Perennials are a wonderful addition to any garden. Our first 3 nominees for the longest bloom are right at home in the sun:

Rudbeckia Goldsturm offers up showy yellow-orange petals and bronze-brown central cones that make it ideal for cutting, especially considering the flowers’ three- to four-inch span. Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ is easy to grow from seed or transplant.

Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam’ is shorter — about 14 inches tall compared with the rudbeckia’s two to three feet — and more delicate in appearance, if not in performance. Its two-inch soft, yellow flowers also like to be brought indoors. The needlelike leaves of this coreposis is a wonderful contrast to the sunny yellow flowers.

The “red” in Penstemon ‘Husker Red’ refers not to its flower but its dramatic bronze-red foliage. Another floriferous toughie, this 30-incher sends up a score or more of airy flower stalks topped with hundreds of tubular white flowers. Plant Penstemon ‘Husker Red’ at the back of your bed for an eye-catching background.

Coaxing flowers from the shade is not really the bugaboo it’s cracked up to be. While you can always rely on hostas and ferns to thrive under your trees, many other plants will readily blossom and brighten shady spots. Here are 3 perennials that go one step further, blooming for an extended period to provide color for up to three months:

Bleeding hearts (Dicentras) vary in height from 1 to 3 feet. The cultivar ‘Luxuriant’ is especially prolific (the common variety tends to die down in the summer). Dicentra’s ferny foliage is just as attractive as its flowers.

Lenten roses (Hellebores) grow up to 15 inches, blooming in late winter through early spring. Lenten roses look delicate but are very rugged.

Astilbes, with their feathery plumes, come in a range of colors “even peach” topping out at 2 to 3 feet. Astilbe look great planted in
masses, brightening shady areas.