20 Practical Perennials

To launch her front-yard landscaping project in southwest Minnesota, Diane Schmitt chose easy-care, sun-loving perennials. Here are 20 of her favorites:

1. Aster: White, blue, purple or pink flowers. Blooms late summer to fall. Divide every three years. Good cut flower.
2. Bee balm: Bright red, pink, purple or white flowers. Blooms summer to fall. Attractive to bees and hummingbirds. Spreads aggressively.
3. Bellflower: Shades of blue, lavender or white flowers. Blooms late spring to early summer. Good in borders and rock gardens.
4. Coneflower: Purple flowers with brown centers. Blooms July and August. Attractive to butterflies. Good in borders.
5. Black-eyed Susan: Yellow flowers with brown centers. Blooms July to frost. Attractive to butterflies. Divide every three years. Excellent for cutting.
6. Catmint: Silver-gray foliage with light blue flowers. Blooms in spring and early summer. Divide in spring.
7. Cushion spurge: Yellow to chartreuse bracts; leaves turn red in fall. Blooms in spring. Good for borders and rock gardens.
8. Daylily: Orange, yellow, cream, peach, lavender or deep red flowers. Blooms last one day. Mix varieties for blooms from spring to late fall. Divide in spring or fall.
9. Lamb's ear: Fuzzy silver leaves and stems with fuchsia flowers. Blooms late spring to early summer. Divide in spring. Good for borders and rock gardens.
10. Liatris: Violet, purple or white flowers. Divide in spring. Long-lasting cut flower.
11. Lily: White, yellow, orange, pink, red, purple or bronze flowers. Grow from bulbs. Mix varieties for blooms from May through September. Divide every 3 to 5 years.
12. Loosestrife: Pink-striped flowers. Blooms June to August. Very invasive.
13. Lyme grass: Bluish gray leaves. Spreads aggressively. Good ground cover.
14. Milkweed: Pink to lavender flowers. Blooms late June to August. Distinctive seeds pods in fall. Attracts monarch butterflies.
15. Obedient plant: White, purple or pink flowers. Blooms in late summer. Divide in spring.
16. Peony: Showy white, pink, rose, red, lavender or yellow flowers. Blooms May to June.
17. Queen Anne's lace: White flowers. Blooms June to August. Spreads aggressively.
18. Ribbon grass: White to pale pink flowers. Blooms June to August.
19. Sedum: White, pink, yellow or orange flowers. Blooms spring through fall, depending on variety.
20. Tansy: Clusters of yellow flowers. Blooms in summer. Very invasive. Divide frequently.