15+ Best Low-Growing Perennial Plants for Garden

by Anna Scott · September 8, 2023

“Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get.”

Hey folks!! Let’s begin with a stunning guide with the mesmerizing quote mentioned above. Are you thinking of adding more to the garden collection? If yes, then it’s great.

Adding low-growing perennial plants in your garden is the best choice you have made. It will not only give your garden an aesthetic look but also will play a vital role in developing garden beds, paths, border edges, etc.

So, why not add grace to your garden every year with a little effort? Let’s get started to learn about the 15 Best low-growing perennial plants for the garden.

A few tips:

You have to check the plants regularly so that they remain pest-free.

You have to water at the ground level so that there is no overwatering the plant.

You have to keep the layer of mulch of about 2 to 3 inches to reduce the growth of weeds in the plant.

Table of Contents

How can you use low-growing perennials for garden appearance?

When you grow perennials in your home garden, then it becomes easy for you not to worry about planting the flowers in your garden again and again. It helps you in making an attractive and stunning garden. Also, you can use low-growing perennial plants for garden appearance in the following ways:

It is beneficial in attracting butterflies and bees to the garden.
You can even make flower beds and borders that look attractive.
It is one of the perfect choices for making a Rock Garden.
You can even use them as a ground cover.
Planting them under shrubs will be a great idea.
You can plant colorful containers that look eye-catching.
Last but not least, it would be great if you planted low perennials in your garden. It is a great practice to bring a garden together.

15 Best low-growing perennial plants for garden

Below is the list of 15 Best low-growing perennial plants for the garden:

Moss Phlox
Eastern Pasque Flower
Bearberry
Astilbe
Autumn Fern
Barrenwort
Blanket Flower
Bleeding Heart
Giant Hyssop
Coneflower
Sedum
Blazing Star
Dianthus
Daylily
Bitter Root

Let’s know about them in detail:

Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata)

One of the best low-growing perennial plants is the Moss Phlox which is scientifically known as Phlox subulata.
It tends to produce star-structured flowers that come in varieties of shades of pink, blue, purple, white, etc. that look attractive.
This plant tends to grow 3 to 6 inches tall in size which covers the growing level with its vigorous growth that looks moss-like.
When the plant is not in its bloom period, it also adds so much to your garden area by its presence and rich-colored vibe.
And when it blooms, it looks fantastic as it shows amazing colorful looks.

Eastern Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla patens)

This variety belongs to the Ranunculaceae family and is native to Europe, Russia, China, and Mongolia.
Another variety of low-growing perennial plants is the plant that produces blue, white, and purple bell-structured blooms that look eye-catching.
Eastern Pasque Flower is scientifically known as Pulsatilla patens which grows 3 to 10 inches high and will not exceed above 12 inches.
It attracts the bees and butterflies towards it as it serves them as a food source to satisfy their hunger.
Its petals look stunning with the contrast of yellow-colored stamen, which looks amazing in spring.

Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)

Bearberry is one of the low-growing perennial plants that will grow well in those places where the other ones do not grow.
Sometimes the other plants do not grow in the soggy soil, poor soil, there you can try to grow Bearberry as it will grow well.
Though it is not a big plant, but attracts everyone with its glossy green colored leaves with the red stems.
At the time of spring, it will cherish you with its little pinkish or whitish bell-shaped blooms.
When it blooms, it produces berries that are edible so this plant provides food to the birds and other creatures.

Astilbe(Arendsii ‘Fanal’)

One of the amazing varieties that produce spikey blooms is known as Astilbe, scientifically known as Arendsii ‘Fanal’.
It produces blooms that come in shades of white, dark purple, etc. that cherish your mind.
This plant will grow best in shady areas and feed them with sunlight for about 1-2 hours a day.
Its feathery flowers will create a fantastic look in your garden so provide your plant with good fertilizer that will keep the soil well-drained.
Pruning of the plant can be done at the time of spring but do not pinch its flowers at that time.

Autumn Fern (Dryopteris Erythrosora)

Autumn fern is one of those varieties that comes in the copper reddish shade but it turns itself into green color when it gets mature.
It is a great choice for the border edges as its foliage will cover the edges and will look fuller and more attractive to everyone.
Being a slow-growing plant, it will grow about 24 inches high, so you have to maintain the plant’s growth by feeding it with a good amount of nutrients.
Provide it with moist soil to grow and water the plant once time in a week so that it thrives well.
As you know the plant grows slowly but it will spread at a faster pace through underground stems.

Barrenwort(Epimedium Grandiflorum)

Barrenwort plant is known by the other name as Bishop’s hat. This plant is scientifically known as Epimedium Grandiflorum.
It will not grow more than 1 foot tall and 3 feet wide. It produces pink, orange, and yellow colored blooms that attract everyone, especially at the time of spring.
This plant needs a good amount of shade for its growth, even if it can bear less supply of water as its leaves support the plant.
So, being a low-maintenance plant you can plant this perennial that thrives in USDA Zones 4-8.
Growing this evergreen plant is a great idea as it will add so much grace to your landscape.

