If you’ve ever found yourself at Costco or a local nursery in May when the summer plant shipments arrive, you’ve likely felt the excited energy, and everyone loads their carts to the brim with flowers and vegetables. They’re ready to get their hands dirty and bring some fresh color ot their yard and get a head start on growing their own vegetables.
Planting annuals each spring is exciting because your hard work will be rewarded in just a few months. But what if you could enjoy harvesting year after year without putting in the work or money at the beginning of the season? If that is music to your ears, consider planting perennials in your garden!
Perennials return season after season, so you can focus on other priorities. Planting one or two each year will be a game-changer in your garden over time.
Perennial Picks the Pros Swear By
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To find out which perennials are best to grow in your garden, we look to the trusted advice of The Old Farmer’s Almanac and university extensions across the U.S., like the University of New Hampshire and Clemson University in South Carolina.
With their insight, you can plant with confidence, skip the guesswork, and avoid wasting time or money. Then, you can sit back and tend to a garden that gets better with each season.
1. Asparagus
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If you love the fresh taste of asparagus, growing it in your garden will reward you kindly year after year. This healthy vegetable is nutrient-dense and low in calories. You can eat it raw or cooked, prepared in a variety of ways – from roasting and grilling to steaming and sauteeing.
This perennial can produce delicious spears for 20 years, so finding a great, permanent growing spot with full sun and well-drained soil is key. The trick to asparagus: don’t disturb the roots. University of Kentucky Daviess County Extension agent Annette Meyer Heisdorffer, PhD notes that one-year-old crowns are the best choice to start with, instead of seeds or older plants.
Leave asparagus to grow for the first two years, without harvesting, to establish the plants. In the third year, you can harvest it lightly for a few weeks, and then leave it to grow the rest of the season. In the fourth year, freely harvest for 6 to 8 weeks. From the fifth year, enjoy two months of harvesting each spring. As a gardener, I held off on asparagus for years, and I’m so glad I finally went for it. I harvest my asparagus for the first time next spring!
2. Rhubarb
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Rhubarb is a tart vegetable, most often used as a fruit instead of a veggie – in desserts, like pies, or made into a compote. I made a strawberry rhubarb pie using last year’s harvest of homegrown strawberries and rhubarb from my garden. I cheated a bit and used a pre-made pie crust, and it was delicious! Here’s an important tip: don’t eat the leaves. They contain toxic oxalic acid, but BBC Science Focus magazine educator Luis Villazon says to feel free to toss them in your compost.
Rhubarb grows best in cooler climates, up to zone 5 for sure, but possibly zone 7. It grows gorgeously for me in the Midwest, zone 6b. There are low-chill varieties for places like California, too.
To start rhubarb in your garden, plant pieces of crown in the spring. Let it grow the first year, and in year two, pick just a little. By year three, you’re good to harvest for 8 – 10 weeks, May through July. Master gardeners at the University of New Hampshire Extension recommend cutting the flowering stalks when they shoot up and dividing them every few years in the spring. It’s the perfect time to give a few divisions to a friend to start their own!
3. Horseradish
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If you like condiments with a kick, try growing horseradish. Last year, I turned my harvest into a homemade horseradish using just four ingredients: the horseradish root, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Then I used that prepared horseradish to make horseradish sauce. For my family, I substituted dairy-free sour cream and vegan mayo. It was so tasty!
Horseradish is a hardy root crop that grows especially well in the northern states. When the plants are happy, they tend to become invasive, so UNH master gardeners suggest planting horseradish in contained beds.
It’s not easy to find horseradish at your local store, so check online or ask a gardener friend for a few root cuttings. Harvest in the fall after a cold spell, and make sure to leave some roots in the soil if you want them to come back next year.
4. Jerusalem Artichoke
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Also called sunchoke, Jerusalem Artichoke is an edible, easy-to-grow, sun-loving tuber. It’s not an artichoke, though – it’s a sunflower species native to the Midwest. It tastes like a cross between an artichoke and a water chestnut. Sunchoke can be roasted or smashed like potatoes, and made into chips, soups, or other side dishes.
This veggie can spread like crazy, kind of like horseradish, so it’s best to plant it in a contained bed. When you’re harvesting from fall to early spring, just dig up the tubers farthest from the stems and leave the ones close by so they can keep growing next season.
Clemson University Extension horticulture agent Paul Thompson says sunchokes can upset some people’s stomachs. They contain inulin, a type of fiber that’s hard to digest, especially if certain beneficial gut bacteria are on the lower side. He recommends eating them in moderation until your gut gets used to them.
