Perennial Plants For Sun
The backbone of the traditional perennial border is made up of sun-loving perennial plants - those which prefer growing in full sun. That being said, many perennials that like full sun will tolerate a bit of afternoon shade. Aside from planting sun-loving perennials in a perennial border you can also use ones such as daylilies, iris, lantana and many others as accents, borders, focal points, in mass or small groups, as a groundcover or between stepping stones in landscape beds.
Among the sun-loving perennials are some of the best plants for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden. Some, such as Iris and Peonies, are great for producing flowers that are useful for cutting to bring indoors while others, such as Artemesia are known for providing outstanding foliage color and texture in the garden. Perennials such as Bee Balm, Yellow Flag or the Louisiana Iris, perennial Hibiscus, perennial Elephant Ears, Canna Lilies and many others are great for filling in those damp or wet areas in the garden. Sedums, Pincushion Flower, Hens & Chicks, Euphorbias, Verbenas, Lantanas and a host of other low-maintenance perennials prefer life on the dry side - maybe in a rock garden setting or a spot you can't reach with the water hose.
Sun-loving perennials for the garden are easy plants to grow if a few simple conditions are met
- Preferred Soil - In general, most perennial plant do not like heavy soil. The excessive winter moisture in these garden soils can cause rotting and winter death. This means those of us who garden in heavy clay soils might need to do some conditioning of the native soil by tilling or turning in a soil conditioner or organic matter such as mushroom compost to loosen the soil and provide better drainage. Most perennials, with the exception of those that prefer rocky or poor soils appreciate organic compost. Mulch your established perennials just before Winter with compost is very beneficial to the plants. Organic matter will seep down quickly to feed and nourish the soil.
- Light requirements - Full sun perennials prefer full sun although many will tolerate shade in the morning or afternoon., but not shade in both. At least 6 hours of sun is usually needed for best performance.
- Maintenance - Full sun perennials appreciate regular maintenance. Tasks such as deadheading, perennial pruning and division and fertilization are not only good for the plants but provide therapeutic enjoyment to the perennial gardener. You'll find articles on the site pertaining to these maintenance topics in the How To section.
Below you will find a listing of sun-loving perennial plants. Click on any link or thumbnail image to see an expanded Plant File that contains a detailed plant description, usage suggestions and instructions for care.
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