The Best Perennials for Long Island Landscapes

close up image of showy goldenrod

If you’re searching for the best perennials for Long Island landscapes, choose those that thrive in USDA plant hardiness zone 7, like butterfly milkweed, creeping phlox, carnation, and plantain lily.

These hardy plants are perfectly adapted to the island’s climate, offering vibrant blooms and robust growth whether you’re gardening in NYC or on the East End. With options for every sun condition and season, these perennials will keep your garden lush and lively all year long.

If you’re looking for more info on perennials for different parts of New York, explore these guides:

Best native Long Island perennials 

When you’re gardening on Long Island, from the quiet beaches to the bustling city, native perennials are a perfect choice. They’re built to handle everything from sandy and dry soils to city stress.

Butterfly milkweed 

close up of butterfly milkweed flower
Joshua Mayer | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 2.0

If you’re looking to attract butterflies to your garden, butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) is a must-have. Its bright orange blooms are a feast for the eyes, but they also play a crucial role in the life cycle of monarch butterflies, whose larvae rely solely on milkweed for food. Standing at about 1 to 2.5 feet tall, this native plant blooms from May to September, adding a vibrant splash of color to your landscape. 

Besides butterflies, its flowers attract a variety of pollinators, including bees and hummingbirds. However, be mindful if you have pets — this plant is toxic to cats and dogs. It’s generally pest- and disease-free, making it an easy-care option.

Growing Conditions: This drought-tolerant perennial thrives in full sun and even in poor, dry soil, making it a low-maintenance yet vital addition to any garden.

Care Tips:

  • For new plants, try dividing or taking root cuttings in the spring.
  • Once established, it’s best to leave it undisturbed, as it doesn’t transplant well. 

Common yarrow

white flowers of common yarrow on a stem
Ryan Hodnett | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0

Looking for a hardy, low-maintenance plant to brighten up your garden? Common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) might be just what you need. This native perennial grows 2 to 3 feet tall, with fern-like green foliage and clusters of small, showy white flowers that bloom from April to September. 

Its flowers attract a variety of pollinators, including native bees, butterflies, and moths, making it a great choice for a wildlife-friendly garden. Whether you’re using it as ground cover, in a rock garden, or along borders, it adds both beauty and ecological value to your landscape. Just be cautious if you have pets, as it’s toxic to dogs, cats, and horses.

Growing Conditions: It thrives in full sun, tolerates drought, and even handles poor, sandy soils with ease. 

Care Tips:

  • It spreads by rhizomes and can become a bit aggressive, so give it some space to roam.
  • Deadhead your yarrow — it’ll reward you with extended blooming.

Creeping phlox 

close up image of creeping phlox
Хомелка | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 3.0

For a vibrant, low-maintenance ground cover to your garden, creeping phlox (Phlox subulata) might be just the native plant for you. This mat-forming perennial creates a stunning carpet of white, pink, or purple blooms from March to May. Standing just 0.25 to 0.5 feet tall with a spread of 1 to 2 feet, it’s perfect for slopes, rock gardens, and sunny woodland areas.

Not only does it add color to your garden, but it also attracts bees and butterflies with its fragrant, tubular flowers. While it’s generally a resilient plant, be aware that spider mites can become an issue in hot, dry conditions, and nematodes can damage leaves in wet, humid weather. Rabbits might nibble on the foliage, but deer tend to leave it alone. 

Growing Conditions: It flourishes in full sun, prefers humusy, well-drained soil, and even tolerates drought and air pollution. 

Care Tips

  • After your phlox finishes blooming, trim the stems by half to maintain their shape and promote fuller growth for next season.

Joe Pye weed

picture of joe pye weed plant with a butterfly flying over it
Pxhere

Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum) is a real showstopper in any garden. This tall, native plant reaches 5 to 7 feet high and is adorned with lush, dark green leaves and clusters of mauve, vanilla-scented flowers. Their flowers are a magnet for butterflies, native bees, and moths.