Blanket Flower(Gaillardia)

Another variant of low-growing perennial plants is the Blanket flower scientifically known as Gaillardia which is native to the central US and Mexico.
It cherishes you with its orange-colored perennial blooms that will look wild in your landscape and will last for more time in a year.
It comes under low-growing perennial plants that are in love with the heat and also a house of butterflies and bees in the garden area.
Its stems will thrive well about 1-3 feet tall so pruning them will be added to your routine so that it does not grow too long.
Feed them with full sun so that the plant shows you its drizzling color such as red and yellow.

Bleeding Heart(Dicentra Spectabilis

Another variety of low-growing perennial plants is the Bleeding heart which is known for its heart-shaped blooms that attract everyone with their appealing color.
It will grow not more than 6 inches in size and 1 foot wide. It produces pink or red colored flowers.
A bleeding heart will thrive well if you provide it with moist soil and organic soil for its growth.
Feed your plant with plenty of full shade for its growth. Also, they require acidic soil as a medium to grow whose pH level lies between 6.0-6.5.
This plant is native to Eastern Asia with hardiness zones of 2-9.

Giant Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)

Giant Hyssop is another variety of low-growing perennial plants that does not ask for much maintenance and will spread every year more and more which will fill your garden area and look bushier.
It produces a bottle brush-like flower which is a great addition to your landscape and is scientifically known as Agastache foeniculum.
It will grow about 2 to 3 feet tall with its evergreen foliage. You will observe its smell which will be nice. It falls in the category of low-growing perennial plants.
It tends to form its own little houses in the garden which will look attractive to visitors.
Giant hyssop comes in various shades of purple, blues, etc. So choose the best one for your home garden.

Coneflower (Echinacea sp.)

This plant is scientifically known as Echinacea and comes in low-growing perennial plants that can be easily grown in your home garden.
There are many varieties in the coneflower that come in shades of yellow, pink, red, orange, purple, etc. that cherish you.
They all grow differently in terms of size, height, length, etc. It is not difficult to grow its other varieties too as it will add so much to your yard.
Echinacea or coneflower will attract the bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds towards them. Its bloom will last for a longer period.
They do not ask for much attention towards them, so you enjoy admiring the plant without any worries.

Sedum/Stonecrop(Sedum sarmentosum)

The brilliant variety that comes under the low-growing perennial plants is the Sedum also known as Stonecrop.
It amazes you with its foliage and also with its attractive flowers. Its scientific name is Sedum sarmentosum.
Being a plant that looks brilliant all the time, does not need much care for its growth.
It produces star-shaped flowers and also, has various cultivars too that come in shades of pink, white, red, purple, etc.
So, you can choose the variety you want in your home garden as per your needs. This plant is hardy to zones 3-9.

Blazing Star (Liatris sp.)

Folks, as the name itself defines the plant, the blazing star is a great variety of low-growing perennial plants that tend to welcome the bees and butterflies towards the landscape which makes it a great look for the garden.
You can easily recognize the plant by its lilac purplish-colored flowers that have tall spikes on them. It is scientifically known as Liatris.
By planting more and more blazing stars in your garden area, you can invite more butterflies to your garden.
Its blooms will last long for weeks and its foliage will look feathery and also turn its color to bronze at the time of autumn.
Lastly, grow this plant as it is one of the plants that can bear poor soil, drought, heat, etc.

Dianthus/Pinks (Dianthus sp.)

Dianthus or pinks do require not much care for their growth, so growing this variety of low-growing perennial plants in your area is magic.
It provides you with its brilliant blooms that are in the shade of pink lighting up the garden area with its presence.
It produces less foliage than the other flower plants but its five-petaled flower will fulfill the look.
The plant will return year after year with less or no care, so you can enjoy the benefits of the dazzling plant.
There are various cultivars of Dianthus named: “Black and White Minstrels”, “Laced Monarch”, “Pop Star”, “Pinball Wizard”, “Raspberry Swirl” etc.

Daylily (Hemerocallis sp.)

Daylily is Everyone’s favorite choice because of its easy maintenance. Its world is too big as it is a creative plant.
The reason behind its easy-to-care nature is the icing on the cake. It is scientifically known as Hemerocallis sp.
They tend to bloom at the time of late spring if you plan to create a lilies garden as it will bloom all around in the spring.
You will observe the new blooms every day as they try to replace the old and dull ones from the plant.
So, lastly, it is easy to grow these low-growing perennial plants in your home garden, and are easy to care for.

Bitter Root (Lewisia Rediviva)

Last but not least, another variety that comes in the low-growing perennial plants is the Bitter Root which is scientifically known as Lewisia Rediviva.
Feed your plant with a good amount of well-drained soil that is sandy or loamy.
It will cherish you with this bloom at the time of early springtime or summertime.
Its leaves look similar to succulent needle-shaped, and long but it will not grow much bigger.
The flowers of this plant come in various shades of pink, white, lilac, magenta, etc. that tend to appear from the copper-reddish buds.

Wrapping up the context

In this guide, you come to know that Adding low-growing perennial plants to your garden is the best choice you have made. It will not only give your garden an aesthetic look but also will play a vital role in developing garden beds, paths, border edges, etc.

So, read the whole guide for more understanding about the 15 best low-growing perennial plants for your garden. Till then safe gardening.

Thanks for reading! Happy gardening!