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21 Practically No-Fail Perennials to Plant in Zone 3

Are you tired of perennials dying in your garden or yard? Do you live in Saskatchewan or near Zone 3? If you said yes – then definitely take a look at this list!

There are many beautiful perennials that can thrive in your zone, you just have to know the right ones. These plants below are going to survive and thrive in Zone 3, particularly in areas with a climate similar to my home near Saskatoon, Canada.

Disclaimer & Reminder: You still need to care for your plants the first year that they are planted. This includes weeding and watering.

NOTE: The 21 flowers that are listed below are categorized by their light requirements. HOWEVER, some of these plants could also handle other amounts of light. For example, Columbines can handle both part shade and full sun!

If you prefer watching videos, here’s one that has a lot of the same picks, but there’s a few surprises.

Now on to the perennials!!

Shade Tolerant Perennials

1. Bergenia

Bergenias are amazing for having long-lasting blooms in Zone 3. They typically come in this cute pink colour, red, or white!

2. Bleeding Heart

This uniquely named flower are super simple to grow and can add a pop to colour to the shady spots around your yard. They come in classic Valentine’s Day colours of white, soft pink, or dark pink!

3. Ferns

Over the past 2 years, I have probably pulled at least 200 ferns out of my backyard. And no, this is not an exaggeration. Saying this, a lot of people enjoy having ferns in their yards because they work very well in shady spots!

4. Hostas

Do you have that awkward part along your house that hardly gets any sun and looks so bare? Hostas are your answer! They are shade-lovers and come in a lot of different leaf designs.

5. Lily of the Valley

The adorable little flowers are in love in with Zone 3 because they are super easy to grow in this error. BUT these flowers are poisonous to pets if they are ingested.

6. Rockfoil

These plants are SUPER easy to grow and hardly require any attention. They do spread a tad so be prepared!

Part Shade Perennials

7. Columbine

These flowers are a good choice when looking for flowers that comes in many colours and awesome for Zone 3. Columbines are also an great flower if you’re looking to attract hummingbirds to your garden!

8. Day Lilies

Day Lilies are a classic garden flower that come in many, many colours! Although they are awesome in Zone 3, the orange-coloured ones seem to spread a lot. This flower has made the most-regretted list, but if you keep them contained or accept the spread – you will be golden!

9. Lady’s Mantle

Lady’s mantle add a unique chartreuse colour to your garden. They thrive in shady spots, and can add some cool contrast to the darker green areas of your garden.

10. Snowdrop

These endearing and awesome-named flowers provide a bright, calming white in your garden. These are unique for Zone 3 and similar zones because they aren’t a warm-air loving flower.

Full Sun Perennials

11. Asiatic Lilies

Asiatic lilies come in every colour of the rainbow colour! Plus, they are pretty low-maintenance. Put them in a sunny spot and they’ll flourish year after year.

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12. Daisies

Daisies are a very common flowers in gardens. But definitely be careful and be prepared for these flowers to take over your garden, they are super invasive!

13. Delphiniums

These stunningly tall flowers are ideal along the fence of your yard or against your house. Be careful where you put them because they can grow up to be 5 ft tall.

TIP: Be sure to stake them or provide a cage for them if you plant them in a windy spot.

14. Heliopsis

These guys here can also grow to be tall, so they look great against a wall too! These flowers are a yellow look-alike to daisies, and ideal if you are looking for less-invasive species.

15. Liatris

These cool shaped native perennials are a must if your looking for more looks in your garden, as they are very uniquely shaped and therefore eye-catching!

16. Maltese Cross

These flowers are bright red in colour and come in bunches of small flowers. They can grow quite tall, so plant them near the back of the flower bed.

17. Muscari (Grape Hyacinth)

Grape Hyacinths are small adorable flowers that grow closer to the ground. They’re definitely eye-catching and are a nice purple scent to your yard or garden.

