbena is invasive in some areas, so before you plant it, research to ensure you will not harm your local ecosystem. If you plant tall verbena, you can control its spread by deadheading the flowers regularly. If you wish for it to spread slightly, tall verbena easily self-seeds.

      Turtlehead

      Close-up of flowering plants Chelone spp. in a sunny garden. Chelone spp., commonly known as turtlehead, is a perennial plant. It has dark green lanceolate leaves with serrated edges. The flowers resemble the shape of a turtle's head. The flowers form small spikes of a pink hue.
      Turtlehead blooms are stunning in late summer, with tall stems and spikes of pink or white flowers.
      botanical-name botanical name Chelone spp.
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun to Partial sun
      height height 2-3 feet tall, 2-3 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 3-8

      In the late summer, masses of turtlehead flowers are a sight to behold. These plants will reach up to 3 feet tall and grow small spikes of pink or white flowers. The upright stems also support dark green leaves that remain attractive throughout the growing season.

      Turtlehead will spread through self-seeding and is especially attractive when planted in large groupings. This is a very low-maintenance plant as long as the soil does not dry out.

      Yarrow

      Close-up of a flowering plant Yarrow in the garden. Yarrow is a perennial plant grown as a wildflower. It has attractive fern leaves that are silvery green in color. The plant produces clusters of tiny white flowers in flat, umbel-shaped inflorescences.
      Yarrow is a hardy wildflower with fernlike leaves and clusters of colorful flowers.
      botanical-name botanical name Achillea millefolium
      sun-requirements sun requirements Full Sun
      height height 1-3 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide
      hardiness-zones hardiness zones 3-9

      Grown primarily as a wildflower with exceptional perennial performance, yarrow is a great addition to any full sun garden. Yarrow has attractive fernlike leaves that are light green or even silvery green in color.

      The flowers of the yarrow plant appear in clusters of tiny flowers that come in an array of colors that will fill your garden for a lengthy period of time.

      These pretty flowers will eventually set seed and sow right into your garden soil. To promote further blooming or to prevent the spreading of your yarrow by seed, simply deadhead your spent blossoms.

      Final Thoughts

      Before planting any self-seeding perennials in your garden, it is always a good idea to ensure they are not invasive in your area. However, not all self-seeding perennials will be invasive! Embracing perennials that will self-seed is an excellent way to naturalize larger areas in your garden while adding beautiful flowers and colors to your landscape.

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