Perennials that pop: Stunners to put down once and marvel at year after year

Perennials are those (mostly) dependable plants that come back every year. I say mostly, because sometimes, despite our best intentions, things can happen. For example, dramatic freeze-thaw cycles can cause too much distress to a plant for it to recover. Or perhaps a pest decided a particular plant made a decent meal — every day over a period of time! But generally, perennials will make it through the winter and put on their annual performance in the garden, whether it's via the flowers, foliage or both. Here are a few standouts that you might want to consider for your garden.

If you're looking for: Fun, frilly blooms that attract butterflies

Plant: Dianthus

Dianthus is one of those dependable, mounding perennials that looks nice even when it's not flowering. It's tolerant to road salt, so if you have a garden near a road that gets salt spray or a sidewalk where shovelfuls of snow inevitably end up, you might want to consider one or more of these, perhaps as a border, or just in a space where you need a pop of colour. It's a pretty hardy plant and enjoys full sun or light shade. New for this year is Proven Winner's Fruit Punch Cherry Vanilla with its blue-green foliage and frilly, double pink and red flowers. The flowers of Supra Pink F1, a 2017 All-America Selections winner, are two-toned pink, with more of a ragged edge which adds to their charm.

If you're looking for: Colourful foliage to fill in an empty spot

Plant: Heuchera

I love heucheras, commonly called coral bells, because they come in a plethora of hues — lime green, purple, black, caramel. And check under the leaves because some look completely different from one side to the other; I have one variety that is a lovely, silvery, two-toned green on one side and purple on the other. I like to use heucheras in my container arrangements, especially my fall pots, and in the garden where I need a little burst of contrasting colour. They also look great along a walkway. Just to confuse things a little, you could also keep your eye out for Tiarella, a heuchera cousin of sorts, and Heucherella, a cross between a Heuchera and a Tiarella. The allure of all of them is their foliage, though they do grow these long stems of delicate flowers. Look for Topaz Jazz Heuchera, whose leaves change from warm topaz to gold to lime green. It would look great with orange blooms or among different shades of green foliage. Named the 2018 Perennial of the Year by Proven Winners, Primo Black Pearl, on the other hand, has shiny black leaves and would look dramatic against bright yellow, lime green, orange or fuchsia flowers.

If you're looking for: Bright foliage for a dark space

Plant: Brunnera

I love the leaves of rex begonias, but they're considered annuals in these here parts (i.e. Canada), so I would say brunnera aka Silver Siberian bugloss falls a close second for its lovely patterned leaves, many of which are a lovely contrasting white on green. Some change to almost a silver hue as the season progresses, lighting up dark parts of the garden that don't see the sun. Keep the colour scheme by only planting green and white around one plant, or a grouping of three or five planted together. 'Silver Charm' has heart-shaped leaves with a lovely green veining detail.

If you're looking for: The perfect plant for a border or small hedge

Plant: Hydrangea

There's something so romantic about the fluffy clouds of blooms on hydrangeas. Panicle hydrangeas are great choices because they are winter hardy and don't require as much pruning as big-leaved hydrangeas. Look for the ombre Lavalamp Flare and Candelabra varieties, and the bold white to lime-green Lavalamp Moonrock. And if you think having a smaller yard means you can't fulfill your hydrangea dreams, there are dwarf varieties, too. Look for Invincibelle Mini Mauvette, which is hardy down to zone 4 and blooms right through the season, or Invincibelle Wee White, the first dwarf Annabelle-type hydrangea.

If you're looking for: A drought-tolerant, low-maintenance plant

Plant: Sedum

My first ever home's perennial gardens came with a few well-established Autumn Joy Stonecrop, or Sedum, a common type that's available at a lot of garden centres. It pops up in a nice orderly ball in the spring and by the end of the summer, it's covered in blooms — and bees. Also, once it gets to a certain size, you can divide it and you've got a whole new plant! Sedums are drought tolerant and love the sun. I've since discovered there are lots of lovely varieties to add to the garden with foliage in various shades of green to maroon. Look for Little Miss Sunshine, with its bright yellow flowers and Superstar from the Rock 'N Grow line. This one boasts turquoise foliage and rosy-pink blooms.

Tara Nolan is a freelance writer who covers gardening, décor, travel, and cycling, mountain biking and other outdoor adventures for a variety of publications. She is also one quarter of the popular gardening website Savvy Gardening.