Overrated Perennial Plants

Do you have a perennial plant in your garden that blooms for a short time and then it’s just there taking up valuable space? Or, maybe the plant blooms for a short time and then you’re left with ugly foliage? Perhaps, you have a perennial in your garden that you don’t even like, or maybe you’ve just grown tired of it. Or maybe it requires too much babying or chemicals? These are what we refer to as Overrated Perennial Plants. 

I recently conducted a survey in a FaceBook group. I asked what perennials they thought were the most overrated plants in their gardens. The perennials included below, were reported the most times as being overrated. In most cases, I’m including some alternatives to the plants mentioned. (There are also mentions of perennials that are overused.)

What characteristics do these plants have, other than a short bloom time, that cause gardeners to call them overrated? They’re called overrated by seasoned gardeners because, when it comes to the big picture of what gardeners are often trying to accomplish, these plants don’t always fill the bill. We tend to be aiming for a beautiful, personal garden that doesn’t break the bank; doesn’t wear you out; that can be a place of enjoyment, beauty and fragrance; and welcoming to pollinators and birds. Are these plants: Gorgeous? Yes. Demanding? Yes. Have a short bloom time meaning more money and work? Yes. Not necessarily presenting a unique garden because they’re overused? Yes. Do we still love them? Yes!

Not included in this list are perennials that are invasive or aggressive. That’s an entirely different topic which is covered in 14 Plants NOT to Grow in Your Garden (Even If They Are Free).

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the perennials included here! In fact, most of them are beautiful and very popular. It’s certainly not necessary to rid your garden of these perennials! But if you’re considering adding them to your gardens, think twice and perhaps consider an alternative that is more “user friendly”, especially if your garden space is small.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on
one of the links and make a purchase,
I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
See full disclosure here.

#1 Overrated Perennial – Old Fashioned Peonies

Yes, although I love them and they smell amazing, peonies were the plant mentioned most frequently by the FB group as being overrated. Why? First, if they aren’t staked or hooped, they flop all over the place. Second? Although heartbreakingly beautiful, the blooms just don’t last. Third? They’re rather fragile and prone to mildew. One good rain shower will take a peony bush out for the season. Or, unseasonably hot temperatures and they are done for the season. Then you’re left with a green plant that may or may not develop mildew spots on it’s leaves, especially if it’s an older variety.

Some Alternatives to Old Fashioned Peonies

The good news? Recently I’ve been looking into ITOH/Intersectional varieties of peonies. They have stronger stems than the old fashioned peonies, so they aren’t as prone to flopping. Plus, they flower much longer with more blooms. It’s true that ITOH/Intersectional Peonies are a bit pricey, but I’ve heard that in the long run they are worth the initial investment. I’m thinking of adding one to add to my gardens this year.

A Few Other Ways to Enjoy Peonies Longer:

• Use the leaves to add some green and contrast to your cut flower bouquets.
• Peonies can be cut when they are still in bud form, wrapped in damp paper towel and refrigerated for weeks. What an awesome way to be able to enjoy peony blooms well into the summer. Here is a great article, if you’d like to learn how to store peonies to bloom at a later date.

#2 Perennial to Pass On – Tulips

Yes, tulips are gorgeous and an especially welcome sight in the spring after a long winter. We went to a garden in St. Louis, Missouri (a neighborhood garden, not the Missouri Botanical Garden-love that one too though) one year around Easter, and the tulips, the main feature, and the daffodils, were astounding!

That being said, tulips are really iffy as a perennial. One year the tulips will be gorgeous and the next we may be lucky to see a few blooms. Once the tulips are done with their relatively short bloom time, there’s the ugly foliage to contend with. You can’t cut the foliage off until it completely dies back because it energizes the bulb for its bloom cycle the following spring. Also, critters love to eat both the tulip bulbs and tulip buds.

Alternatives to Tulips

Plant daffodils instead of tulips! I love daffodils! Daffodils will multiply over the years and no critter likes to eat them. There are also tons of other spring blooming bulbs that can replace the overrated tulips in your gardens.

If you must have tulips, one way to hide the dying foliage is to plant them in and around other perennials like daylilies. That way the foliage of the later blooming perennial will cover up the dying foliage of the tulips. Also, look for tulips that specifically state they are perennial tulips, or species tulips.

#3 Short Blooming Perennial – Irises

I shouldn’t have been surprised that irises were listed as being an overrated perennial in the FB group. Personally, I love my irises and I look forward to them flowering! I do admit that they don’t hold the blossoms as long as I wish they did. In order to have a succession of blooms, I’d need to have more varieties that I can sequence! But alas, “so many plants, too little room!” My irises came from my late sister and I treasure them!

Most irises bloom for 2 or 3 weeks and then you’re left with green spikes for the rest of the summer. From a design standpoint, they are very effective, however. Irises are especially useful in warmer gardening zones. I need to check out reblooming irises.

#4 Roses Voted An Overrated Flower Garden Plant

Yes, I know I will take lots of flack for adding roses to the list of overrated plants! But the FB gardeners spoke! Argh! I love roses, have many of them and have grown them for years. But HONESTLY, roses ARE often very high maintenance and not easy to grow if you want the bush to look good! They are prone to many diseases, as well as pest infestations. For some people, they are just not worth the trouble! My success with roses depends on my season in life, how much energy I’m willing to invest, and especially, how many chemicals I’m willing to use!