Blooming from July to September, this herbaceous perennial is quite low-maintenance, though it might face a few challenges like powdery mildew or rust, especially in dry soil. Whether you plant it in borders or pollinator gardens, Joe Pye Weed is sure to bring life and interest to your landscape.

Growing Conditions: This perennial grows best in full sun to part shade and loves fertile soils.

Care Tips:

  • Divide in the fall, take stem cuttings in late spring, and sow seeds in the fall.
  • Cut it back at the end of the season. If you trim it before early July, it might even rebloom and grow sturdier stems.

For further reading: Learn more about the benefits of native plants in our article: “Reasons You Should Grow Native Plants.”

Best Long Island perennials for full sun

If your Long Island garden basks in full sun, you’re in luck. The island’s sunny spots are ideal for perennials that love soaking up the rays. These sun-loving plants will thrive in your garden, bringing color and life from NYC’s neighborhoods to the Hamptons’ beaches.

Carnation

close up image of carnation
Noordzee23 | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 3.0

A perennial that can also be grown as an annual, carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) will add vibrant color to your garden or patio. With many cultivars and varieties, they come in various colors and sizes, making them a perfect fit for sunny borders or containers. Taller varieties, often reaching 3 to 4 feet, are popular in the florist industry for cut flowers and boutonnieres. 

The fragrant blooms, which appear in summer, grow in loose clusters on stiff, elongated stems, featuring ruffled petals in various colors such as pink, purple, yellow, orange, white, and more. While they can bring beauty to your garden, be mindful of potential issues like rust and crown rot.

Growing Conditions: This flowering perennial thrives in sunny or partly shaded spots with moist, well-drained soils rich in organic matter. 

Care Tips:

  • To extend the blooming period, remove the spent flowers regularly, and pinch the center of the plant to promote fuller, bushier growth.

Speedwell

close up image of Speedwell flowers
janet graham | Flickr | CC BY 2.0

Speedwell (Veronica spicata) is a delightful, easy-to-grow perennial that brings a splash of blue and purple to your garden from early to mid-summer. Their small, star-shaped flowers are clustered in dense spikes, perfect for brightening up rock gardens, borders, and even your cut flower arrangements. 

It’s a plant that fits right into any butterfly, cottage, or pollinator garden and is perfect for deer-resistant landscaping. With proper soil drainage, you’ll be rewarded with a hardy, long-blooming addition to your garden that attracts bees and butterflies alike.

Growing Conditions: For the best results, plant speedwell in full sun with moist, well-drained soil that’s rich in organic matter. 

Care Tips

  • Trim down to the basal rosette after the first bloom to encourage a second round of flowers in the fall.
  • Keep an eye on soil moisture, especially in winter, as overly wet conditions can lead to root rot.

Stonecrop

stonecrop (Sedum ternatum)
Cbaile19 | Wikimedia Commons | CC0 1.0

If you’re looking for a plant that practically takes care of itself, stonecrop (Sedum ternatum) might just be your new best friend. This low-maintenance plant grows about 6 inches tall with a spread of 1 foot, making it a popular choice for ground cover. 

This perennial not only creeps along the ground, forming dense mats, but also offers small, white, four-parted flowers from April to May on stems that reach up to 8 inches. As the seasons change, the stems break away in winter, leaving newly rooted plants to start fresh. 

Just be mindful of its mild toxicity — while young stems and leaves are edible when tender, older parts might need a quick cook before eating, and they can cause stomach upset if consumed in large quantities. 

Growing Conditions: It’s a resilient little plant, handling everything from full sun to rocky and poor soils, and it doesn’t need much watering once established. However, it’s also happy in your garden if you give it some shade and well-drained soil.

Care Tips

  • Watch out for slugs and snails, though they’re usually not much of a problem.
  • Plant it in well-drained soil, as it doesn’t do well in wet or poorly drained conditions.

Best Long Island perennials for shade

Gardening in the shade on Long Island doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice color or variety. There are plenty of perennials that thrive without direct sunlight. These shade-loving plants will brighten up even the gloomiest spots in your garden.

