23 Perennials for Full Sun

Want carefree color? Fill your garden with perennials that thrive in full sun.

What Are Full Sun Perennials?

Full sun perennials, which you plant once and come back every year, thrive when they receive at least six hours of sun per day.

Benefits of Sun-Loving Perennials

Easily create a colorful garden: Many gardeners readily admit that crafting a colorful sun garden proves quicker than creating a color-rich full shade display. Full sun perennials open flowers in many different hues and forms, assuring an interesting planting composition from the start.

Low-maintenance: Perennials stage a reliable show every year without heavy duty input, and sunny spots can host a wide array of plants. With the right mix of perennials, you can savor seasonal color from summer to fall frost.

Many are drout resistant: Many full sun perennials have attributes that allow them to grow in drought prone settings. These features include things like a taproot, thick leaves for storing water or silver leaves that reflect sunlight. Full sun perennials that fit this drought tolerant theme include catmint (Nepeta x faassenii), yarrow (Achillea millefolium), English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), santolina (Santolina chamaecyparissus) and firecracker penstemon (Penstemon eatonii).

Attract butterflies: Butterfly gardens are a natural fit for full sun perennials because butterflies depend on sunlight to warm themselves. Include sun loving perennials like purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), thread-leaf coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata), garden phlox (Phlox paniculata) and blazing star (Liatris spicata). For fall color, plant full sun perennials ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum (Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’), Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) and New England aster (Aster novae-angliae).

Tips for Growing Perennials for Full Sun

Perennial sun requirements vary by region: A sun loving perennial that thrives in eight hours of sun in Vermont may need shade from the hot afternoon sun in the Deep South, Texas, Southern California or the Southwest. At the same time, full sun perennials may fail to thrive in the cloud cover of a Pacific Northwest summer. Talk to local gardeners or experts at your favorite garden center to learn of any specifics pertaining to growing full sun perennials in your region.

Sun loving perennials can survive with less sun, they just won't reach their full potential: In part sun or part shade, full sun perennials just won’t achieve their utmost potential in terms of plant size and flower number. The plant will still bloom; you just won’t have as many flowers as you’d see in a full sun setting.

Drout-tolerant perennials need well-drained soil: It’s typical that drought tolerant full sun perennials need well-drained soil, and many benefit from a stone mulch, which reflects heat to warm the sun loving plants.

How to Care for Full Sun Perennials

Water: Water when the soil below the surface feels dry to the touch. Don’t keep the soil soggy, which can cause rotting.

Deadheading: Deadhead, or cut off, faded blooms.

Winterizing: Prune the plants to 6 inches above the ground and cut back on your watering. If you live where the winters are warm, reduce watering to about once a month. Mulch your plants, if you’re in a cold winter region, to protect them. A blanket of snow will help insulate them.

Daylilies open more flowers when they’re planted in full sun, and 'Ruby Spider' is no exception. This stunning beauty unfurls ruby flowers up to 9 inches across. Each bloom displays a contrasting gold throat. Plants are hardy in Zones 3 to 9. Botanical name: Hemerocallis 'Ruby Spider.'

Sunny yellow blossoms blanket this shrubby perennial in full sun settings. This tough plant thrives in thin, chalky soil and is drought tolerant once established. Flowering occurs during short day cycles. Expect blooms from fall until first frost in early winter. Plants are hardy in Zones 8 to 10. Botanical name: Tagetes lemmonii.

This perennial has it all — deer resistance, drought tolerance and a long flowering period from early summer to fall frost. Catmints can be somewhat sprawling in the garden, but ‘Purrsian Blue’ tames the sprawl to a tidy 2 feet. Plants are hardy in Zones 3 to 8. Botanical name: Nepeta faassenii.

'Leapfrog' gives any garden a jolt of bright color. Leaves are chartreuse with burgundy centers in spring, fading to green with purple centers as summer heat builds. Plants can withstand full sun, heat and humidity. Provide humus-rich, well-drained soil. Plants are hardy in Zones 4 to 9. Botanical name: Heucherella 'Leapfrog.'

If you have a thing for daisies, you’ll love the classic blooms on this one. Flowers open lemon yellow, then mature to creamy white. The 4- to 5-inch blooms cover plants all summer long. Plants are hardy in Zones 5 to 9. Botanical name: Leucanthemum superbum ‘Banana Cream.’

Include several clumps of liatris so you have plenty of stems to cut for bouquets. This pretty bloomer adds a strong vertical element to gardens. The flower spikes beckon butterflies and other pollinators. Liatris is a great choice for southern gardens because it can take the heat. Plants are hardy in Zones 3 to 9. Botanical name: Liatris spicata 'Kobold.'

Meet a perennial that has it all. This sunny bloomer is heat and drought tolerant, deer resistant, fragrant and can take the heat. Flowers start opening in spring and continue right to frost. Plants are hardy in Zones 5 to 9. Botanical name: Oenothera hybrid.

Full sun brings out the darkest leaf tones in this perennial hibiscus. Flowers open a bright cherry red and measure 8 to 9 inches across. A compact size tops out at 4.5 feet tall. Plants are hardy in Zones 4 to 9. Botanical name: Hibiscus 'Midnight Marvel.'

Get ready for hummingbirds and butterflies when you plant red hot poker. This is a more compact hybrid, growing to about 3 feet tall. Flowers start appearing in early summer. Plants are hardy in Zones 5 to 9. Botanical name: Kniphofia 'First Sunrise.'

