Lovely Dwarf Perennials for Your Garden

5/5/20247 min read

Dwarf perennials are the perfect choice for gardens that add long-lasting beauty to your growing space without the need for constant upkeep, but there are a bunch of dwarf perennials you don't even know about.

These plants multiple of which we have grown and inspected carefully also offer a variety of colors and textures. In this article, we will reveal the 11 best dwarf perennials that will upgrade your garden year after year but also teach you expert tips and how to grow dwarf perennials.

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a yellow flowering dwarf perennial in a garden
a yellow flowering dwarf perennial in a garden
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a Dwarf Dalily flower in full sun
a Dwarf Dalily flower in full sun

Dwarf Daylily

The yellow flowering Dwarf Daylily reaches about 30-45 cm (12-18 in) and is a popular choice for full sun areas. These perennial flowers bloom throughout the summer. It's ideal for borders or as a colorful ground cover plant and is known for its hardiness and low maintenance after planting, making it one of our favorite dwarf evergreen shrubs and plants for full sun.

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a pink Sea Thrift flower in full sun
a pink Sea Thrift flower in full sun

Sea Thrift

Sea Thrifts produce round, pink, or white flower heads on thin stems above their grass-like foliage. We saw that the plant is excellent for rock gardens, borders, or as a colorful addition to seaside-inspired landscapes, offering beauty. Sea Thrift, growing to about 15-30 cm (6-12 in) tall, is a charming dwarf perennial that thrives in full sun.

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one leafy shrub with a colorful flower
one leafy shrub with a colorful flower

Miniature Roses reach about 30-60 cm (1-2 ft). These dwarf full sun plants prefer rich, well-drained soil. The tiny bush flowers offer the elegance of roses on a smaller scale, ideal for limited spaces. Regular pruning ensures their healthy growth and abundant flowering which makes them a nice addition to any garden.

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Miniature Roses

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one lavender stem with pink flowers
one lavender stem with pink flowers

Lavender

Lavender has fragrant purple flowers and grows 30-90 cm (1-3 ft) tall. This evergreen shrub prefers full sun and well-drained soil. Lavender is celebrated for its calming properties and is widely used in aromatherapy and as an herbal plant for cooking. Its vibrant blooms bring beauty and a soothing aroma to gardens.

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a drought tolerant Blue Fescue plant for full sun
a drought tolerant Blue Fescue plant for full sun

Blue Fescue, reaching about 20-30 cm (8-12 in) in height, is a striking dwarf grass. It is known for its blue-gray foliage that forms neat and compact mounds. The ornamental grass variety is perfect for adding color and texture to rock gardens, borders, or as an accent in xeriscaped areas. Its low-growing, clumping habit makes it a nice looking choice for sunny gardens.

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Blue Fescue

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Catmint

This low-maintenance perennial for zone 6 and 7 grows to about 30-60 cm (1-2 ft) and is a dwarf perennial that blooms with lavender-purple flowers. When growing Catmint it is best to plant it in well-drained soil, and its fragrant foliage is a delight in any garden. Catmint is drought-tolerant and attracts bees and butterflies, making it a practical and beautiful choice for sunny spots.

a leafy dwarf perennial named Catmint
a leafy dwarf perennial named Catmint
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red Dwarf Coneflower perennials
red Dwarf Coneflower perennials

Dwarf Coneflower

Dwarf Coneflower, reaching up to 45-60 cm (18-24 in), is a sun-loving perennial with pink, daisy-like flowers. It's perfect for attracting pollinators and adds color to any garden. The dwarf variety of Coneflower is ideal for borders or as a focal point in wildlife-friendly gardens.

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Dwarf Shasta Daisy

Dwarf Shasta Daisy 'Snowcap', reaching about 30-40 cm (12-16 in), thrives in full sun and well-drained soil like Catmint and Lavender. It's known for its bright white flowers with yellow centers, blooming from early to mid-summer. This compact perennial is perfect for borders, containers, or as a cheerful addition to cottage gardens.

a bunch of white-yellow flowering perennials
a bunch of white-yellow flowering perennials
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one Miniature Bellflower bush with purple blooms
one Miniature Bellflower bush with purple blooms

This flowering dwarf shrub grows to about 15-20 cm (6-8 in) and is great for full sun but can also thrive in partial shade. After growing it in our own garden we saw that it produces a profusion of purple bell-shaped flowers in early summer. The dwarf perennial is excellent for ground cover, rockeries, or cascading over walls, offering a charming display of color and form.

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Miniature Bellflower

pink perennial Dwarf Phlox bsh flowers
pink perennial Dwarf Phlox bsh flowers

Dwarf Phlox

Dwarf Phlox reaches about 10-15 cm (4-6 in) in height, and is a full sun perennial known for its carpet of vibrant flowers in spring. It's perfect for borders, rock gardens, or as a colorful ground cover similar to Miniature Bellflowers, thriving in well-drained soil. This low-growing plant is a favorite of our gardening experts for its ease of care and ability to add color to the garden.

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multiple yellow flowering Dwarf Goldenrod plants
multiple yellow flowering Dwarf Goldenrod plants

Dwarf Goldenrod

Dwarf Goldenrod is a plant with yellow flowering stems and long green leaves growing to about 30-45 cm (12-18 in), is a full-sun perennial that blooms in late summer to fall. It's ideal for adding late-season color to the garden and we noticed that the dwarf perennial has a compact habit and is attractive to pollinators.

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Sources

Nature and Sustainability uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, and other fact-dense and highly trusted sources to support the facts that we use in our articles. Please read our editorial policy to learn more about how we keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. 

  1. Sea Thrift: Sea thrift, Armeria maritima – Wisconsin Horticulture

  2. Dwarf Phlox: Phlox: Plant, Grow and Care For Phlox | BBC Gardeners World Magazine

  3. Miniature Bellflower (Bellflower): How to Plant and Grow Bellflower (bhg.com)

  4. Coneflower: Coneflower 101: Care Tips, New Varieties and More - Birds and Blooms

  5. Catmint: Nepeta (Catmint, Catnip) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (ncsu.edu)

  6. Lavender: Lavender Plant Care - Ultimate Planting & Growing Guide | Garden Design

  7. Dwarf Dalily: Dwarf Daylilies - A Selection of Pretty Hemerocallis (gardenia.net)

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Calin Oancea
Calin Oancea
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Calin is in the garden industry for 5 years now and knows a lot about gardening and plants. He is the owner of this website and responsible for most of the content.