Coral bells

close up image of Coral bells
David J. Stang | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0

Coral bells (Heuchera americana) is a low-growing perennial that will surely bring interest to your garden with its striking foliage. Their mounded rosettes display a mix of green, purple, cream, and bronze leaves, often marbled or veined, creating beautiful colors. In spring, its small bell-shaped flowers emerge on tall, leafless stalks, adding a touch of elegance with their creamy, pinkish hue.

These hardy plants are perfect for adding texture and color to the front of a border, along pathways, or in a woodland garden. They’re drought-tolerant and deer-resistant, thanks to their bitter-tasting foliage. Cultivars are widely available, and this perennial is low-maintenance with no serious insect or disease issues.

Growing Conditions: Native to rocky forests and outcrops, this plant flourishes in part sun to shaded areas with moist, rich soil. 

Care Tips

  • Try planting coral bells in small clusters — they really stand out and create a stunning display. 
  • Divide the clumps every 3 to 4 years, either in spring or fall.

Fringed bleeding heart

close up image of Fringed bleeding heart
Raincrow | Flickr | CC BY 2.0

If you’re looking to add long-lasting charm to your garden, fringed bleeding heart (Dicentra eximia) is a standout choice. With fern-like, finely divided leaves and heart-shaped pink to purple flowers, this long-blooming perennial creates a beautiful display from late spring through fall. In hotter climates, it might take a summer break but will come back blooming in the fall. 

This plant is a great option for shade gardens, rock gardens, or native plant areas. It grows up to 2 feet tall and also works well as a border plant or ground cover. Just keep in mind that all parts of the plant are toxic if consumed in large amounts, so it’s best enjoyed from a distance. 

Growing Conditions: This is a moist soil-loving perennial and thrives best in partial shade but can tolerate full sun with plenty of water.

Care Tips

  • Plant it either as soon as you get it or after a cold, moist period in spring. 
  • To propagate, you can divide the plant in the fall or early spring.

Plantain lily

close up image of Plantain lily
TANAKA Juuyoh | Flickr | CC BY 2.0

Native to Asia, plantain lily (Hosta) has been delighting gardeners in the U.S. since the mid-1800s. With over 2,000 cultivars, this perennial comes in an amazing range of leaf colors, sizes, and shapes. Their blooms can be trumpet or bell-shaped, in hues of lavender, white, purple, and sometimes even pink, red, or yellow. 

Whether you’re drawn to the dwarf varieties or the giant ones, this summer bloomer has a clumping habit that adds texture and beauty to any garden space.

Growing Conditions: They thrive in morning sun or dappled shade with moist, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Blue-leaved hostas, however, need deeper shade to thrive, while green-leaved types can handle partial shade. 

Care Tips:

  • To propagate, divide this plant every 3 to 5 years in early spring or use tissue culture for quicker results.
  • If growing from seed, be aware that the new plants might not be the same variety as the parent.

Best Long Island perennials for each season

Long Island’s changing seasons bring new opportunities to showcase the beauty of your garden. These seasonal favorites keep your garden vibrant and alive all year long, no matter where you are on the island.

Best for spring: Trumpet honeysuckle

closeup of trumpet honeysuckle plant
jam343 | Flickr | CC BY 2.0

Looking to brighten up your garden and bring in some hummingbirds? Trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is a great choice. Native to the southeastern U.S., this vine can grow up to 20 feet tall and 6 feet wide. From late spring to early summer, it features large, non-fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers in rich scarlet to orange-red with a yellowish interior.

This perennial is ideal for growing on a trellis, arbor, or as a ground cover. New York landscape designer and horticulturist Veronica Tyson-Strait is a fan of this plant, noting, “Trumpet honeysuckle is a hummingbird magnet! I recommend growing it near an area with a bench or some other seating so the flowers and birds can be easily observed and enjoyed.” 

Growing Conditions: It thrives in full sun and prefers soil that’s well-drained and rich in organic matter. 

