What types of perennial plants thrive in the Southeast?

A popular Southeastern perennial flower is the peony. The main drawback with the peony is its brief flowering period; however, gardeners love this flower's bright colors and the beautiful scent that it emits. Another benefit of the peony is that once it starts growing, it can live for an astounding 100 years.

While the peony's short flowering season can be a cause for disappointment, another Southeastern favorite, the coreopsis, has an unusually long blooming season. These perennials start to bloom in the early summer and keep on flowering through late fall. The coreopsis is also very easy to grow, requiring only a bit of water and lots of sun. If you're looking to add some color to your garden's shadier spots, the hosta is a plant worth considering. Besides thriving in the shade, these perennials are easy to grow. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that hostas are vulnerable to slugs and snails.

A great perennial to have if you're looking to add vibrancy and color to your garden without waiting out the entire winter is the helleborus. The flowering period of the helleborus begins in later winter and runs through the early spring, which is unusual for flowers. Another characteristic of the helleborus is that it thrives in the shade. If you're looking for a low-maintenance flower that's durable as well, then the verbena is for you. This perennial comes in a wide variety of colors, including shades of peach, purple, pink, red, blue, white and mauve. Some verbena flowers are even multicolored. The main thing to remember when raising verbenas is that they do require deadheading, which means cutting off dead flowers so as to allow new ones new ones to bloom.