Our Favorite New Perennials For 2024
Get excited about the new perennials of 2024 that will make your garden pop with color all season long! These plants are superstars, with longer blooms in awesome colors, better growth habits and most thrive in many zones.
Every year I swear I’m not buying any more plants for my garden.
And then the lists of new varieties start showing up in my inbox and I can’t help myself. I have to add some of them to my shopping list.
These are not new plants per se. But new versions of old favorites with improvements in color, toughness, form, and ease of care.
And most of these plants are low maintenance if given the proper site.
So here what’s on my list for the best new perennials in 2024.
1 | Artemisia ‘Silver Lining’
Scientific name: ‘Silver Lining’ Artemisia hybrid
Zone: 4 to 9
Exposure: sun
Height: 12″ to 16″
Width: 30″ to 36″
Bloom time: fall
Bloom color: insignificant yellow
‘Silver lining’ artemisia is grown for its widely dissected silver foliage and makes a lovely well behaved mounding edge plant in the garden, a stunning ground cover, or a spiller in containers.
I plan to use it in my garden this year to replace the annual ‘dusty miller.’
A very tough plant that withstands poor alkaline soil and hot dry conditions, it needs good drainage and full sun.
The foliage is fragrant and repels deer and rabbits.
2 | ‘Peppermint Patty’ Bergenia
Scientific name: ‘Peppermint Patty’ Bergenia hybrid
Zone: 4 to 9
Exposure: part shade to shade
Height: 22″
Width: 16″ to 18″
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Bloom color: white with pink throat and edging
‘Peppermint patty’ is another “must have” on my 2024 plant list.
It is a unique Bergenia that has large 1¼” white blossoms with pink throat and matching picotee edging.
The thick glossy big semi evergreen leaves really make the flowers stand out and add an eclectic look to a shade border edge or as a filler in a container.
Plant Bergenia in rich, moisture retentive soil. It will grow in any soil pH but needs good drainage. Cut back the foliage in the spring.
This easy care perennial attracts bees and butterflies but resists deer and rabbits . It is salt tolerant.
3 | ‘Blood, Sweat and Tears’ Daylily
Scientific name: Rainbow Rhythm® ‘Blood, Sweat and Tears’ Hemerocallis hybrid
Zone: 3 to 9
Exposure: sun to part sun
Height: 32″
Width: 18″ to 24″
Bloom time: mid to late summer
Bloom color: raspberry red and pink flowers with a yellow center
Like most daylilies, this ‘Blood, sweat and tears’ Hereocallis hybrid is an easy care plant that will grow in any well drained soil.
What makes it different is that it has fragrant flowers which rebloom and are a raspberry red with a pink center and yellow eye.
It can be used for erosion control, as well as making a nice border plant.
This variety was bred in Minnesota so it doesn’t have any issues with cold hardiness.
It also attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds but rabbits tend to leave it alone.
Plant in full sun for the most blooms.
4 | ‘Purple Reign’ Pineapple Lily
Scientific name: Crowning Glory™ ‘Purple Reign’ Eucomis hybrid
Zone: 6 to 9
Exposure: sun to part sun
Height: 18″ to 20″
Width: 24″
Bloom time: late summer to fall
Bloom color: blush pink
‘Purple Reign’ Eucomis in on my 2024 perennials list for a number of reasons:
- The upright burgundy foliage has wide blades that will make a great contrast in texture and form in the front of the border or in a container as a thriller.
- The pineapple-like cluster of pink star shaped flowers are striking.
- They offer fall interest when most other perennials have faded.
- The flowers attract butterflies to the fall garden.
- It is an easy care plant.
Pineapple lily grows from a bulb so it must be planted deep. Plant it in moist, rich, well drained soil with the crown 6 inches below the surface.
It also emerges late in the spring, so don’t worry that it didn’t grow if you don’t see them sprouting with the daffodils.
There is another new Eucomis cultivar coming out in 2024 called CROWNING GLORY™ ‘Princess Bride’ which has yellow/pink flowers.