18. Sedum

These flowers just look so funky, yet modest in a garden. It’s hard not to add these to your garden because of the amazing amount of options they come in.

NOTE: Sedums can survive hot weather if it’s looking like your area is going to experience some intense warmth this summer. If your looking for more flowers that can survive the heat, click here!

19. Tulips

These are very popular flowers in Zone 3 and come in almost every shade and colour!

NOTE: Like any spring-blooming perennial, you need to plant them in the fall, not spring.

20. Veronica

Veronicas are the perfect flower if your looking for something that will shine for most of the summer! Beware though, some gardeners I know have reported that these flowers spread like crazy!

21. Yarrow

These cute little flowers thrive in Zone 3, and come in an insane amount of colours. They also look great in bouquets of cut-flowers!

Looking for even more perennials that can survive in Zone 3? Check out my post of 53 Favourite Perennials to Plant in Zone 3 for the ultimate garden!

WANT TO CREATE A PERENNIAL GARDEN THAT CONSTANTLY BLOOMS FROM SPRING TO FALL, WITHOUT CONSTANT WORK?  HERE’S HOW. . . 

Everything you need to easily create your own perennial garden with constant blooms. You’ll get an easy to follow system, along with 5 templates and 5 done-for-you plans, plus fun bonuses.

LEARN MORE HERE!

7 Preventable Mistakes that New Gardeners Often Make

It’s your first vegetable garden and you’re so excited! You buy the plants, sow the seeds, start watering. . . and a few weeks later are totally discouraged and want to give up. This doesn’t have to be you, and it doesn’t mean you are cursed with a brown thumb.

Here are 7 things NOT to do when you start gardening for the first time. Almost all new gardeners give up on their garden because of these simple, preventable mistakes. When you avoid these beginner mistakes, your flowers, vegetables, fruits, herbs, and other plants in your garden will flourish!

By avoiding these garden No-No’s, you’ll be able to succeed with your garden the first time. Take the jumpstart and learn from my own mistakes instead of experiencing it yourself!

P.S. Once you’ve read how not to garden, head on over to this collection of posts on how to start a garden, no matter what type or size.

1. Overcrowding

Plants are just like people, they need room to breathe, nutrients to live, and the spectacular sun. When plants are too close together, there is a lack of air flow, not enough nutrients, and a shortage of attention from the sun. Jam-packed gardens can cause fungal problems, stress, and ultimately leads to your plants dying.

Fix: Simply looking at the soil planting instructions on seed packets or researching the plants online can help a lot!

Remember: Less = More! Try to remember that a single plant with access to water and nutrients will surpass two plants fighting for the same things.

2. Not Knowing Your Soil

Did you know there are more than 6 different types of soil? Did you know plants can die if they’re in the wrong type of soil? Clay soil can deprive some plant roots of oxygen, while sandy soil doesn’t always retain any nutrients or minerals. Not knowing your soil will singlehandedly kill your garden!

Fix: You can simply improve your soil by knowing what type it is and improving it with a variety of supplements, such as organic fertilizer, composting, or manure. A soil test will tell you exactly what is in your garden and how to work with it. Most local Departments of Agriculture & Consumer services provide soil tests to their residents for free to improve their yard or garden. So contact them first before purchasing a soil test kit online. 

3. Overwatering

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Most people think more water, the better! However, this is the complete opposite for plants. Overwatering can lead the plants to drown, or invite mold to kill the roots.

Fix: Only water when your plant needs it! You can do this by sticking your finger in the soil about 2 inches. If it is dry = water! If it is not dry = don’t water!

Tip: It is better to water deep every few days, rather than a little bit everyday. Watering every few days allowed for deep watering which gives our plants deeper roots. It is also better to water in the earlier part of the day, since damp conditions during night can invite mould.

Side note: if the only time you have to water your plants is in the evening, don’t let that stop you from watering them. Plants with enough water in the evening are much better than a dehydrated plant because you couldn’t water at the right time.