Welcome this bee balm to even the smallest gardens with its tidy 18-inch height. Dark cherry pink blooms are full size, measuring 2 to 3 inches across. Flowers attract butterflies, hummingbirds and all kinds of bees. Plants are hardy in Zones 4 to 9. Botanical name: Monarda didyma.

Deep green leaves form a clump that’s usually 2 feet high. The bottlebrush seedheads appear in late summer and linger into early winter. This is a good grass for both wet and dry areas. Plants are hardy in Zones 5 to 9. Botanical name: Pennisetum alopecuroides.

The easy-to-grow, low-maintenance sedum 'Autumn Fire' appears in late summer and thrives in arid climates. The blooms of rosy pink flowers age to a salmon bronze and finish with a deep coppery red. Botanical name: Hylotelephium spectabile 'Autumn Fire.'

Also known as Lily of the Nile or African Lily, these exotic-looking plants bring the rarest flower color to your garden: blue. 'Blue Heaven,' hardy in Zones 7 to 11, is a disease- and pest-free variety that produces majestic sky blue flowers on 3 foot stems surrounded by strap-like leaves. They bloom in midsummer and then again in early fall. Give them full sun and moist soil. Plant them in masses in a border and plan on dividing them every couple of years as they spread and make free plants for you. Best of all, butterflies love them and deer don’t. Botanical name: Agapanthus africanus 'Blue Heaven.'

Don’t let the name fool you, this isn’t a nuisance plant. Asclepias tuberosa is a native wildflower that thrives in meadows and along roadsides, but belongs in your garden, too. Butterfly Weed produces vivid orange and yellow blooms that attract monarch butterflies. Butterfly weed leaves and nectar are monarchs’ favorite food, so plant butterfly weed in clumps for a colorful show of flowers and lots of butterfly visitors. It’s super easy to grow, drought tolerant and not picky about soil.

Pro Tip: Use butterfly weed's dried seed pods in arrangements.

No flower garden is complete without coneflowers. These sun-loving plants are hardy, drought-tolerant and long blooming. They love heat and humidity, and attract birds, bees and butterflies. They’re perfect for cottage, butterfly or wildflower gardens as well as perennial borders. They’re not picky about soil, either, as long as it’s well-drained. Coneflowers come in a slew of hybrids, but 'Magnus' is one of the hardiest and easiest to grow. Oh, they make great cut flowers, too. Botanical name: Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus.'

Commonly called black-eyed Susans, these cheery, daisy-like flowers bloom all summer. 'Goldsturm’ is the hardiest and most disease-resistant variety of black-eyed Susan. Plant them in masses on a border for a sea of yellow blooms from May to first frost. Just keep deadheading them and they’ll keep making new flowers. They’re not picky about their soil and make a good cutting flower. Put them at the top of your list of sun-loving perennials. Botanical name: Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm.'

Consider Echibeckia if you are a fan of black-eyed Susan. Echibeckia combines the winter hardiness of purple coneflower (Echinacea) with the sunny colors of black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia). Echibeckia's flowers appear all summer long. These rabbit- and deer-resistant plants grow 20 to 24 inches tall and 16 to 18 inches wide. Echibeckia is hardy in Zones 6-10.

Dianthus plants are an old garden favorite. 'Firewitch,' developed about 20 years ago, is an especially hardy variety that’s drought-tolerant and deer-resistant. Also called a Garden Pink, this fragrant rose-pink flower with blue-gray foliage belongs in your garden. It’s hardy in Zones 3 to 9, and butterflies love it so it’s perfect for a butterfly or pollinator garden. It’s a compact plant, reaching 8 inches tall and 18 inches wide, so plant it in the front of a border or in a rock garden. Botanical name: Diantus gratianopolitanus 'Firewitch.'

Cannas bring a lush, exotic look to your garden. 'The President' is a classic, heirloom canna variety, with large red flowers on dark green foliage that is a magnet for hummingbirds. Cannas thrive in hot summer weather but need regular watering. These sun-loving plants are perennial in Zones 7 to 10 but you can dig them up and store them for replanting in colder climates. They reach about 3 feet tall and bloom from midsummer to first frost. Pair them with other tropical-looking plants like agapanthus and crocomisia. Botanical name: Canna indica 'The President.'

'Millennium' Allium brings a touch of fun to the garden with its rose-purple spheres atop strong, upright stems. Flowers that reach 2 inches in diamater bring color from mid to late summer and will attract butterflies and bees. Rabbits and deer usually avoid this cousin of the onion. This allium doesn’t self-seed. Hardy in Zones 3-9.

Salvias are a staple of perennial gardens, but 'Wendy’s Wish' is one of the best, producing intensely hued magenta blooms with a citrus scent. They bloom from May to October, standing up to as much heat and drought as summer can dish out. Provide well-drained soil and tons of sun for maximum flower power. Botanical name: Salvia hybrida 'Wendy's Wish.'

A native wildflower, coreopsis brings reliable color to the garden. This red and yellow plains coreopsis (C. tinctoria) self-seeds freely, so plantings enlarge over time. Remove spent flowers to keep seeds from forming. Other coreopsis varieties include the pale yellow 'Moonbeam' (sterile blooms so no self-seeding), 'Desert Coral' (orange and red flowers) and 'Lil Bang Starstruck' (pink and white blossoms). Hardiness varies; plains coreopsis is hardy in Zones 3-11.