11 No-Fail Perennial Combos That Always Look Good
Annuals are nice, but perennials are the bones of the garden. We love how they stick around and provide dependable interest. Join gardening expert Melissa Strauss for some no-fail perennial combinations that look beautiful year after year.
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Perennials are wonderful in the garden because they provide long-term beauty and reliability. They’re typically low-maintenance and return year after year, often becoming larger and more beautiful over time. Planting them saves money, resources, and your valuable time.
Many perennials bloom for an extended period and have lovely foliage when not in bloom. Their deep root systems help to improve soil structure, increase drought resistance, and reduce erosion. A wide range of perennials support pollinators and other beneficial insects, especially the native ones.
A vibrant and interesting garden is easy to achieve with the right combination of perennial plants. With or without flowers, these are the way to add structure, seasonal interest, and a solid foundation for a sustainable garden. Here are some excellent perennial combos to try.
Globe Thistle and Purple Coneflower
This textural perennial combo is a striking and slightly intimidating one. Not because they are difficult to grow, but for all the tiny spikes you may encounter with this pairing.
Globe thistle is a standout perennial prized for its striking and spiky appearance. It’s tough and has excellent pollinator appeal. The unique, spiky, globe-shaped flowers in shades of steel blue or violet bloom in mid to late summer. They add bold texture and contrast to garden beds.
The long-lasting, heavily textured blooms also make excellent additions to cut flower arrangements and dried bouquets. They retain their color well when dried. Globe thistle is also exceptionally low-maintenance.
It thrives in poor, dry soils, is highly drought-tolerant, and resists deer and rabbits. Once established, it requires little care. Pests tend to avoid it, and it’s not susceptible to diseases in general. Best of all, its nectar-rich flowers attract a wide range of pollinators.
Purple coneflowers add warmer tones to this combination. Their magenta petals and spiky orange cones are also exceptionally popular with pollinators. Their seed heads make a healthy snack for birds in fall and winter.
They rival globe thistle in sturdiness. Their easy-going nature and drought-tolerance make them a good match, as well. This perennial combo provides color for an extended season and architectural and textural intrigue.
Peonies and Catmint
Peonies are stunning perennials known for their large, fragrant blooms. They have a long lifespan and are low-maintenance once established. Their lush, showy flowers range from soft pastels to bold reds.
These bloom in late spring to early summer and make stunning cut flowers. Many varieties also have a lovely fragrance, adding another layer of appeal to the garden. They make ideal cut flowers.
What makes peonies especially great is their longevity. These plants can thrive and bloom beautifully for decades with little care. They are cold-hardy, deer-resistant, and generally free from serious pests or diseases.
Catmint is another fantastic garden perennial that’s known for its long bloom time and resilience. It produces soft, aromatic gray-green foliage and spikes of lavender-blue flowers. It blooms from late spring to fall, often without pause.
Peonies bloom in late spring and early summer, so these get started at the same time. Catmint’s tall, thin, purple flower spikes are a perfect complement to peonies’ large, ruffled blooms and broad foliage.
Both plants grow nicely in sandy loam. Drainage is important. Peonies like a bit more water during their blooming time and in times of drought. Catmint won’t mind the extra water as long as the soil has excellent drainage.
This perennial combo will last a long time if you care for it properly. Peonies have excellent longevity, and catmint can live for ten years with proper care.
Salvia and Coreopsis
If you’re looking for a low-maintenance perennial combo, coreopsis and salvia are a great choice. Salvia has brilliant flowers, a long blooming season, and exceptional toughness. The flowers come in shades of purple, blue, red, pink, and white, and pair nicely with coreopsis, with its warm shades.
Salvias begin to bloom in late spring and continue through the fall. They have a strong, vertical presence and provide color for many months. It’s versatile and resilient, adapting well to a range of conditions.
It’s also a pollinator favorite. You can expect this to attract a variety of bees, butterflies, and even hummingbirds. Make sure to plant a species that is perennial in your area, as some are better suited to frost-free climates.
Salvia and coreopsis make a great combo perennial because they’re both long-flowering, pollinator favorites. They’re also both easy-going, preferring well-drained soil and plenty of sunlight. Heat and drought won’t phase this pair.
Bee Balm and Milkweed
If you’re looking for a pollinator powerhouse combo, milkweed and bee balm are the bees’ knees! This perennial combo is a perfect pair in every way. Both are native wildflowers and thrive in similar conditions. They appreciate plenty of sunlight and well-drained soil.
Milkweeds are essential as a host plant for the monarch butterfly. This genus consists of the sole larval food for their young. Bee balm provides copious amounts of nectar and has tubular flowers that many pollinators find irresistible.