4. Too Little or Too Much Sun

Gardening in the wrong place in your yard can be deadly to plants. For example, roses love sun but ferns do not. Some plants, like most vegetables and fruit, require full sun to grow which means 6-8 hours of direct sunlight. When a plant gets too much sun than it requires, dehydration occurs. When a plant gets too little sun they cannot feed themselves through photosynthesis! Therefore, too much or too little sun can cause your plants do die!

Fix: Plant your garden based on the sunlight availability in your yard! Then garden certain plants amongst your yard that you know will meet the sunlight requirements of the plant. From here, you will be able to make your garden reach its full potential!

5. Killing All Bugs

Many beginners believe that any bug in the garden is a bad bug, and is killing your plants! This causes many beginners to grab pesticides and spray them amongst your garden! Most people don’t consider that pesticides can kill beneficial insects that would have feasted on pest insects. Most plants need some form of pollination through bees, butterflies, and more! But you need these creatures to let your shine!

Fix: Get rid of the harmful and chemical pesticides. Let nature work it’s way amongst your garden, and don’t panic pesticide! Use organic or natural pesticides first, and only use chemicals as a last resort.

Tip: Ask your neighbours with a garden in the area what kind of pests they deal with and how they fix them. This gives you an advantage of being ahead of the game. Gardeners are a very friendly bunch, and most are excited to help you out and chat about their gardens.

6. Over-Fertilizing with The Wrong Fertilizer

You may be asking “Is over-fertilizing even possible?” And the answer is YES! Yes it is! An excessive amount of fertilizer can burn your plants, not allow for fruits or flowers to grow, or causes fast growth, leaving an unnecessary large amount of foliage.

Many newbie gardeners get excited and fertilize, fertilize, fertilize! Picking the wrong fertilizer may damage your plants and not allow vegetation to grow.

Fix: Learn what kind of nutrients your plant needs and know how much to apply. You can find what kind of fertilizer to use of the plant packet or giving it a quick search on the internet. If the thought of a bunch of different fertilizers is overwhelming, use a good water-soluble all-purpose fertilizer, or water with compost tea once a week or every two weeks.

7. Giving Up

Did your first garden die? It’s okay! New gardeners frequently feel overwhelmed, ashamed, or disappointed that their garden wasn’t what they pictured.

Fix: Do not give up! Learn the lessons that your garden taught you from the first season. Even pro-gardeners have their setbacks! Focus on the successes you had you had this season, learn from them, and just keep on growing!

NEED HELP IN THE GARDEN?

Green thumbs aren’t just given out at birth. They’re a combination of learning about gardening and trial and error. If you wish you knew more about gardening and had more confidence in your abilities, you need the Growing Roots Gardening Guide. 

It’s an e-book plus 6 bonuses–everything you need to go from complete garden newb to confident in one growing season.  Get all the details of what’s inside here.

Ready to grow? Click this button and buy now:

Happy gardening!

27 Annuals and Perennials That Survive & Thrive in Intense Heat

A marvelous list of annual and perennial flowers that can handle the heat amongst the summer sun? Yes Please! Here are Heat tolerant plants that are low maintenance and bloom all summer long are ideal when it comes to having a garden.

These colorful flowers are able to blossom and grow under scorching sun and lots of light–like a south-facing flower bed in front of a house where everything seems to die. They are all durable in hot weather and look good anywhere, like your front yard. Check them out! 

Really quick gardening disclaimer: I garden in zone 3b in Saskatchewan, Canada, and as such, my gardening advice is best suited to the Canadian Prairies.  While I try to make my gardening tips applicable to as many locations as possible, it is impossible to be 100% relevant to every single zone in North America and beyond.  Thanks for understanding!

Top Perennials

1. Sedums

Sedums are nearly indestructible perennial flowers, as they can fight heat, drought, and disease! Sedums are very low maintenance and essentially bullet-proof flowers that come in a variety of different shapes, sizes, and colors. Sedums can bloom in summer or fall; however, I am partial to the Autumn Joy variety for late season blooming.

