People outside of the gardening world (or “regular people”) have this strange belief that all flowers come back every year during the blooming season. However, this isn’t necessarily true.
In fact, only a small fraction of flowers we know grow perennially, meaning they come back year after year.
The rest are either biennials or annuals that complete their cycles in a year or two and need to be replanted often.
9 Flowers That Come Back Every Year
Here are 9 flowers that come back every year:
9 – Coneflowers
Not only are coneflowers excellent for inviting butterflies into your garden but they also grow back every year from the same root system, meaning replanting isn’t required.
From late spring to summer, coneflowers can be seen thriving and blooming flowers in a wide array of vibrant colors.
8 – Peonies
Giving major competition to roses in terms of beauty, peonies are known for their robust double-petaled flowers. They too come around every year from the same root system and thrive for decades on end if one cares for them well enough.
7 – Irises
Irises are recognized for their elegant blooms ranging from colors like purple to straight-up yellow. On a roadside, blooming irises will never fail to grab your attention!
Because these flowers are perennial, you’ll see them come back every year. But, that’s only if they’re kept in the right conditions; irises are typically known to be somewhat sensitive.
6 – Hostas
Not only are hostas excellent for planting in shady suboptimal conditions but they also come back every year because of their perennial cycle.
They offer stunning foliage and bloom graceful white and lilac flowers that add a touch of wisdom to your personality if you have them in your home.
5 – Salvias
Most salvia plants are perennial by nature, meaning they come back year after year.
The flowers bloom in many different shades of red, blue, or white and they generally have quite a long blooming period which gives pollinators like bees and butterflies incentive to stick around salvias longer.
4 – Lavender
Lavender is one of those plants that not only bloom stunning spikes of flowers but also have a meaningful use/purpose.
A lavender plant grows back every year from the same root system and, although it does require quite a bit of maintenance, once established and mature enough, it can thrive in the worst of environmental conditions.
3 – Bee Balms
Surprisingly, bee balms too have a perennial growth cycle, meaning they easily grow back every year.
Unlike other plants that bloom with individual flowers, bee balms tend to bloom in clusters.
Those clusters of enchantingly vibrant maroon, purple, and white flowers then attract pollinators like bees and butterflies in large numbers.
2 – Daisies
Although some specific variations of daisies do grow as annuals, most of them still grow in a perennial cycle. Perennial daisies are also generally preferred as they can be relied on to consistently bloom every year and serve as an attraction for butterflies in gardens.
1 – Yarrows
Yarrows are similar to daisies in many ways. They produce flowers in clusters, have a similar milky-white color, and come back every year because of their perennial growth cycle.
However, yarrow foliage is fern-like and they are quite a bit more resilient than daisies which potentially makes them a better option for people who reside in harsher environments.
Final Words
A garden with mostly annual plants will usually look dull and empty throughout the entire time that the plants are not growing.
You’ll also need to hassle a lot to replant every year and deal with limited bloom times; just the lack of stability that comes with annual plants isn’t very appealing.
The nine perennial plants we discussed in this article come back every year from the same root system and can thrive for decades on end if kept in favorable conditions.