20 Types of Perennial Wildflowers

Handsome gloriosa daisies, Rudbeckia hirta, are bi-colored, deer-resistant perennials that bloom in summer and fall. The plants grow to three feet tall in full to part shade, tolerate some drought and are hardy in Zones 3 to 8. They're related to black-eyed Susans, which are biennial, but they have larger flowers. Typically resistant to insects and disease, gloriosa daisies make lovely cut flowers.

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Poppies, Papaver rhoeas, add a splash of lipstick-red to gardens or meadows when they bloom in summer. Hardy in Zones 1 to 10, the plants grow in sandy, loamy or acidic soils and full sun to part shade. They are deer resistant and may bloom for an extended period of time, up to four weeks. These easy-to-grow plants mature at 12 to 30 inches tall.

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Cheerful, cup-shaped bellflowers, Campanula latifolia, are long-lived natives with white, pink or violet-blue blooms. They prefer full sun but tolerate part shade, like moist soil and provide color from mid-summer into fall. Hardy to USDA Zone 4, some types, if protected, may overwinter in Zone 3. Try bellflowers in borders, dappled woodlands or containers. Low-growing varieties make pretty groundcovers.

Pollinator-friendly bee balm (Monarda) attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds but resists deer when it blooms in spring and summer. Give monarda full sun and a spot with dry, average or well-draining soil. Scarlet bee balm, hardy in Zones 4 to 9, is a native wildflower with deep red blooms, but hybrids are available in white and shades of pink and purple. Read about the type of bee balm you are growing to determine its mature height and hardiness zone.

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