2. Coneflowers

Coneflowers are unbeatable native Saskatchewan perennials when it comes to hot weather, as they can give rise to single, double, or tripling flowers in the heated months. These perennials are bright and attract many butterflies and birds. They are easy to grow as they are both heat resistant and drought resistant.

3. Salvia

These sturdy and trouble-free perennial flowers can survive the heat and are drought-tolerant! They can grow up to 30” and come in an array in colours, including rosy pinks, deep lavenders, or bright blues. Their spiky flowered appearance are pollinator magnets, and succeed in part to full sun.

4. Daylily

Daylilies love to bathe in the direct, hot sun. And like the above perennials, daylilies are also drought-resistant. Their blooms appear early to midsummer and dividing clumps can get you more flowers every 2 to 3 years. The amount of color options on daylilies is almost infinite.

However, the widely found orange variety that is commonly known as a ditch lily (shown above), is one you probably want to avoid. Sure, it’s pretty, but it can easily overtake your flower bed and choke out other plants if you’re not willing to pull out the overgrowth every year.

P.S. Want to know which perennials you might regret planting? Check out this list for zone 2 and zone 3, and this list for warmer areas.

5. Peony

I am biased with this plant as I am infatuated with peonies! Peonies last for years and are able to survive the hot sunshine if a deep water is given throughout the summer. This plant is fantastic fo rising through the soil and blooming an abundance of bright blooms!

BONUS: Peonies are hardy to Zone 2! Here’s the beginners guide to planting and caring for these beauties.

6. Yarrow

Yarrow the perfect perennial for an area with high heat and poor soil. Once it’s established, it’s practically indestructible.

7. Coreopsis

Image by hellenmoreirat0 from Pixabay

This bright and cheery perennial can bloom all summer! Coreopsis laughs at hot and dry weather conditions and is an extremely reliable plant. This sturdy perennial produces an abundance of yellow, orange, pink, white, or red colored blooms. Use a well-drained soil for any type of Coreopsis. 

8. Butterfly Weed

This Asclepius plant, known as Butterfly Weed, got its name from the many monarch butterflies that stop by. This perennial thrives as the temperature rises in the summer months, and are fantastic in flower arrangements.

As with any plant that has “weed” in the name, it can take over a flower bed, so be sure you plant it in an area that it’s okay if it takes over.

9. Bearded Iris

This uniquely named flower is an easy grow, and its blooms come in an unlimited number of colors. The Bearded Iris does extremely well in the sun for around 6 hours and is common front yard plant.

10. Liatris

This pretty perennial makes awesome cut-flowers for bouquets and calls out to many pollinators. Liatris is extremely hardy in hot weather and need full sunlight to bloom best. I like using liatris as a both a unique, medium sized perennial in the flower bed, and for a spiked cut flower in arrangements.

11. Penstemon

Image by Annette Meyer from Pixabay

The Penstemon, or Beardtongue, is a hardy perennial that us very drought tolerant and survives the parching hot weather. It attracts hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies, so it’s commonly used near plants that are not self-pollinated.

Looking for more drought-tolerant perennials? Check out this list of 25 options.

12. Silvermound

Silvermound is super easy to grow and survives the hottest summer days. It keeps it’s clumped shape, but it can spread quite a bit. Use it as a nice silvery green counterpoint to all the colour in your garden.

13. Hens & Chicks

It’s hard to find a succulent that can survive prairie winters, but hens and chicks are a tried and true perennial that can survive both the -40 winter temps and the intense heat that often happens right beside the house, especially if it’s facing south.

Need more perennials in your life? (Obviously!) Here’s 20 easy to grow perennials for zone 3 gardeners.

Top Pereannuals*

*These are flowers that can either be gardened as perennials or annuals depending on certain species!

