7 Perennials and Annuals to Enhance Your Flower Garden

Hydrangeas

Often the last-standing flowering shrub, add some old-fashioned charm to your garden with these pretty pom-poms. Hydrangeas will be the cornerstone of your yard with their popular pink and blue colors and ability to persevere. If you want them to bud into picture-perfect blooms, you'll need to water them often. Otherwise, the beautiful plants are a surefire way to keep your lawn in bloom through the fall.

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Peonies

Perfect for new garden aficionados, peonies are gorgeous and require minimum care. The plant is known for its seemingly everlasting lifespan as a homegrown floral. Another perk of this pick? It doesn't require much water to keep it alive. Just be patient as it comes to form, but once it sprouts, it's known to last for about a century.

Annuals

These are plants that can be sowed and will germinate, blossom, and wither over the course of a year. Translation: They require little attention! That means you will likely just need to plant them once and then let nature run its course. To take advantage of these must-have flowers in your yard, plant them in the spring and see your hard work pay off through autumn.

Flowering Shrubs

The first brilliant blooms of spring can be a sight for sore eyes. But some of the season's most stunning flowers are also the most grueling to grow. That's where low-maintenance flowering shrubs come into play. These plants offer visual allure without much hard work, making them the ideal flower to grow in your garden.

Tulips

For anyone aching for a colorful accent to add to the garden, these bulbs are for you. Prep your soil with organic compost, and be sure to plant them about six inches into the soil so they sprout at the perfect height above ground. Just keep the time of year in mind when deciding to plant. For summer blooms, plant bulbs during the spring; for spring blooms, plant them in the fall—but know that they could be at risk of withering away if they grow too soon during the winter months.

Dahlias

These tubers won't let you down if you're looking for a flower garden filled with effortlessly stunning blooms. The perennials are a catch for any gardener—but like other flowers, they need to be planted during the right weather conditions. If they have full access to sunlight, they'll reach full bloom after the winter frost. Before planting, make sure your soil can drain properly so the flower doesn't drown from too much water.

Lilies

You can find lilies with their typical white, yellow, pink, red, or orange hues popping up during the warmer months. These blooms need specific soil conditions to blossom, though. To make sure they last, the soil will need to drain properly. An easy way to check your soil's condition is by digging a hole about one foot into the ground and adding water to the spot. If the soil drains after one hour, you are all set to start planting.

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