If you're like most homeowners, you want your outdoor living space to be a peaceful sanctuary filled with natural beauty. Herbaceous perennials are plants that come back every year, as opposed to annuals that die after they've bloomed. The following are just five of the many good reasons to use herbaceous perennials in your home landscape. 

Perennials Grow in Both Sun and Shade 

Because most annual flowering plants complete their life cycle in one season, they're usually sun-lovers, with very few of them suited to shady conditions. Many perennials, on the other hand, evolved in forest conditions and flower freely in the shade. Examples include Bleeding Hearts, Violets, Lenton Rose, and Bergenia. By the same token, many perennials evolved in sunlit prairies and meadows and are ideal for planting in areas that receive full sun. Asters, Dianthus, and Coreopsis are just a few examples of perennials that thrive in sun. 

Perennials Are Cost-Effective

Another advantage of perennials coming back every season is that you won't be spending as much money at the plant nursery. Although most homeowners do purchase a number of annuals to add quick floral displays and variety, perennials provide the foundation for the landscaping. Besides coming back reliably every year, many perennials also self-seed.

Perennials Are Versatile

Perennials are used in a variety of landscaping situations. Tall varieties, such as Delphinium, are ideal for planting at the back of borders, while diminutive trailing types such as Moss Verbena are perfect for hanging baskets or as groundcover. Large, dramatic perennials such as Red Hot Poker make excellent specimen plants. Some perennials bloom in spring, others in summer, and others provide the autumn months with a floral grand finale, so with thoughtful landscape planning, you can have flowers in your yard all season long. 

Perennials Attract Pollinators

Herbaceous perennials such as Milkweed, Foxglove, Bee Balm, and Astilbe attract a variety of pollinators, including butterflies, moths, bees, and hummingbirds. Pollinators are an important factor in maintaining healthy ecosystems. 

Perennials Are Low-Maintenance  

Once established, herbaceous perennials are generally low-maintenance plants that only require a light application of fertilizer in the spring and average summer watering in order to thrive, and mature, healthy plants are generally pest-and-disease resistant. Not only will you and your family have a beautiful landscape to enjoy and admire, but you'll have more time to do so because you'll spend less time on yard chores. 

Contact your local landscape plant nursery for more information on transforming your yard into a private sanctuary.