5 | ‘Capture the Flag’ Heucherella
Scientific name: Fun and Games® ‘Capture the Flag’ Heucherella hybrid
Zone: 4 to 9
Exposure: shade to part shade
Height: 8″ to 10″
Width: 16″ to 18″
Bloom time: spring
Bloom color: white
I absolutely love chartreuse in the shade garden for its pop of brightness and reflection of light.
So ‘Capture the flag’ Heucherella caught my attention with its larger leaves and more intense color and veining than previous cultivars like ‘Eye Spy’.
Its big deeply lobed chartreuse leaves are stunning with contrasting burgundy-red centers and veins.
And it’s an evergreen so can be enjoyed all year!
It has an abundance of foamy white flowers in the spring that attract bees, but this compact, mounding plant is really all about the foliage.
Plant in humus rich, well drained soil at the edge of the border or in a container.
6 | Summerific® ‘All Eyes on Me’ Rose Mallow
Scientific name: Summerific® ‘All Eyes on Me’ Hibiscus hybrid
Zone: 4 to 9
Exposure: sun to part sun
Height: 42″
Width: 42″
Bloom time: summer
Bloom color: pink with rose red center
‘All Eyes on Me’ is a smaller, more compact variety of Rose Mallow that retains the classic large 8″ pink blooms.
And there are so many of them that they almost obscure the dark green leaves.
This hardy Hibiscus is a hybrid of a native bog plant, so it requires acidic, consistently moist soil and does well in full sun.
It is late to emerge in the spring but is a very rapid grower.
Keep well mulched and cut back in the spring, as opposed to the fall.
Bees and hummingbirds are attracted to its beautiful flowers but not deer. Japanese beetles can be a problem.
7 | Hosta ‘Love Story’
Scientific name: Shadowland® ‘Love Story’ Hosta hybrid
Zone: 3 to 9
Exposure: shade to part shade
Height: 14″ to 16″
Width: 36″ to 42″
Bloom time: summer
Bloom color: white
Proven Winner’s new easy care Hosta ‘Love Story’ is a medium-sized variety with tricolored leaves that are ivory and chartreuse surrounded by light green.
The colors combined with the heart-shaped, long pointed shape and ruffled edges will definitely makes this plant stand out.
The white flowers attract hummingbirds to the shade garden in summer.
As with most Hostas, it needs moist, humus rich well drained soil.
Clean up the dead leaves, after the first frost in the fall, to prevent insect problems.
8 | ‘Prismatic Pink’ Tall Garden Phlox
Scientific name: Luminary® ‘Prismatic Pink’ Phlox paniculata
Zone: 3 to 8
Exposure: sun, part sun
Height: 32″ to 34″
Width: 24″ to 28″
Bloom time: mid to late summer
Bloom color: pink with darker eye
‘Prismatic pink’ is a new color to the Luminary Phlox paniculata series.
The flower clusters are a bubble-gum pink with a dark pink eye which makes a startling show in the middle of the summer border.
They also bloom later than other varieties, therefore extending the season.
Hummingbirds, bees, as well as butterflies are attracted to this bright fragrant flower.
And the clean dark green leaves have high mildew and disease resistance.
This tall phlox likes consistently moist, well drained soil and regular fertilization.
It performs best in a full sun location with good air circulation and is a North American native hybrid.
9 | ‘Midnight Velvet’ Sedum
Scientific name: Rock ‘N Grow® Midnight Velvet Sedum hybrid
Zone: 3 to 9
Exposure: sun
Height: 22″ to 26″
Width: 30″ to 32″
Bloom time: late summer to fall
Bloom color: mauve buds open to rose red
‘Midnight velvet’ Sedum is a tough easy care plant that provides year round interest in the sunny, dry, poor soil landscape.
The leaves are a rich, deep burgundy on an upright, very compact perennial.
In the fall the whole plant is covered in mauve buds that turn to a plethora of rose red blossoms which attract bees and butterflies.
I leave the flower heads to over winter on my sedums and cut everything back in the early spring.
This plant does not need supplemental water and does not respond well to fertilizer.
10 | ‘Blue Ripples’ Primula
Scientific name: Bouquet Perfect™ ‘Blue Ripples’ Primula vulgaris
Zone: 4 to 8
Exposure: shade to part shade
Height: 5″ to 8″
Width: 10″ to 12″
Bloom time: mid to late spring
Bloom color: violet-blue with white center and edges
‘Blue Ripples’ Primula is a wonderful violet-blue perennial for the spring shade garden.
The flowers are larger than usual, double, ruffled, white centered and edged. So they definitely make a statement!
They form a mound on top of shiny green leaves and last a long time (all spring) because the plant is sterile.
Which makes this primula a fantastic container plant or edger.
Because this is a bog plant that has shallow roots which do not like to dry out, it should be planted in consistently moist, fertile soil and mulched over winter.
Bees are attracted.
‘Mandarin’ is another new addition in the Bouquet Perfect series that has orange/yellow double flowers.
11 | ‘Blackjack’ Lily of the Nile
Scientific name: Agapanthus Hybrid ‘DWAgHyb-02’ PPAF
Zone: 8 to 11
Exposure: part sun
Height: 14″ to 20″
Width: 14″ to 16″
Bloom time: spring to summer
Bloom color: black buds that open to dark purple flowers
‘Blackjack’ Agapanthus is an evergreen perennial with showy black buds that open to dark purple flowers.
This new variety has been available in Europe for a little while. (It won the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year in 2023). But is now being sold in North America.
This semi-dwarf variety is early blooming, grows well in containers and makes excellent cut flowers.
It also attracts birds and butterflies.
12 | ColorPop Pickables™ Dianthus
Scientific name: Dianthus Hybrid ‘Pie-168’
Zone: 5 to 10
Exposure: sun to part shade
Height: 10″ to 12″
Width: 10″ to 12″
Bloom time: spring to fall
Bloom color: bright pink
‘ColorPop Pickables’ is a re-blooming variety of Dianthus with bright fuchsia pink flowers that have a slight fragrance.
It will continue to flower from spring to fall especially if you deadhead the flowers when they’re done blooming.
This plant has evergreen leaves, makes an excellent cut flower and attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.
I am excited to add some of these new plants to my garden. I hope there are a few you like, too.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes the 2024 new perennials different from previous years?
The 2024 new perennials have been specifically bred for enhanced traits such as increased resistance to pests and diseases, adaptability to a wider range of soil types and zones, longer bloom times, different flower colors, and improved drought tolerance, making them a resilient addition to any garden.
Can I find new perennials that are suitable for shady areas?
Absolutely, the selection of new perennials for 2024 includes varieties that are perfect for shaded areas, ensuring that even the more sun-deprived parts of your garden can flourish with vibrant colors and textures. Hosta ‘Love Story’, Primula ‘Blue Ripples’ and Bergenia ‘Peppermint Patty’ are good examples.
How do I care for new perennials during their first year?
New perennials require a bit of extra attention in their first year. Ensure they are watered consistently, especially during dry spells, and consider adding a layer of mulch to help retain soil moisture. Also, be mindful of their specific sunlight and soil requirements for optimal growth.
Are the new perennials for 2024 friendly to pollinators?
Yes, many of the new perennials introduced in 2024 are pollinator-friendly, attracting bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects to your garden, which helps in the pollination of plants and contributes to a healthy ecosystem. Some examples include ‘Blood, Sweat and Tears’ Daylily, ‘Capture the Flag’ Heucherella, and ‘All Eyes On Me’ Hibiscus.
It’s still very cold here in Kentucky but I can’t wait for spring time to get out and digging the dirt. I love these new perennials and they’re beautiful colors. I plan on planning some for 2024. Thank you for all your ideas.