14. Gaillardias

Gaillardias, aka the Blanket Flower, loves hot and sunny spots. They come in a wide array of colors, ranging from hot pink to pale yellow. They can handle neglect and abandonment, so constant watering is not needed at all! They are awesome native plants that add an immense pop of colour in your front or backyard. 

Use them as a border flower in your flowerbed.

15. Black Eyed Susan

This awesome-named flower has a daisy-like appearance and are very easy to grow. They are able to tolerate heat like a champion. They can grow to be around 2-3 feet tall, so I’d recommend this flower as a mid-sized plant.

16. Verbena

Image by Annette Meyer from Pixabay

Verbena are heat loving and drought tolerant flowers that bloom from late spring to early fall. They are able to grow anywhere, from containers to ground cover. Deadheading late in the summer will allow for further blooming in the fall!

17. Dianthus

The dianthus is a very pleasing addition in a garden and accents a lot of other plants in the flower bed. They grow in both full sun or part shade and love warm weather. Just water regularly during dry spells. 

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Top Annuals

18. Lantana

Image by virginie-l from Pixabay

Lantanas are amazing annuals that like it scorching hot. Lantanas prefer moist, well-draining soil but can withstand drought conditions. This perennial is common around vegetable gardens that need pollination, as Lantanas are irresistible to butterflies, bees, and even hummingbirds. 

19. Zinnia

These heat-loving flowers bloom frequently and easily. Zinnias are a hot-climate plant, therefore thriving is the agonizing heat of summer days. They’re one of the easiest flowers to look after and come in a variety of colors!

Direct seed immediately after the last spring frost, or start indoors 2-4 weeks before.

20. Marigolds

Marigolds do best in full sun with plenty of air flow. They are able to work through dry conditions and repel a variety of unwanted pests. This pop of orange or yellow can withstand very hot summers. Marigolds come in short, medium, and tall heights, so pay attention to which one you’re buying when you purchase them.

21. Cosmos

If you want a taller flower with a nice texture that can beat the heat, Cosmos are the prime choice. They come in a great deal of different colours and grow very quickly! Cosmos are also one of the most versatile cut flowers you can grow, since they can be used for both their foliage and flowers.

22. Sunflower

Just like the name indicates, Sunflowers are devoted to the ball of fire in the sky. They can stand the heat and still grow extremely tall.

23. Amaranth

These ever-lasting flowers that can survive in various conditions, including intense summer heat. If you’re growing them as cut flowers, my favourites are Love Lies Bleeding (pictured) and Hot Biscuits.

24. Celosia

Celosia are very interesting and unique looking flowers, that come in both brain and spike varieties. These annuals can live happily in the heat and will always get a second glance from passersby at your garden.

25. Periwinkle

Image by Nowaja from Pixabay

Periwinkles are one of the most heat tolerant annuals. They can survive in the heat and blooms all summer long. Periwinkles are awesome as a ground cover, because they can grow in both shade and sun.

26. Petunia

A staple of the container flower garden, petunias can be grown as border flowers in a flower bed too. You can find them in almost every imaginable colour (even black!!), so there will be something to work with the look you’re going for.

27. Portulaca

Image by BarBus from Pixabay

Portulaca reminds me a little bit of a cactus, and it’s one of my go-to solutions to adding colour to an extremely hot area. They are easily found in any garden centre and come in a wide array of colours.

Do you have a suggestion for a good heat tolerant flower? Let me know in the comments!

WANT TO CREATE A PERENNIAL GARDEN THAT CONSTANTLY BLOOMS FROM SPRING TO FALL, WITHOUT CONSTANT WORK?  HERE’S HOW. . . 

Everything you need to easily create your own perennial garden with constant blooms. You’ll get an easy to follow system, along with 5 templates and 5 done-for-you plans, plus fun bonuses.

LEARN MORE HERE!

Welcome!

Hi, I’m Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

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