The contrast of milkweeds’ rounded flower umbels and bee balms’ shaggy blooms makes a nice contrast. The two plants create a beautiful, naturalistic appearance.
Make sure to select a milkweed that is native to your region. Monarch populations are dwindling, and a lack of proper larval food plays a role. Bee balms are also native to North America, but some varieties tend to be aggressive in some places. Choose accordingly.
Black-eyed Susan and Blazing Star
Black-eyed Susan and blazing star are another fantastic perennial combo for supporting pollinators. This bright and beautiful pair is low-maintenance and has similar environmental needs. They offer striking color, texture, and ecological benefits.
The contrast between these two is striking. Bright and sunny, black-eyed Susans complement blazing stars’ towering purple spikes. They are both pollinator magnets and handle hot, dry weather well.
Liatris is a late spring to early summer bloomer, while black-eyed Susan flowers in summer and fall. They have some crossover, but flank each other’s bloom time as well. Planting these two means a steady supply of color in your beds.
Hosta and Ferns
Hostas and ferns pair very well in the garden, especially in shady or woodland settings. For a beautiful leafy combo, this couple gets the job done. They complement each other both visually and culturally.
Their enduring popularity makes them a classic perennial combo for planting a textural and low-maintenance shade garden. Both thrive in partial to full shade and like rich, moist soil. Neither plant requires a great deal of attention to look and perform ideally.
You can create a lot of texture and layers in those shaded spaces with this combo. Ferns with their feathery fronds are airy and light. They contrast wonderfully with hostas’ broad, bold leaves.
Astilbe and Hosta
Hostas also pair well with astilbes. This combo makes an excellent couple, especially for shady or partially shaded gardens. They complement each other beautifully in both form and function.
These two perennials create a lush, textured, and colorful landscape with minimal maintenance. Both prefer some shade and moist, rich, well-drained soil. They are perfect for shaded borders and woodland gardens.
The broad, leafy mounds of hosta come in a wide range of colors and sizes. They complement the airy texture of astilbes’ foliage and flowers. Astilbe is one of only a few colorful, flowering perennials that thrive in the shade.
Hosta’s flowering habit is variable, with some in spring, others in summer, and still others in the fall. Astilbe blooms in late spring and continues well into the summer months. There is commonly a fair amount of overlap between them.
New England Aster and Goldenrod
If you want amazing fall color and flowers that offer value to pollinators in autumn, this combo is perfect. Goldenrod and New England asters are an excellent perennial combo that works exceptionally well together. Their appearance and needs are quite harmonious.
Both of these native wildflowers are late summer and fall bloomers. New England aster’s blue violet flowers are a wonderful complement to goldenrod’s yellow plumes. Together, they are vibrant and eye-catching.
This combo of perennials is perfect for pollinator gardens. They are both nectar-rich and attract bees and butterflies at the most vital time of year. They also like full sun and average to dry soil.
These two often appear together in the wild. They will self-sow and naturalize excellently together. Both are tall, so they will benefit from some support, either from other, sturdy plants or other methods.
Lavender and Yarrow
For a similar combo of perennial color, consider yarrow and lavender. These two bloom from late spring into the summer months, and complement each other excellently. They are a perfect perennial pair for more than one reason.
In addition to their similar flowering time, these two have similar needs as well. They both like dry, sunny conditions and prefer poor, low-fertility soil. Exceptionally drought-tolerant, you’ll need to pay little attention to them once they’re established.
Both of these are pollinator favorites and have long stems that make them nice for cut arrangements. I love a good, reliable perennial in the cutting garden. Give them air circulation and be careful about drainage; they are both prone to fungal issues.
Blanket Flower and Catmint
We paired peonies with catmint earlier, but blanket flower may be an even better companion for this pretty perennial. This combo is super low-maintenance and drought-tolerant. They like plenty of sun and thrive in spots where other plants may struggle.
Catmint flowers in shades of purple and blue, while blanket flower has tones of red, orange, and yellow. The two create a vibrant, eye-catching combo. Both are excellent for pollinators, and between them, they bloom from late spring through the fall.
This is one of the most low-maintenance combinations I can think of. A yearly shearing is all catmint needs, and blanket flower is frost-tolerant. It’s evergreen in warmer climates. This perennial combo boasts a perfect trio of color, texture, and resilience in the garden.
Coral Bells and Sedge
For a perennial foliage pair that loves partial shade and moist soil, sedge and coral bells are ideal. This combo is tolerant of a range of sun conditions, and once established, is drought-tolerant.
Coral bells offer elegant, rounded foliage in a range of colors, and delicate blooms in spring and summer. It nestles prettily between taller varieties of soft, grassy sedge.
In many climates, this perennial combo adds interest year-round. They’re easy to grow and deer-resistant. It’s a nice combination for shade garden borders, and even containers.
