Hardy flowers are the smartest strategists in the plant kingdom. Its blooms shine on herbaceous shoots that die off before winter. Deep in the ground, the roots survive long-term winter wet and freezing frost. The flowers in the garden will sprout happily next spring. We welcome you to a foray through the fascinating variety of long-lived bedding plants that turn your green kingdom into a sea of flowers every year. These 70 garden flowers are perennial and hardy.

The right location is crucial

Perennial bedding plants only prove their winter hardiness when they are settled in the right location. Summer flowers with a preference for sunny locations lead a miserable existence in the shade with moist soil. On the other hand, shade bloomers in a sunny location with mostly dry bedding soil fall far short of the floral expectations. As a result, the plants cannot build up sufficient reserves in their roots during the vegetation period to survive the harsh winter period unscathed. For this reason, the following selection categorizes 70 perennial garden flowers according to the local lighting conditions in the bed.

Perennial garden flowers for sunny locations

coneflower

Coneflowers (Rudbeckia) with bright yellow ray flowers should not be missing in a summer flower bed. The majestic perpetual bloomer is at its best in group plantings from August until the first frost. The popular summer flowers are not only hardy and perennial, but also act as a popular destination for bees, bumblebees and butterflies in the garden. Beautiful varieties can be discovered under the following names:

  • Goldsturm (Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii): premium variety with yellow ray flowers, 50 to 70 cm
  • Goldquelle (Rudbeckia laciniata): filled, light yellow flower balls, 70 to 80 cm
  • Autumn sun (Rudbeckia nitida) with lemon yellow umbrella flowers, 180 to 200 cm
Coneflower 'Goldsturm', Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii

Mock Coneflower

At eye level with the floral opulence of Rudbeckia (Echinacea), Echinacea varieties trump in the sun-drenched garden bed. The designation mock coneflowers is not intended to detract from the fantastic long-distance effect of the impressive flowers, because they are definitely not second choice. This also applies to endurance and longevity, because mock coneflowers are just as hardy and perennial as coneflowers. These varieties have earned a regular place in the garden:

  • Tangerine Dream (Echinacea purpurea): large, semi-double flowers in bright orange, 75 to 110 cm
  • Hot Papaya (Echinacea hybrid): boasts red, double pompom flowers from June to October, 80 to 90 cm
  • Summer Cocktail (Echinacea hybrid): multicolored variety with yellow, orange and purple flowers, 90 to 100
  • Sunrise (Echinacea hybrid): light yellow flowering mock summer hat with folded back petals, 70 to 80 cm
Coneflower Tangerine Dream', Echinacea purpurea

girl eye

A striking summer beauty is the damsel's eye (Coreopsis) with sunny yellow fringed flowers. Decorative carpets of flowers develop over the years, transforming the garden into a sea of blossoms from May/June to September/October. The following varieties demonstrate the diversity that can be found in the floral details of girls' eyes. All of the distinctive flowers are perennial and hardy down to -23.3 °C:

  • Early sunrise (Coreopsis grandiflora): semi-double flowers, 45 cm
  • Christchurch (Coreopsis grandiflora): yellow ray flowers with a red ring in the heart, 50 cm
  • Sterntaler (Coreopsis lanceolata): ribbed, yellow petals with a red-brown center, 25-50 cm
  • Zagreb (Coreopsis verticillata): yellow ray florets above needle-thin leaves, 25-30 cm
Tickseed 'Christchurch', Coreopsis grandiflora

blanket flower

The colorful blanket flower (Gaillardia grandiflora) repeats its furious appearance on the garden stage every year with a flowering period from July to October. The sunnier the location, the brighter the large, red-yellow blossom wheels shine. Neighboring flowers then have to pull out all the floral stops in order not to be overlooked. The cockade flower combines its aesthetic advantages with robust frost resistance, because it is hardy down to -20 °C. Before the onset of winter, the summer flower retreats into the ground and sprout again in spring. These strains are at the top of the popularity list:

  • Kobold (Gaillardia grandiflora): red ray florets with a yellow tip, compact 30 cm small
  • Burgundy (Gaillardia grandiflora): deep red flower wheels with a dark red center, 40-50 cm
  • Tokaj (Gaillardia grandiflora): flowers with iridescent orange tones, 70 cm
Blanket flower 'Kobold', Gaillardia grandiflora

delphinium

Larkspur flowers (Delphinium belladonna) with diverse varieties are very popular for the authentic design of the cottage garden. Gardeners have plenty to choose from when it comes to choosing, because the lush perennials are all perennial and hardy. The stable hybrids also cause a sensation because they are the same twice bloom each season. The floral stroke of genius succeeds when the gardener cuts the flowers back to ground level after the first bloom from June to July. The flowers then put on their blooms again in October. The only fly in the ointment in the following selection of varieties, however, are the poisonous juices that flow through the flowers.

