Most perennials are extremely low maintenance, which makes them a perfect choice for busy Virginians. Most have a robust root system and have very few pest issues.
It is always essential to choose plants based on the amount of moisture and sunlight an area gets. It is also vital to select plants that will grow well in your growing zone as Virginia varies from zone 5 to 8.
Consider these perennials that grow well in Virginia.
Eastern Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
The Eastern red columbine grows up to 2-feet tall. It puts on 2-inch-long, red-and-yellow flowers with upward spurred petals that nod in a gentle wind. Typically, the flowers appear in February and last through mid-summer. This shade-loving plant wants well-drained soils. It does best in poor soil because rich soil makes this evergreen plant grows leggy.
Eastern Bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana)
The Eastern Bluestar plant grows up to 3-feet tall. This option forms multi-stemmed clumps. Loose clusters of blue tubular flowers appear in the early spring and last through the season. Each flower forms a star shape. This plant is an outstanding option in wet, shady areas, and it loves sandy soil.
Butterfly-weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
If you have a sunny area with poor soil, then butterfly weed may be a perfect choice. Clusters of orange flowers bloom throughout the summer on top of upright flower stems. This plant that usually grows to be about 3-feet tall also has lance-like leaves up to 2.5-inches across. This plant may self-seed if you do not deadhead the flowers.
Spiderwort
The clump-forming spiderwort is a lovely plant that grows well throughout Virginia. This three-petal flower that blooms for only a day will continue to rebloom throughout the spring. Most flowers are purplish-blue, but white and pink options are available. The grass-like leaves grow to be about 18-inches tall. This plant loves shade in the hotter parts of the day, but it also wants some sun. While it does not like to stand in water, it wants to be consistently moist.
Blue Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis)
The blue wild indigo grows to be about 36-inches tall. This sun-loving plant blooms throughout the spring. The bluish-green leaves on this plant are between 4-and-16-inches long, and they are divided into three parts. This plant wants to be consistently wet, but it does not want to stand in water.
Woodland Phlox (Phlox divaricata)
If you are looking for a perennial groundcover for your Virginia landscape, consider woodland phlox. You can find pinkish-lavender and icy-blue options. Each flower has five flat petals. Green leaves grow to be about 2-inches long and 0.5-inches wide. This option that is native to woodlands likes moisture, but it does not like wet feet. It also prefers a few hours of sunlight each day, but it does not like the sun all the time.
Eastern Rose-mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos)
The eastern rose-mallow is also often called the swamp mallow. As the name suggests, this plant likes to grow with lots of water. It will grow up to 7-feet tall and 2-feet wide. This option puts on pink or white hollyhock-like flowers that can be up to 6 inches in diameter in the late summer. While each flower lasts only a couple of days, new blooms will continuously appear.
Black-eyed Susan
The daisy-like flowers that can be up to 3-inches across on black-eyed Susans are a great way to welcome in summer. Each flower has a black or deep-brown center button. While the most traditional choice in this sun-loving plant is yellow, you can also find reds, bronzes, oranges and bi-colors. This plant will self-seed unless you deadhead it after the bloom has faded.
White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra)
Hooded, snapdragon-like flowers appear in terminal racemes in late summer and last until fall on this option that grows to be about 3-feet tall. The white flowers are often tinged in pink on this plant. Plant this flower in an area where it gets a few hours of sun each day, or you will need to stake the stems.
Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)
The Great Blue Lobelia often called the blue cardinal flower, loves moist and wet conditions. It will grow up to 3-feet tall. This plant produces tubular flowers in the summer and early fall. The blue flowers stand in contrast to this plant’s light-green, lance-like leaves.
