Good Perennials for Virginia

Smooth Aster

• Blooming during September and October, the smooth aster, or Aster laevis, is a good perennial for Virginia cottage and wildflower gardens because it provides late-season color. Smooth aster grows to 3 feet in full sun; some of the taller plants may need staking for support. Smooth aster attracts assorted butterflies and the perennial grows in dry soil. Use smooth asters in your perennial borders. This aster species lacks the trademark hairy foliage and stems typical of many others.

Fire Pink

• Fire pink, or Silene virginica, grows in full sun, but this Virginia perennial is a good fit for shady sections of rock, cottage, and native plant and wildflower gardens. Fire pinks develop in clumps, with individual specimens growing to 20 inches. The lance-shaped foliage grows to 4 inches long and the flowers are scarlet red, according to the Missouri Botanical Garden. Fire pinks blossom during most of the spring, from April through June. Hummingbirds sip its nectar.

Carolina Phlox

• Able to bloom during the height of the summer heat, Carolina phlox, or Phlox carolina, sometimes continues flowering until the initial frost occurs. Carolina phlox grows to 30 inches, with stiff, erect stems and dark green leaves. Carolina phlox is native to much of the East, with the perennial growing along woodland borders. Carolina phlox is a good addition to flower gardens in Virginia. The flowers appeal to many kinds of butterflies, and hummingbirds visit it.

Hepatica

• Shady locations in rock gardens and woodland sites work well for Hepatica americana, commonly known as hepatica or round-lobed liverleaf. Hepatica grows to 9 inches and blooms in Virginia as early as March, producing a white flower that sometimes takes on a lavender tint. The species needs damp soil that does not become dry. Hepatica's native range extends southward from Canada into the Deep South. In the wild, it grows in ravines, wooded slopes and fertile forests.

Pickerelweed

• By planting pickerelweed, or Pontederia cordata, in a pot, you can place this aquatic perennial at the desired depth in water gardens and in the edges of ponds. Pickerelweed grows native to Virginia as a perennial, producing a spike of blue flowers that Floridata describes as "electric." The flowers remain open a day at a time, but new ones continue to emerge to replace the old. Pickerelweed's foliage, shaped like an arrowhead, develops to 3 feet, with the flower spikes growing above them.