13 low-maintenance perennial flowers to shop now for sprucing up your garden

This hardy ground cover plant pops up with silver-green foliage covered in deep-plum markings around the veins in the leaves. In late spring to early summer, small white flowers appear from the branching stems. The foliage works well at the front of a mixed border

Just when you're wishing winter away, these gorgeous yellow flowers begin to bloom. Aside from their cheerful colour, daffodils provide nectar for bees and other early-season pollinators. Daffodils are known to multiply quickly and return to bloom each spring with little effort. They prefer sun, but can tolerate partial shade and they're not fussy about soil.

Lupins produce colourful spikes of pea-like flowers and love the sunlight. Throughout their short life—typically 3 to 4 seasons—stems can grow up to five feet tall, complete with red, white, yellow, pink, or purple blooms depending on the type you get.

Believe it or not, these purple pom-pom flowers are actually a part of the onion family. Their skinny stems rise to 30 inches in height, making them stand out against low-growing plants. They look fantastic in pots too!

Hydrangeas—a favourite among gardeners—have flowers that vary between pink, lavender, and blue, depending on the soil pH (this set will turn pinker in neutral or alkaline soils for example). Hydrangea shrubs have a longer blooming season, typically from late spring through early autumn.

This hardy and versatile perennial is as carefree as it gets: Yarrow is pest-resistant, quick to spread, and great for pollinators. Since it grows quickly, use it as ground cover or to fill large spaces. Once the red, yellow, pink, or white flowers bloom, cut them (aka deadhead) when their colour starts to fade to encourage more flower growth.

Lavender's fragrant blooms add vibrant colour to any garden. Not to mention, the strong scent deters pests like mosquitoes, moths, and flies, making it a natural insect repellent. The flower-spikes are great for bees and other nectar-loving insects too.

Not only are tulips possibly one of the easiest perennial flowers to grow, they're one of the most colourful. The elegant flower blooms in shades of red, pink, purple, yellow, and orange. Plant bulbs in the autumn and you should see blooms by early spring. The only downside? Tulips may only come back for a few years before you need to plant new bulbs.

One of the most common perennials, peonies make elegant cut flowers. The beautiful blooms come back every year and have been known to live for up to 100 years (yes, that means they may outlive you). They have a sweet scent and large, beautiful flowers that are most commonly pink but can also be white, red, orange, or yellow.

These star-shaped flowers form in large domed clusters and can grow up to 1.2 metres, making a colourful backdrop to low-growing flowers and plants. They're available in many colours from pink to white and have a lovely fragrance.

The Mother of Thyme is a low-growing ground cover plant full of colour and fragrance. Also referred to as the Creeping Thyme Plant, this perennial will thrive between stepping stones or surrounding a vegetable garden. Not to mention, the leaves are ideal for making potpourris and calming teas.