If you are looking to fill your garden with perennials that are easy to grow and require very little maintenance, you do have several lovely plants to choose from.
Allegheny Foam Flower (Tiarella cordifolia)
Zones: 3-9
Bloom Time: Late spring and early summer
Growing Conditions: Prefers shady, woodland settings
Care: These plants, which contain white or pink flowers that look like fuzzy spikes, spread quickly but do not crowd out other plants.
Therefore, it is an excellent groundcover and provides color and interest to the garden for all four seasons.
Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)
Zones: 3-9
Bloom Time: Mid-summer through fall
Growing Conditions: Drought tolerant and capable of growing in most types of soil, despite being native to marshy areas.
Blazing Star
Care: Liatris spicata provides continuous spiky blooms atop grassy foliage. Taller varieties may require staking, so choose those that are low growing or compact to avoid staking.
Globe Thistle (Echinops ritro)
Zones: 3-9
Bloom Time: Early summer to early fall
Growing Conditions: Does well in all soil types, even dry and poor soil.
Care: Globe thistle is not invasive or weedy. In addition, it does not require dividing. In fact, it has a long taproot and prefers to be left alone. It blooms for a long time and the seed head is just as attractive as the bloom, which means it does not require deadheading in order to stay attractive.
Hosta
Zones: 3-9
Bloom Time: Mid-summer
Growing Conditions: Partial shade, though golden leaf varieties can also handle sun.
Care: The foliage of hostas grows mostly in the early part of the season, during which time they can be a bit attractive to deer and slugs. Therefore, you may need to apply deer deterrent to the flowers early in the season. Growing hostas with thicker leaves will help combat slugs.
Meadow Rue (Thalictrum aquilegifolium)
Zones: 3-9
Bloom Time: Late Spring
Growing Conditions: Will grow in nearly any soil condition.
Care: Meadow Rue pops up late in the season and seems to bloom almost immediately. It only has one bloom, which are fuzzy puffs and do not have petals, but the bloom lasts for many weeks. In addition, the bloom remains attractive throughout the entire time, as does the foliage. It usually does not require dividing.