  • Atlantis (Delphinium belladonna hybrid): bright blue flowers, 80 to 100 cm
  • Ball gown (Delphinium belladonna hybrid): light blue flowers, 120 cm
  • Green Twist (Delphinium elatum hybrid): white-green, lavishly double flowers, 120 to 160 cm
  • Sweethearts (Delphinium elatum hybrid): semi-double pink flowers with a white eye, 120 to 160 cm
Larkspur 'Atlantis'. Delphinium belladonna hybrid

lupins

The imposing flowering candles of lupins (Lupinus) are among the most beautiful bedding plants for the summer garden. From June, the numerous individual flowers unfold from bottom to top. In July and August, the flowers then present themselves from their most beautiful side until they gradually withdraw in autumn. A wide range of picturesque varieties leaves nothing to be desired. Whatever lupins your gardener's heart beats for, they will remain loyal to you for many years, because the bedding plants are hardy down to -40 °C.

  • Schlossfrau (Lupinus polyphyllus): pink flowers with a white flag, up to 80 cm high
  • Kardiol (Lupinus polyphyllus): purple-violet premium variety, up to 100 cm high
  • Fräulein (Lupinus polyphyllus hybrid): Cream-white flower spikes, up to 80 cm high
  • Gladiator (Lupinus polyphyllus Westcountry series): bright red flowers with a yellow flag, up to 60 cm high
Lupine 'Schlossfrau', Lupinus polyphyllus

Hardy flowers for partially shaded locations

cranesbill

Are you on the lookout for lavish semi-shade flowers that are perennial and hardy in nature? Then you can't get past Cranesbill (Geranium). Diverse varieties decoratively round off the bed design for the garden. Some even develop into expansive bushes, others boast compact growth or an extra long flowering period. In terms of longevity, the flowers certainly pull together. Because they are hardy down to -20 °C and present their abundance of flowers in every garden over several years. In order to demonstrate the diversity within the cranesbill genus, we have put together the most beautiful varieties for you here:

  • Blue Sunrise (Geranium hybrid): blue-white flowers from June to September, 30 to 40 cm
  • Plenum (Geranium himalayense): filled light violet flowers in June and July, 30 to 40 cm (hardy to - 34.4 degrees)
  • Pyrenean cranesbill (Geranium endressii): pink flowers from June to August, 40 to 50 cm
  • (Geranium Hybride): plum-colored, dark-veined flowers from June to October, 30 to 40 cm
  • Spessart (Geranium macrorrhizum): historic variety with white-pink flowers and fragrant leaves, 25 to 35 cm
Pyrenean cranesbill, Geranium endressii

splendor pier

The penumbra is the territory of the astilbe. Because a sun yield of 3 to 4 hours a day is enough for the beautiful flower spikes to prove what the plant name promises. So much floral beauty is not limited to a single variety. A colorful array of long-lived hybrids means that no semi-shady bed in the garden will go empty handed. It's a good thing that astilbes are hardy down to a freezing cold -28.8 °C and therefore attract attention in the bed for several years. If you also cleverly combine the varieties with different flowering times, you can look forward to flowering splendor from June to October.

  • Dwarf chinensis (Astilbe chinensis): violet-pink flowers on creeping shoots, 25 to 30 cm (beautiful ground cover)
  • Finale (Astilbe Chinensis hybrid): one of the most beautiful varieties with pink panicles of flowers, up to 40 cm high
  • Germany (Astilbe japonica): white flowering premium variety with upright habit, up to 50 cm high
  • Purple lance (Astilbe chinensis var. taquetii): purple-pink panicles above fresh green foliage, up to 100 cm high
  • Chocolate Shogun (Astilbe hybrid): white-flowering innovation from Japan with chestnut-brown leaves, up to 70 cm high
'Finale', Astilbe chinensis hybrid

asters

Asters accompany you from late summer to late autumn with colorful cup-shaped flowers. The widespread bedding plants prefer a semi-shady location with normal garden soil in the garden. The flowers are hardy and perennial because they know how to stay deep in the ground during the cold season. It is therefore not a cause for concern if the above-ground shoots die off in autumn. The following spring, fresh stems with new flower buds will sprout from the overwintered root ball. We do not want to withhold recommended aster varieties from you here:

  • Pillow aster 'Augenweide' (Aster dumosus): dark blue flowers with red shimmer, 20 to 25 cm
  • Wood aster 'Tradescant' (Aster divaricatus): white flowers from August to October, 30 to 50 cm
  • Smooth-leaf aster 'Schneekuppe' (Aster laevis): semi-double, white flowers in autumn, up to 100 cm high
  • Gold-haired aster (Aster linosyris): golden yellow, semi-double flowers from August to October, up to 60 cm high
Pillow Aster 'Augenweide', Aster dumosus

columbine

Native flower species are naturally hardy and perennial, such as the magical Columbine (Aquilegia). The blossoms dance through the early summer garden with filigree lightness. In the sunny perennial bed and on the semi-shady edge of the wood, the numerous varieties enchant with beautiful flower colors. For example, the following columbines open the garden season in May when they are combined with flowers that bloom in summer and autumn and do not leave any unsightly gaps in the bed at the end of the flowering period:

