Top 20 Bulbs and Perennials for 2021

A start of a new year means a start to new flowers in your garden! During the long months of winter, the excitement of spring and getting back into the garden helps keep us going. Having an early plan for what you will add to your garden this year will help ensure variety in color and texture continues for your masterpiece. After all, building a perennial garden and filling your borders is a continuous process. Adding the best flowers that are unique to your garden and fit your theme helps your garden become one of your dreams.

For 2021 the following list of perennials and bulbs intrigues me the most. Hopefully, some will find places in my garden and if they don’t I hope they find a place in your garden.

Blue Wonder Toad Lily

Blue Wonder Toadlily

Wonderous shade perennial has unique blooms that are hard to resist. Speckled and spotted blue and white blooms are star-shaped and appear in late summer. Blue Wonder Toadlilies require soil that is evenly moist to grow well. They can grow in a fairly shaded setting, they do best in a partial shade or dappled shade location.

Cupid Culvers Root

Cupid Culver’s Root

Stately sun-loving prairie perennial may just steal your heart! Culver’s Root is a native perennial to the northeastern United States that thrives in full sun locations with moist soil. Cupid Culver’s Root is a cultivated variety that blooms in late summer with vibrant violet blooms. Attract butterflies to your garden with Cupid Culver’s Root. Grows 36″ tall with a similar spread and can fit into a mixed perennial border.

Pretty Woman Orienpet Lily

This tall lily is becoming a new garden classic. Pretty Woman Orienpet Lily can be planted in spring or fall as it is readily available during both planting seasons. Spring plantings of these lilies will see blooms the summer they are planted. However, subsequent years will bring even more blooms and growth.

Pretty Woman Orienpet Lilies are sometimes sold as Tree Lilies as they grow 48-60″ tall. Plant in the back of the border where the blooms are visible. The blooms are fragrant, similar to the popular Stargazer Oriental Lilies and Casablanca Oriental Lilies. Plant Pretty Women Lily in a part sun to full sun location in soil that is moist but drains well. They are easy to grow and perform well in the majority of locations in the United States.

Bouton De Rose Double Amerihybrid Begonia

Bouton de Rose Double Begonia

Bouton de Rose Begonias are elegant shade plants. They grow well in containers and hanging baskets, which adds to the diversity of locations they can be planted in. Bouton de Rose Double Begonias have white blooms with pinkish-red edges.

Planting a group of 3-5 of these begonias in a basket by themselves will make an impact. They can also be added into a mixed planter that has a foliage plant and other flowering plants. Plant in a part sun to shaded location. The soil needs to have good drainage for these summer flowering bulbs to grow well.

Thomas Edison Dahlia

Thomas Edison Dinnerplate Dahlia

Vibrant violet blooms brighten up the late summer garden on the Thomas Edison Dahlia. Dahlias are easy to grow sun-loving bulbs. Thomas Edison Dahlia has large blooms that can grow 8-10″ in diameter. To get the biggest and best flowers from your Thomas Edison Dahlia read these pro tips for big dahlia blooms.

Fusion Hybrid Lily

It sounds fancy and exotic and looks that way too! Fusion Hybrid Lily is a cross between Easter Lilies and Pardilium Lilies which are what make this lily unique. The bold orange blooms have spots and speckles.

Plant Fusion Hybrid Lily in full to part sun for the best flowers. The blooms face downwards and are fragrant. This hybrid lily needs plenty of vertical space to grow as it will reach heights of 36-42″.

Stars and Stripes Crinum Lily

Stars & Stripes Crinum

Fragrant and deer resistant Stars and Stripe’s Crinum add a tropical flair to your summer garden. The blooms are large and showy with white backgrounds accented by reddish/pink stripes.

Crinum can be grown in a planter in northern gardens. Plant directly in the garden or in a container in warm climate gardens. Plant crinum in a sunny location in soil that is moist but well-drained. These bulbs are native to warm growing areas and need plenty of warmth to grow and bloom.

Sweet Autumn Clematis

How sweet it is to have blooms in autumn! This clematis differs from other varieties of the popular vine in that they bloom later in the season with smaller blooms. Sweet Autumn Clematis will climb on trellis, metal fences, and wooden structures they can wrap their tendrils around.

This late-blooming clematis has fragrant white flowers that appear at the end of summer into fall. The foliage gets a glowing golden yellow color after the blooms fade. They grow best in part to full sun in soil that drains well. Clematis like their roots kept cool; therefore adding mulch to the planting area is always suggested.

Abiqua Drinking Gourd Hosta

This multi-purpose hosta will look lovely in a shade garden and it collects water! The puckered and curled leaves of this blue-green hosta form a cup that gathers water after a decent rainfall. The heavily textured leaves are slug resistant and add depth and dimension to the shade garden.

