Jay Priddy, senior gardener for the Perennial Garden, recently took on the challenging task of choosing his top 50 favorite perennials. Though it was difficult to choose from the almost 1,500 cultivars in the Perennial Garden, Jay came up with this list. Enjoy!
Achillea millefolium Paprika Common Yarrow
Allium sphaerocephalum Drumsticks Ornamental Onion
Anemone tomentosa ‘Robustissima’ Robustissima Grapeleaf Anemone
Arum italicum Italian Arum, Lords-and-Ladies
Athyrium ‘Ghost' Ghost Fern
Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ Jack Frost Siberian Bugloss
Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass
Campanula ‘Kent Belle’ Kent Belle Bellflower
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides Hardy Plumbago, Leadwort
Chelone lyonii ‘Hot Lips’ Hot Lips Turtlehead
Chrysanthemum x rubellum ‘Hillside Sheffield Pink’, or ‘Apricot’ Hillside Sheffield Pink Garden Mum
Clematis integrifolia Solitary Clematis, Bush Clematis
Dicentra spectabilis Bleeding Heart
Echinacea purpurea Purple Coneflower
Eryngium planum Flat Sea Holly
Filipendula rubra Queen-of-the-Prairie
Gentiana andrewsii Closed Gentian, Bottle Gentian
Geranium ‘Gerwat’ Rozanne Hardy Geranium
Hemerocallis species Daylily
Heuchera micrantha ‘Palace Purple’ Palace Purple Coral Bells
Hibiscus ‘Fireball’ Fireball Hibiscus
Hosta sieboldiana ‘Elegans’ Elegans Seersucker Hosta
Hypericum x moserianum 'Tricolor’ Tricolor St. John’s Wort
Iris sibirica ‘Caesar’s Brother’ Caesar’s Brother Siberian Iris
Kalimeris pinnatifida ‘Hortensis’ Hortensis Double Japanese Aster
Lamium maculatum ‘Orchid Frost’ Orchid Frost Deadnettle
Lavandula x intermedia ‘Grosso’ Grosso Lavender
Leucanthemum x superbum ‘Becky’ Becky Shasta Daisy
Liatris scariosa Eastern Blazing Star, Savanna Blazing Star
Lilium formosanum Formosa Lily
Limonium latifolium Sea Lavender
Lychnis chalcedonica Maltese Cross
Nepeta x faassenii ‘Walker’s Low’ Walker’s Low Catmint
Pachysandra terminalis ‘Green Sheen’ Green Sheen Japanese Pachysandra
Paeonia lactiflora ‘Karl Rosenfield’ Karl Rosenfield Peony
Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’ Northwind Switchgrass
Perovskia atriplicifolia Russian Sage
Persicaria polymorpha Himalayan Fleeceflower, White Dragon
Phlox divaricata Woodland Phlox
Phlox paniculata ‘Shortwood’ Shortwood Garden Phlox
Platycodon grandiflorus ‘Fuji Blue’ Fuji Blue Balloon Flower
Rosa ‘RADrazz’ Knock Out Rose
Rudbeckia maxima Giant Coneflower, Cabbage Leaf Coneflower
Salvia nemerosa ‘Mainacht’ May Night Meadow Sage
Seseli gummiferumd Moon Carrot
Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’ Fireworks Goldenrod
Sporobolus heterolepis Prairie Dropseed
Stachys byzantina ‘Helen von Stein’ or ‘Big Ears’ Big Ears Lamb’s Ears
Tradescantia virginiana ‘Sweet Kate’ Sweet Kate Spiderwort