  • Maxistar (Aquilegia caerulea): yellow spring flowers with long spurs, 60 to 70 cm
  • Dark columbine (Aquilegia atrata): black-purple flowers with curved spurs, up to 50 cm high
  • Blue Star (Aquilegia Caerulea hybrid): blue-white, large flowers, 60 cm (extra hardy to - 40 degrees Celsius)
  • Mini-Star (Aquilegia flabellata): small, blue-white beauty from Asia with a dainty height of 15 cm
Columbine 'Maxistar', Aquilegia caerulea

Frost-resistant flowers for the shady garden bed

mountain forest cranesbill

The robust varieties of the mountain cranesbill (Geranium nodosum) are available for cheerful splashes of color in the light-poor bed. Because in contrast to the conspecifics for half-shady locations, the flowers are content with a significantly lower light yield. The perennials make up for the comparatively restrained abundance of flowers with a never-ending flowering period from May to October and robust frost resistance down to -28.8 °C. So there is no doubt that each of the following premium varieties is perennial:

  • Pure species (Geranium nodosum): lilac-pink, dark veined flowers, 30 to 50 cm
  • Silverwood (Geranium nodosum hybrid): pure white flowers, 30 to 50 cm
  • Clos du Coudray (Geranium nodosum hybrid): purple flowers with a white throat and edge, 30 to 50 cm
Mountain Cranesbill 'Clos du Coudray', Geranium nodosum hybrid

anemone

Anemones (Anemonopsis) found their way from the mountain forests of Japan to Central Europe, where they took the hearts of gardeners by storm. The Asian bedding plants owe their triumph not least to their special talent for being hardy far away from their homeland and flourishing perennial in partially shaded locations. The following anemone varieties have particularly stood out:

  • Wood anemone (Anemone nemorosa): early anemone with white flowers from March, 15 to 20 cm
  • Japanese mock anemone (Anemonopsis macrophylla): lover's flower with lilac-pink flowers on curved stems, 50 to 80 cm
  • Margarete (Anemone japonica): Autumn anemone with dark pink cupped flowers and a yellow center, 70 to 90 cm
  • Wild Swan (Anemone japonica): magnificent autumn flowers in innocent white, 45 to 50 cm (valuable bee pasture)
  • Overture (Anemone hupehensis): the earliest autumn anemone with pink flowers from July, 80 to 110 cm
Wood anemone, Anemone nemorosa

elf flower

Perennial flowers as underplanting of deciduous trees are rare in the plant kingdom. Because where the sun only occasionally peeks through the dense canopy of leaves, true survival artists are in demand. Elfflowers (Epimedium) are exemplary in this regard, blooming with delicate ease in shady locations. At the same time, they are hardy down to -28 °C, although the perennials wear their foliage until late winter. If you are still missing representative bedding plants in the planting plan for the shade garden, which also please the eye for several years, we would like to recommend the following flower varieties to you:

  • Amber Queen (Epimedium hybrid): light yellow flowers and yellow border, 20 to 35 cm (tolerates root pressure under trees)
  • Black Sea (Epimedium pinnatum): light apricot flowers, 30 to 35 cm (particularly hardy and fast-growing)
  • Downy elfin flower (Epimedium pubigerum): cream-colored flowers, 20 cm (reliable perennial as underplanting)
  • Frohnleiten (Epimedium perralchicum): sulphur-yellow flowers above leathery-brown, evergreen leaves, 20 to 35 cm
Leaves of the elf flower 'Frohnleiten', Epimedium perralchicum

aconite

Monkshood (Aconitum napellus) is one of the forest perennials. The imposing flowers are therefore used to grief in the poorly lit location. Thus, a semi-shady to shady location cannot prevent the perennial bedding plants from boasting impressive flower clusters. Hardy down to -40 °C, the flowers survive the cold season unscathed because they retract their long flower stalks in good time. The following varieties have proven their willingness to flower in partially shaded to shaded gardens for generations. Of course, the beautiful flowers are not suitable for the family garden because they are classified as highly poisonous.

  • Monkshood (Aconitum vulparia): light yellow flower clusters in summer with reblooming in autumn, up to 80 cm
  • Snow White (Aconitum napellus): white flowers in July and August as well as in October, up to 100 cm
  • Cloudy (Aconitum carmichaelii): blue-white, helmet-shaped flowers in autumn, 60 to 120 cm
  • Blue Lagoon (Aconitum cammarum): blue flowers in all sunny to shady areas, up to 100 cm
  • Franz Marc (Aconitum cammarum): stable premium variety with blue flower clusters up to 40 cm long, up to 150 cm
Monkshood 'Blue Lagoon', Aconitum cammarum

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Garden plants