5. Egyptian Walking Onion
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Egyptian Walking Onion is a unique veggie that produces bulbs with a shallot-like taste and a bit of zing. Susan Mahr from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension says the greens and new shoots can be eaten like green onions.
This fascinating plant grows a cluster of bulbils on top of the greens. If they aren’t harvested, the plants eventually become top-heavy and fall over, at which time the bulbils replant themselves, thus “walking” across the garden!
6. Chives
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Chives are a versatile herb that has many uses in the kitchen, whether baked in biscuits, mixed into dressings, or sprinkled over baked potatoes and soups. It’s best used fresh or frozen to keep the delicate, oniony flavor.
Chives are great at keeping pests away, like Japanese beetles and aphids, so planting them close to susceptible plants offers pesticide-free protection. They’re also good companion plants for carrots, lettuce, peas, tomatoes, and celery. You can grow chives in gardens or containers and start enjoying them the first year. The flowers are edible, but they re-seed if not harvested. Certified master gardener Catherine Boeckmann from The Old Farmer’s Almanac suggests dividing chives every three to four years to keep them productive.
7. Strawberries
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One of my all-time favorite perennials is strawberries, which are surprisingly easy to grow. There is no comparison to store-bought strawberries; homegrown are amazingly fragrant, fresh, and bursting with flavor. I love to freeze the berries we don’t eat fresh, so we can make smoothies, strawberry shortcake, and homemade strawberry ice cream throughout the year.
Strawberries are considered short-term perennials, but after the plants finish fruiting, they grow runners – which are long, thin stems with new plants attached. Cutting off most of the runners is best, so the main plant can grow and thrive. However, leaving some on will allow new plants to root. Just remember to cut the runner after the new plant is established. I have done this for years on my June-bearing plants and have never needed to buy more.
Here’s a helpful tip: soak the roots in a bucket of water for an hour before planting. Ohio State University small-fruit extension specialist Gary Gao recommends renovating your strawberry patch after fruiting for the next year’s successful harvest.
8. Blueberries
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Blueberries have a sweet-to-tart flavor that’s hard to resist. Even better, the bushes they grow on add beauty to your landscape, with leaves that turn a gorgeous crimson in the fall. Remarkably, these hardy plants can produce for up to 60 years! And since blueberries rank among the “Dirty Dozen” of pesticide-laden commercial crops, growing your own is a smart, healthy choice. You can enjoy these juicy summer berries straight from the bush, baked into muffins and pancakes, or frozen to eat after the season ends.
While they are typically grown in cooler climates, varieties like Rabbiteye and Southern Highbush thrive in warm, southern regions. Boeckmann says blueberries grow nicely in containers because they are easier to protect from birds, and adjusting the soil pH is a breeze. Growing them is simple, but they need acidic soil and full sun. If you’re planting them in the ground, be ready to cover them when the berries ripen because the birds will be just as eager for a taste as you are!
9. Lavender
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The intoxicating scent of lavender draws many gardeners to plant this pretty, bee-loving perennial. But did you know that some lavender is edible? English lavender is! Try lavender lemonade for a refreshing drink this summer. Lavender can be used in aromatherapy to reduce anxiety, depression, and stress. You can make all kinds of products with it, from soaps and oils to potpourri, candles, and even tea.
Lavender loves the sun and heat, so the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture recommends adding some pea gravel around the base of the plant to reflect heat onto the plants. Dwarf and compact varieties are great for container planting – you can enjoy this versatile plant whether you have a sprawling garden or just a sunny balcony.
10. Chamomile
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Chamomile is a lovely, daisy-like herb with a light, apple fragrance that is well-known as a calming tea. Bees and butterflies love it too, making it equally beneficial for your garden and your teacup.
Roman chamomile is a perennial used for potpourri and tea, but master gardener Andrea Knepper from the University of Vermont Extension notes that German chamomile is best for tea thanks to its sweeter, less bitter flavor. German chamomile is technically an annual, so it will die at the end of the growing season, but there’s good news – it will re-seed itself, and you can expect a new patch to grow year after year with no effort.
Why Perennials Are the Ultimate Garden Hack
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Planting perennial veggies, fruits, and herbs isn’t just a time-saver, but a smart, sustainable choice that pays off year after year. Many perennials have deep roots that enrich the soil, improve its structure, and help prevent erosion, all while supporting pollinators and beneficial insects. With less digging and tilling, the surrounding ecosystem stays healthier and more balanced, too. Once you go perennial, you’ll wonder why you ever did it any other way!