Care Tips:

  • Watch out for aphids and check for leaf spots or powdery mildew. These can be common issues, especially in humid weather. 
  • This plant blooms on new growth, so hold off on pruning until after it has flowered.

Best for summer: Showy goldenrod

closeup of showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) with many yellow flowers
LEONARDO DASILVA | Flickr | CC BY 2.0

If you want a burst of yellow to your garden in summer, showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) is just what you need. This perennial plant grows to 2 to 3 feet tall and wide, featuring clusters of bright yellow flowers that rise in a neat, pyramid shape. Although some might think it’s the cause of hay fever, it’s actually the windblown pollen from plants like ragweed that’s to blame. 

Blooming from July to September, this plant is a favorite among pollinators, including butterflies, bees, and other insects. It’s perfect for native, butterfly, or pollinator gardens, bringing both beauty and wildlife benefits to your outdoor space. Tyson-Strait suggests growing goldenrods “next to asters to provide color contrast and drama.”

Check out this related article: “Why Pollinators are Important for Your Garden.”

Growing Conditions: This native perennial thrives in full sun to part shade and is quite drought-tolerant. It prefers well-drained soil but can handle poor soil conditions. 

Care Tips:  

  • Remove spent flower clusters regularly to produce even more blooms. 
  • To keep your showy goldenrod healthy and manageable, consider dividing it every two years. 

Best for fall: Mexican bush sage

close up image of mexican bush sage
muffinn | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 2.0

Give your Long Island landscape a touch of delicate beauty in the fall with Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha). Growing 2 to 3 feet tall and wide, this perennial, with its striking purple spikes and white blooms, will brighten your garden from late summer to fall (up to first frost), attracting hummingbirds and butterflies.

Tyson-Strait, however, offers a note of caution: “Depending on where you live, this plant is a borderline hardy perennial. It will rarely survive winters under zone 7. I left it in the ground, and it survived the past New York City winter.” 

This plant is deer- and rabbit-resistant and ideal for borders and mass plantings in cottage or pollinator gardens. 

Growing Conditions: While this plant thrives in rich, well-drained soil and full sun, it can tolerate some afternoon shade, especially in hotter climates. 

Care Tips

  • Watch for pests like mealybugs and whiteflies, as well as diseases like rust and powdery mildew.
  • In early spring, trim back to the ground to promote healthy new growth for the new season. 

Best for winter: Christmas rose

close up image of christmas rose
H. Zell | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 3.0

For your winter garden, Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) is a lovely choice. Growing up to 12 inches tall, this hardy perennial blooms from late winter to early spring, adding a touch of elegance with its large, bowl-shaped white flowers and yellow stamens.

This plant is deer-resistant and offers a lovely winter display, making it ideal for patio plantings, borders, and under shady trees. You can plant it in small groups or mass plantings to create an attractive groundcover that persists even after flowering. Note that it is poisonous to humans: Ingesting large amounts can cause nausea, vomiting, and stomach issues.

Growing Conditions: This winter flower is perfect for shaded areas, growing best in partial to full shade with soil that’s organically rich. 

Care Tips

  • Regularly remove faded flower stems to keep the plant looking its best.
  • Monitor for pests like aphids and slugs, as well as fungal diseases.

Where can I buy Long Island perennials?

For those who prefer shopping online, here are some trusted retailers where you can find a great selection:

Learn more about landscaping in New York

Here are some additional resources for your Long Island or New York landscape and lawn:

Hire a pro

Finding it tough to pick the right plants or care for them in Long Island’s growing zones? The area’s soil and varying conditions can be tricky. 

Let us at Lawn Love connect you with local pros in Queens Village, Brooklyn, Suffolk and Nassau counties, and other local areas who know exactly how to handle these local challenges. With their help, you’ll save time, avoid common mistakes, and enjoy a beautiful, thriving garden. 

Main Image Credit: Guettarda | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0

Aly Narvaez

Aly finds joy in life's simple pleasures. Writing is her passion, and she cherishes moments spent with her furry companions and exploring the beauty of nature and the outdoors — even if it's just admiring a neighbor's lawn.