When we first started growing roses in the early 1980’s, we didn’t think about chemicals. We joined the local rose society, learned about spraying for bugs and diseases and pruning hybrid teas. We even helped prune roses at a local rose garden! Gorgeous roses! LOTS of work!

Here 40 plus years later, I still have roses. They are still demanding, but I let them languish more, mostly because I don’t want to use poisons! However, 2 specimens in my collection that are worth mentioning as not even needing spraying for black spot: Belinda’s Dream and Belinda’s Blush. I will keep trying to figure out how to have beautiful roses whose upkeep doesn’t include killing pollinators! A Crusade! Will I ever give up? I don’t know.

Generally speaking, from a USDA zone standpoint, nearly any rose will grow in zones 7-10. In zone 6, some winter protection may be needed. The further north you go, the more tricky it is to find roses that will thrive. But they absolutely do exist.

What If You Really Want Roses In Your Garden Anyway

In the May/June 2020 edition of the Northern Gardener magazine, there is an article entitled, “Ensuring a Rosy Future.”  The article discusses a 10-year trial on several rose varieties conducted in Minnesota. I wish I could link the article here, but since it’s a magazine subscription, I cannot. It’s a really good article. Perhaps there’s hope for northerners who dream of growing roses! By the way, if you garden in zones 3, 4 or 5, I highly recommend Northern Gardener magazine. 

And for other parts of the country, research on roses, etc. is being done at Texas A&M University. They have come up with a collection of plants called Earthkind. By the way, the 2 roses I mentioned above are among the roses that have come out of that endeavor.

#5 Should Hostas Be Classified As An Overrated Perennial?

If you have mostly shady gardens and you’re just starting out, you can bet everyone will recommend hostas. I really hesitated putting hostas on this list, but they were mentioned several times in the survey, so I’m including them. Yes, I agree, there are about 3 varieties of hosta that are way overrated, but mostly, overused. They include, royal standard, lancifolia and the green variegated variety. 

However, there are so many beautiful varieties of hosta available. If you have some of these over used varieties of hostas in your shade gardens and are sick to death of them, start replacing them with some more eye catching varieties. There are also lots and lots of other shade garden plants that you can use in place of hostas. Check out: Perennials to Jazz Up Your Shade Garden and Made in the Shade Gardens when you’ve finished up here.

Other Over Used Perennial Plants

Karl Forester Grass – Ugh, is this stuff way overused and yes, it does take up lots of space. It does add different interest to a flower garden, but if you’re into perennial grasses, consider finding a different variety. One of my favorites is Mexican Feather Grass (Nassella tenuissima.)

What about Stella d’oro Daylilies? Yes, they are everywhere and even most gas stations have Stella d’oro daylilies planted in their landscape! I swore to myself I would never plant another Stella d’oro, but guess what, I did. When I was looking for a perennial that was indestructible, low growing, long blooming and cheery to plant around my mailbox, I resorted to Stella d’oro daylilies. Their bright color is most attractive.

Gladiolus – several gardeners agreed that these were a pain because they have to be lifted in the fall in most gardening zones where the ground freezes over winter. While gladiolus are beautiful cut flowers, they have to be staked in the garden. Most agree that glads aren’t worth the trouble. 

Autumn Joy Sedum is another overused perennial plant. To be fair, they are tough as nails, multiple very quickly, and they are readily available. Most of the year they are unassuming, but I really do enjoy them in the fall when they begin to turn a pretty mauve color.

If you have lots and lots of gardening space, perhaps many of these plants aren’t so bad. The idea with any perennial that blooms for a short time, is to followed it up with another flowering perennial close by that takes its place with blooms. I’ve even written a workbook/guide about this very thing called Designing with Perennials for 3 Seasons of Blooms. Check it out if you’re interested in having a perennial garden that blooms from early spring through fall.

If you would like an alternative to these over used and overrated perennial plants, Classic Perennials (That Every Flower Garden Needs) is for you. Also, Gingham Gardens has a Gardening Resource Library that includes a printable list of 50+ Long Blooming Perennials with bloom time, sun requirements and hardiness zones. 

Why would I even write about overrated perennials? There are many new gardeners (and seasoned gardeners too) that will buy these plants because… well they’re overrated!

We do tend to use overrated plants because we grew up with them or because of something we love about them-fragrance or color! But often, because they’re the ones that are readily available at Big Box stores. More varieties of plants, as well as lesser known varieties, can be found at local garden stores. (Although I admit, unfortunately it’s getting harder to find those specialty stores.) So, if you’re a new gardener, or even if you’ve been gardening for awhile, I’d like to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment if you think there’s an overrated perennial I missed.

If you have questions, or comments, please feel free to complete the comment form at the end of the post. I love hearing from and helping my readers with their gardening questions.

Happy gardening,
Julie

p.s. Follow Gingham Gardens on Pinterest for lots of great gardening ideas and tons of gardener’s eye candy. Gingham Gardens is also on Facebook – come say “hi.”

Pins for your Gardening Board on Pinterest: