New 2020 Perennials (10 of the Best New Perennials For 2020)
Every year, plant growers come out with bigger and better varieties of plants for our gardens, and I’m always excited to see what the improvements are. From new colors to re-blooming flowers to more interesting leaves, these new perennials for 2020 have it all!
New 2020 Perennials
For gardeners this is one of the most exciting times of the year.
No, not Christmas… This is when plant growers start announcing their new plants that are coming out next spring.
And when I start figuring out where I can squeeze in just one more shrub and a couple of perennials. Pretty soon I’m going to need a bigger yard 🙂
But I can’t help it. When I read about Hibiscus with fuchsia flowers and black leaves (how stunning is that?), or re-blooming perennial Salvia (finally!), or Achillea that doesn’t spread, or mini Alliums that do…I just have to get them!
So without further ado…here are my 10 favorite new perennials for 2020 (in no particular order)
Update: The new perennials for 2021 have been announced! Find my favorites HERE.
Achillea ‘Firefly Amethyst’ (Yarrow)
Exposure: Full Sun
Bloom Time: Summer
Zones: 3 to 8
Height: 18″ to 22″
Width: 32″ to 36″
This new Achillea variety is one tough plant!
It is drought tolerant, doesn’t like rich soil, and resists deer and rabbits. As an added bonus, it isn’t invasive like some varieties of Yarrow can be.
My favorite is ‘Firefly Amethyst’. It’s flowers start out bright pink and fade to a lighter color, giving a multi-shade of pink effect.
However, if you prefer a different color, it is also available in yellow, white and peach.
Allium ‘Serendipity’ (Ornamental Onion)
Exposure: Sun / Part Shade
Bloom Time: Summer
Zones: 4 to 8
Height: 15″ to 20″
Width: 10″ to 15″
‘Serendipity’ is a low-growing Allium that forms a mound of round purple blooms in the summer.
With its long bloom time of 4 to 6 weeks, it will provide color in your garden all summer long.
If you leave the flowers on the plant, it may self-seed. Which if you love this plant as much as I do, isn’t a bad thing. However, if you prefer a more orderly garden, removing the spent blooms will prevent this from happening.
This Allium attracts butterflies and resists deer and rabbits.
Brunnera ‘Queen of Hearts’
Exposure: Part Shade / Shade
Bloom Time: Spring
Zones: 3 to 8
Height: 14″ to 16″
Width: 20″ to 32″
Brunnera ‘Queen of Hearts’ blooms in the spring with pretty baby blue Forget-me-not type flowers.
However, the flowers probably aren’t what you’ll grow it for. As with many Brunnera, it’s the leaves that steal the show.
And the leaves on this new variety do not disappoint. They are really large with heavy silver overlay on a dark green background. They will definitely make a statement in your shade garden!
Dicentra ‘Pink Diamonds’ (Fern-leaved Bleeding Heart)
Exposure: Sun / Part Sun
Bloom Time: Spring, Fall
Zones: 3 to 9
Height: 12″ to 16″
Width: 16″ to 18″
Dicentra ‘Pink Diamonds’ is not your run-of-the-mill Bleeding Heart.
It does have the pretty pink flowers and leafy blue-green leaves that Dicentra are known for.
But that’s where the similarities stop.
It grows well in the sun and does not disappear in the summer.
And to top that, it re-blooms. So you can have those pretty pink blooms in your garden in the late spring and the early fall.
Just be sure to plant them in well-drained soil. It doesn’t like to keep its feet wet.
Echinacea Color Coded ‘Orange You Awesome’ (Coneflower)
Exposure: Sun
Bloom Time: Summer to Fall
Zones: 4 to 8
Height: 18″ to 22″
Width: 16″ to 20″
If you want a flower that is easy to grow and will add a ton of color to your garden, these new Coneflower varieties may be just what you’re looking for.
They have beautiful tangerine orange flowers with dark cones that are just stunning.
And they love sunny and hot locations…perfect for those tough spots in your yard.
If orange isn’t your thing, there’s also a yellow variety called ‘Yellow My Darling’ that you may like better.
Hemerocallis Rainbow Rhythm ‘Sound of My Heart’ (Daylily)
Exposure: Sun
Bloom Time: Summer
Zones: 3 to 9
Height: 28″
Width: 18″ to 24″
The ‘Sound of My Heart’ daylily has stunning huge five inch pastel pink flowers with a wide purple eye and a matching purple petal edge.
Even better? They are tough as nails, will grow in almost any soil and hummingbirds love them.
Plus, they are a re-blooming variety with a long flowering season (which is unusual for a daylily) and will bloom from early summer all the way through early fall.
Hibiscus Summerific ‘Evening Rose’ (Rose Mallow)
Exposure: Part Sun / Sun
Bloom Time: Summer
Zones: 4 to 9
Height: 48″
Width: 54″ to 60″
‘Candy Crush’ Hibiscus is a tall perennial (this is not the bush form of Hibiscus) with huge 8″ bright pink flowers that bloom all summer long above foliage that is nearly black.
Which will definitely make a statement in the garden!
The plant will die down to the ground in the winter, but will come back again in late spring and grows quickly to its full size.
Sedum Rock ‘n Grow ‘Pride and Joy’ (Stonecrop)
Exposure: Sun
Bloom Time: Late Summer to Early Fall
Zones: 3 to 9
Height: 10″ to 12″
Width: 16″ to 20″
I love planting Sedum in my garden because it is so low maintenance.
And this new Sedum variety lives up to my expectations.
It is low growing with pretty pink flowers, does not require watering or good soil and hates to be fertilized. My kind of plant!
It is also available in a yellow variety if pink isn’t your thing.
Veronica Magic Show ‘Purple Illusion’ (Spike Speedwell)
Exposure: Part Sun / Sun
Bloom Time: Summer
Zones: 4 to 8
Height: 16″ to 18″
Width: 16″ to 18″
The beautiful rosy purple color of this Veronica variety really makes it stand out in the garden.
It’s low growing and makes the perfect addition to the front of your summer border where it is great for hiding the dying leaves of spring bulbs.
Sheer back after blooming to encourage a lighter second bloom.
Salvia ‘White Profesion’ (Perennial Salvia)
Exposure: Sun
Bloom Time: Spring, Summer
Zones: 3 to 8
Height: 16″ to 20″
Width: 16″ to 20″
You might be asking what’s so new about Salvia? They’re everywhere!
Well, this may look like your average perennial salvia but it has one main advantage.
It’s re-blooming! Which means you can have perennial salvia adding its spiky blooms to your garden for a longer period.
So far, it’s only available in white…so I’m anxiously awaiting the arrival of a blue or purple version!
Well, that’s it for my favorite new 2020 perennials. I think I’ll be looking for some spots in my garden that I can squeeze in some new plants!
Other New Plants You May Be Interested In
- The Best New Perennials for 2021
- The Best New Shrubs for 2020
- The Best New Perennials and Shrubs For 2019
Have comments or questions on the new perennials for 2020? Tell us in the section below.
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This post was originally published on September 13, 2019 but was updated with new content on November 23, 2024.
Where can I purchase the flowers?
Hi Ginger…most of these flowers won’t be generally available in the spring. You should be able to find them in your local nurseries. If not, I’ll be adding links to where you can buy them online once the nurseries start adding them to their spring catalogs.
I enjoyed reading about the new additions to the new plants to add. Thank you for your love of gardening and time.
Thank you for this lovely article on 2020 perennials. We love having reliable and up-to-date information on plants. Keep up the good work!
I’m in central MS. Where can I find these plants close to me?
Hi Teresa…you can look up local retailers here: https://www.provenwinners.com/retailers/locate
Love the plants are they available in Ontario Canada ?
Hi Marguerite…Yes, you should be able to get them in Ontario. You can look up local retailers by putting in your postal code on this retailer search page: https://www.provenwinners.com/retailers/locate
Would like to know how to get these new perrenials when they come out
Hi Marilyn…these plants are available now. You can find a list of local nurseries that should carry them here: https://www.provenwinners.com/retailers/locate
What plant(s) would partner well with the pretty orange coneflower mentioned in this great article?
Hi Phyllis…I like it with purple or blue spiky plants (like Salvia, Lavender or Veronica) and something white or silver to show off the colors (like silver mound Artemesia or Dusty Miller). But I think you could also go with yellow and red flowers (like Coreopsis, roses, and Marigolds) if you like less contrast.
I have purchased the Brunerra plant on two different occasions-within a day or two after planting them, they are laying on the ground, leaves are black and appear to be dead. What am I doing wrong? I love this plant.
Hi Sherry…Brunnera need constantly-moist soil and relatively cool summer weather. Not enough water and too much sun (or high temperatures) will cause them to die off pretty quickly. It’s also possible that you have some kind of disease in your soil that is affecting them…in which case planting them in a different location may help.
Thanks for the information
What zone am I in live in Southern California high desert Yucca Valley
Hi June…I think you are zone 8b. But if you want to know for sure, enter your zip code on this page: https://garden.org/nga/zipzone/index.php.