There’s a nearly endless array of perennials that flourish with at least six hours of direct sunlight daily, delivering color, structure, and pollinator appeal to sunny beds, borders, and containers. From bold summer show-offs to hardy workhorses, these plants prove that full sun can be a reliable canvas for a vibrant, low-maintenance garden.
Bold color and reliable vigor for sunny spots
Blanket flower (Gaillardia) offers red-and-yellow flowers that exude color and charm. It loves hot, sunny spots, producing waves of single or double daisy-like flowers all summer and into fall. Blanket flower grows 1 to 3 feet tall and is deer resistant, too.
Perenial salvia offers a range of varieties tough enough to take the cold of Minnesota and the heat and humidity of Miami (and most salvia varieties are deer resistant, too). Cool-weather-tolerant salvias include May Night, Carradona, and New Dimension.
Coreopsis offers varieties with single or double flowers. Most types grow about 18 inches tall. This prairie native needs little water or fertilizer.
Purple coneflower (Echinacea) is tough as nails. This showy perennial produces single-, double-, and triple-flowering varieties in wide range colors (beyond purple) that include white, raspberry, orange, and yellow. Purple coneflower generally grows 3 feet tall and bloom from early summer through fall.
Blue is a coveted color in the perennial garden. You get all that and more when you plant delphinium. This tall bloomer (the tallest varieties can reach 7 feet, but compact types stay around 12 inches) offers spires of brilliant blue flowers in early summer. Varieties range from light sky blue to dark shades in almost purple.
Commonly called black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) develops wave after wave of cheerful daisy-like blooms from early summer to fall. Most varieties grow around 2 feet tall. These easy perennials tolerate heat and drought like a champ.
Low-maintenance groundcovers and dependable borders
Workhorses of the perennial border, sedums need little care to look great. Nearly impervious to heat, drought, and disease, sedums grow bigger each year. Talk about easy care!
Daylilies (Hemerocallis) are early risers, pushing their pretty grass-like leaves up through the soil in early spring. When summer rolls around, plants develop graceful flower stems packed with buds that open into beautiful blooms. Daylilies are named because each flower lasts for just one day.
One of the most sumptuous flowers in the spring garden, bearded iris is also easy to grow. It’s prized for its crown-like flowers topping tall graceful stems. Talk about dependable!
Peonies last for years. In fact, many plants are known to bloom for 50 years and more. These shrubby perennials form 3-foot tall mounds of pretty foliage that are topped with large fragrant flowers in mid-spring.
Tall blues, dramatic forms, and butterfly-friendly choices
Tall and colorful, Asiatic lilies grow 2 to 3 feet tall and produce clusters of upward-facing, jewel-like flowers at the top of each stem. Most Asiatic lilies bloom in red, orange, yellow, white, or bicolors.
Ice plant (Delosperma) is a prolific drought-tolerant bloomer offers carpets of color. It grows well on slopes and is a favorite rock garden flower. The succulent leaves are topped with cheery daisy-like flowers in pink or yellow.
Silvery artemisia grows in lovely mounds of ferny foliage. Prized for its leaves, artemisia complements any color of perennial (and looks especially grand with blue flowers such as delphinium). Easy-care artemisia has low water needs and is deer resistant. Add the lacy foliage to flower bouquets.
Have questions about these or other plants? I frequently use this perennial as a small shrub in a sunny location. It can be used with plants that have yellow flowers. The Rose-of-Sharon is a late season bloomer. It can be used as a single specimen or in groups. I like this cultivar for its large pure white flowers which bloom over the summer and even into fall. It is considered a shrub or a small tree.
Adding structure, texture, and seasonal interest
Acanthus makes a bold architectural statement. I like to place it in the shade garden for the best results, while my sunny perennial gardens always have a place for yarrow. The flowers are landing pads for butterflies and also can be used for a cutting garden. Achilleas are excellent in a sunny perennial border. The feathery leaves are a nice contrast to the bright red blooms held up on sturdy stems.
This is a very attractive plant with extremely ornamental foliage. This makes an excellent groundcover with densely hairy scalloped foliage for the shady border. I love the thin linear foliage of this plant that gives an airy appearance to the perennial border.
Although Amsonia is slow to establish, it is well worth the wait. This is a tough plant for the perennial border. You'll fall in love with the numerous blue star-shaped flowers in late spring are great to combine with other full sun perennials.
Pollinator-friendly selections and notes on habitat
There is a nice light, golden yellow fall color to extend the gardening season. Anemone hupehensis var. The late fall flowers are held on wiry stems. It is a pleasure to see the elegance this plant brings to the shade borders late into the season.
You'll find that the vibrant red color of this columbine is a treat for the landscape. The funnel shaped flowers are a delight in the woodland garden. Aquilegia flabellata var. If your're looking for blue flowers to add to your landscape this columbine will provide the solution.
The thicker foliage is blue-green and is rather short. This plant has wonderful, shiny, kidney-shaped foliage. I find it makes a great groundcover for the shady garden. It is a native plant that is underused in the woodland garden.
Don’t miss this plant for a great native plant for attracting butterflies. It needs to be located in a dry area and left alone. The bright orange, umbel flowers are a landing pad for butterflies. The shade garden is enhanced with the addition of any astilbe. This one is particularly fine.
Provide moisture to avoid crispy, curled leaves. I love the blood-red panicle flowers of this astilbe, which are showcased againts its fernlike foliage. Begonia grandis subsp. This late blooming perennial begonia should be a welcome sight in any woodland garden.
The red veins on the undersides of the foliage become an interesting accent. More comments will be made with this plant in your woodland garden than most others. This is a long-lived undemanding shade perennial that has a place in any shady garden.
Practical guidance for planning and maintenance
There’s an nearly endless array of plants that thrive in full sun, adding color to beds, borders, and containers. “Full sun” for plants is regarded as being at least 6 hours of direct sun per day. Some will perform even better with more sun, while others may benefit with protection from hot afternoon sun.
From a past webinar: "Wonderful presentation! Save your seat for our next live webinar." This note underscores the ongoing exploration of sun-loving perennials and their evolving varieties.
There’s a nearly endless array of plants that thrive in full sun, adding color to beds, borders, and containers. Select a few of these plants and combine them in complementary ways.
| Common Full-Sun Perennial | Breath of Color/Notes | Typical Height |
|---|---|---|
| Gaillardia ( Blanket flower ) | Red-and-yellow, sun-loving, deer resistant | 1-3 ft |
| Echinacea (Purple coneflower) | Wide color range, tough, long bloom | 3 ft |
| Delphinium | Blue spires, cool-season admirer | 12 in to 7 ft |
| Coreopsis | Single or double daisylike flowers, drought-tolerant | ~18 in |
| Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan) | Cheerful, heat-tolerant | ~2 ft |
There’s a nearly endless array of plants that thrive in full sun, adding color to beds, borders, and containers.
