Climate Zone 9 & Flowering Perennials

Red Perennials

• Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) grows to 4 feet tall, featuring foliage that smells like a pineapple when crushed. Pineapple sage grows in zone 9 despite being a native of Mexico and Central America, producing red flowers attractive to hummingbirds. Pineapple sage prefers full sun, but grows in light shade and poor soils. Gaillardia aristata "Arizona Sun" is a form of blanket flower with red-orange flowers, though the tips of these blooms are yellow. Arizona Sun is suitable as a container plant, attracts butterflies, and is a low-maintenance species for zone 9, growing to 8 inches tall.

Blue Perennials

• You can group ladybells (Adenophora liliifolia) in perennial borders. This European perennial grows to 24 inches, features blue flowers in May and handles sun or shade. Ladybells grow in zone 9, but this is the warmest zone this plant tolerates. Iris "Manhattan Blues" is a bearded iris blooming in late spring. It attains a height of 14 inches. This type of iris requires well-draining soil and has no tolerance for wet areas. Gardening website Perennial Resource reports that this cultivar doesn't appeal to the taste buds of deer and rabbits.

Yellow Perennials

• Lanceleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) is a type of tickseed native to portions of the central and southern states. Like most coreopsis species, it will not grow in regions hotter than zone 9. From May through July, it generates yellow flowers for native wildflower gardens. Hemerocallis "Eenie Weenie" is a small daylily cultivar, growing to 12 inches. Its yellow flowers bloom for one day each, beginning in May and continuing through July. Use it as a ground cover in full sun throughout zone 9.

Pink Perennials

• Twinspur (Diascia barberae) is tropical in nature, growing as an annual in the zones cooler than zone 9. Twinspur has pink flowers that commence blooming in April and continue doing so until a frost. Twinspur is from southern Africa, grows to 12 inches, and serves as a perennial for rock gardens and hanging pots. Hibiscus "Fantasia" grows 2 to 3 feet high, generating its pink flowers as wide as 9 inches from July through September. Fantasia has leaves resembling those of maples. This perennial works well around ponds, notes the Missouri Botanical Garden.