Abiqua Drinking Gourd Hosta grows best in part to full shade in soil that is consistently moist. It will grow well planted directly in the garden but can also make a lovely foliage accent in a container planting as well.

Foxy Lady Decorative Dahlia

Multi-dimensional dahlia is a rare treat for the late summer garden. The glowing peach-colored blooms have tones of pink and yellow throughout. The undersides of the petals are a deep pink color that adds dimension and variety to your garden.

Foxy Lady Decorative dahlia will bloom with 4-6″ flowers. For the best flowers plant in a warm and sunny location. Dahlias make lovely cut flowers for bouquets and vases.

Wild Swan Anemone

This long-blooming perennial has white blooms that have blue stripes on the back of the petals. Flowering begins in early summer and lasts through the end of summer.

Wild Swan Anemone is a compact variety that matures around 2′ tall with a similar spread. Plant in partial shade in soil that is moist but drains well for the best flowers and growth. In addition to the long bloom and adaptability, Wild Swan Anemone is deer resistant.

Rozalynn Asiatic Lily

Rozalynn Asiatic Lilies

Compact and petite lily is showy with its lively pink blooms. Rozalynn Asiatic Lilies are compact in height growing to only 2′ tall. This makes them a good lily for growing in containers. Rozalynn Asiatic Lilies can also be planted in the front of a planting border for a neat and tidy appearance. Asiatic Lilies are easy to grow and perform best in full to part sun.

Chocoholic Snakeroot

Adding texture with foliage is an important part of garden design. Chocoholic Snakeroot has serrated foliage that creates a delicate texture. The leaves are a deep chocolate burgundy color, adding to the appeal of this shade perennial. Chocoholic Snakeroot doesn’t stop with amazing foliage – it also has showy pinkish-white blooms late summer.

If you want to add a unique shade perennial to your shade to part shade areas this is the plant to add. Snakeroot performs well in moist soil. To get the most out of the foliage color Chocoholic Snakeroot will require some sun, either several hours of direct sun or consistent filtered sun.

Intimate Queen Calla Lily

Calla lilies are the epitome of elegance when it comes to summer flowers. They are popular for cut flowers in bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages. However, calla lilies are a welcome addition to the summer garden. They grow exceptionally well in containers, and in the garden.

Intimate Queen Calla Lily has creamy white blooms that appear in mid-summer. This variety grows 15″ tall making it easy to find a place to add a few of these to your summer landscape.

Blue Eddy Allium

Alliums are most known as fall-planted bulbs that bloom in late spring. However, perennial alliums that can be planted as a bare root are gaining in popularity. Blue Eddy Allium blooms in late summer with globe-shaped lavender-purple blooms.

Revered for its neat and tidy habit, this clump-forming perennial grows 8-12″ tall. The short and compact habit of this perennial allium makes it perfect for the front edge of a garden bed. Plant Blue Eddy Allium in a sunny location with well-drained soil.

Mixed Parrot Gladiolus

Parrot Gladiolus Mixture

A colorful mixture of ruffled gladiolus blooms appears 60-90 days after planting. Gladiolus are a traditional summer bulb that are commonly used in cut flower arrangements.

The Parrot Gladiolus Mixture has a rainbow of colors that are highly textured which adds interest to your bouquets. Gladiolus grow 48-60″ tall and often require staking for the flowers and stems to stay upright.

Night Embers Daylily

Deep dark purple blooms are fully double on this mid-summer blooming daylily. Dark blooms like those on Night Embers Daylily are intriguing and add interest to the garden since the bloom colors are a bit harder to find. Night Embers Daylily grows 2′ tall with a similar width. Plant daylilies in full sun with soil that drains well.

Summer Breeze Caladium

Caladiums are tropical foliage plants that thrive in the shade. Summer Breeze Caladium has white and green foliage that is accented with red and pink veins.

Caladium bulbs require a lot of heat to bloom and thrive in warm climates. Plant caladium in the garden under trees or in containers as an accent plant.

Dahlegria Tri Color Dahlia

Dahlegria Tri-Colore Dahlia

Unique single flowering dahlia boasts many shades of pink in the petals. The foliage is purple which adds to the fun of this compact dahlia variety. Dahlegira Tri-Colore Dahlia grows 18-24″ tall making it the perfect addition to container gardens. It can also be planted in the middle of a sunny border to add color and dimension.

Red Futurity Canna

This dwarf canna has deep purple leaves with blazing red blooms. Growing only 2-3′ tall Red Futurity Canna can be added to container plantings as a vertical accent. Canna lilies like full sun and need heat to grow.

Best Flowers For Your Garden

Choose the best flowers that fit into your garden for 2021. This list has a mix of perennials and bulbs for sun and shade, therefore finding a new garden addition from this list should be easy. Maybe you will add multiple varieties, as that is what makes gardening fun, testing, trying, and always growing new bulbs and perennials.

Top 20 Bulbs and Perennials for 2021