Too often, you pay a pretty penny to plant a flowering plant in the garden, enjoy it for the season, and then face an empty flowerbed the following spring. Every gardener’s dream is to plant some lovely flowers and watch them, year after year, reappear and multiply to fill their flowerbed.
Perennial plants that multiply easily is one of the best choices for your garden. These are neither rare nor exotic, just attractive flowering plants that reappear each year bigger and better than the year before. There are dozens of these “magical” plants with different flower shapes and colors.
Here is a short list of the best flowers that you only need to plant once and will multiply into dozens more for tons of free blooms every year.
Flowers you only need to plant once
Once you invite into your flower garden plants that not only reappear, year after year, but multiply year after year, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do this sooner. Here are the top varieties to try.
1. Hemerocallis (Hemerocallis spp.)
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Agenda it is a beginner gardener’s best choice for a first plant. They enjoy vibrant blooms that appear year after year, yet they top the list of the most adaptable plants on the planet.
Poor soil? They don’t care. Lots of sun or little sun – that’s fine. Even if the winters are harsh or the summers get little rain, these perennials grow happily, filling your bed with colorful trumpet-shaped flowers in USDA zones 3-9.
But that’s not all. Thanks to their tuberous roots, lilies multiply quickly and form large clumps over time. Call it an effortless extension. They just seem to happily spread, producing more and more blooms without fuss or mold.
Each flower only lasts a day, but don’t worry. Lilies are like bud factories, popping up bloom after bloom for your viewing pleasure – flowers that attract pollinators in your garden. They are perfect for beginners or overworked gardeners because Mother Nature does most of the work.
Explore dozens of gorgeous daylilies in different colors from The Home Depot.
2. Cranesbill Geranium (Geranium spp.)
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Now don’t just run to the garden store and ask for geraniums if you’re looking for self-propagating perennials. Overhead cranesalso known as hardy geraniumsthey are perennials that spread just for the fun of it.
Their clusters of delicate flowers reseed each year, but rapid spread is by their rhizomes. Cranesbill geraniums form wide mounds that are ideal for low-maintenance borders and beds.
Compact and beautifully blooming, bridge geraniums fill your beds with flowers in shades of pink and purple starting in spring in USDA hardiness zones 3-9. Give them a spot in full sun or partial shade – they’re not picky about light – and regular garden soil suits them just fine. This herbaceous perennial grows in the wild in Europe and attracts butterflies with its vivid flowers.
Buy beautiful cranesbill geranium plants online from Wayside Gardens.
3. Peppermint (Nepeta spp.)
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Cats are always right (if you doubt it, ask any cat!) and most kitties sing the praises of catmint. Okay, they like catnip better, but catmint comes in a close second.
Catnip contains a chemical compound called nepetalactone that causes cats to go wild. Catmint also contains nepetalactone, less of it. However, catmint is more attractive – with lavender blue flowers – and multiplies quickly to fill your flower bed.
Catmint is another one perennial that spreads by self-sowing and underground executives. It blooms best in sunny, well-drained areas and blooms last for weeks. They have a soft and lovely scent that attracts passers-by as well as bees. Plant mint in USDA hardiness zones 3-9.
Buy mint plants online from Garden Goods Direct.
4. Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia spp.)
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Hectare black eyed susans the most recognizable garden flower? The daisy-like yellow petals of this summer staple radiate from their dark centers. Big and bold, black-eyed Susans are also reliable bloomers.
These perennials spread both by rhizomes and by prolific self-seeding, which guarantees a vibrant appearance from season to season. They make naturalized drifts that bloom from mid-summer to frost in USDA zones 3-9.
It’s these classic garden plants picky? Not one bit. Black-eyed Susans tolerate average soil conditions, are famously drought tolerant and deer resistant, making them ideal for wildflower meadows or cottage gardens. Their bright and cheerful flowers attract butterflies and bees, adding to the joy of the garden. And when the flowers are finished, the birds enjoy their seeds.
Pick up a 3-pack of Monrovia black-eyed Susans from Lowe’s to quickly fill your garden.
5. Bee Balm (Monarda spp.)
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Bee balm tubular flowers they are aromatic and showy, a perfect place for hungry people hummingbird to get some nectar. Indeed, bee balmwith its fragrant foliage and red, purple or pink flowers, it is notorious as a magnet for pollinators. This perennial also adds a pop of color to the landscape with its vibrant blooms. It is perfect for sunny borders or meadow gardens in USDA hardiness zones 3-11.
Plant bee balm in a sunny location with moist soil. Once the perennial is established, bee balm spreads by all means except Sunday through underground runners as well as by self-seeding. You don’t have to do anything to help it reach a colony – just appreciate it bright flowers and the minty aroma of the leaves when crushed.
In case you’re hungry, you should know that this plant is a member of the mint family, so the whole plant is edible and often used in Oswego tea.
