24 Best Full Sun Perennials for Your Garden

This beautiful vining plant keeps its brilliant color all summer long. Mandevilla comes in white, pink, red, and coral, and brightens up any deck, patio, or planting bed with its trumpet-shaped flowers. It’s usually treated as an annual, but you can bring it indoors for winter—just be warned, it tends to drop leaves and be messy.

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The profuse blossoms of this low-growing annual look like tiny fans. Available in white, pink, and purple, this full-sun flower stands up to heat and drought like a champ. Plant it as edging along walkways, in containers, and in window boxes.

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This handsome vine with its burgundy, chartreuse, or variegated leaves adds a punch to a mixed container. Just remember to give it plenty of room to spread out. Please note that this plant is only a perennial in Plant Hardiness Zones 9 to 11.

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Catmint is a perennial that, once established, doesn’t mind heat, poor soil, or drought. With silvery-green foliage that has a minty scent and spikes of purple flowers that pollinators love, it’s a must-have in any garden.

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If you want a perennial that survives on neglect, opt for the daylily. This sturdy plant tolerates most soil types, and it needs almost zero care. Each flower lasts for just a day—hence the name—but there are many on each stalk! It comes in all heights and in every color you can imagine, with single or double petals.

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Silvery-green foliage and a dense, creeping nature make this annual a spectacular filler for pots and window boxes. Plant it alone or in a mixed container. This vine is only a perennial in warm climates, so check your USDA Hardiness Zone.

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This old-fashioned annual blooms and blooms for reliable season-long color. New varieties don’t need to be deadheaded to keep blossoming, and spread to fill in an area quickly. Petunias look especially smashing in hanging baskets and window boxes. These flowers can only be grown as perennials in warmer climates.

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This cheery perennial comes in every shade of the rainbow. A coneflower is a pollinator fave, plus the seedheads provide winter food for birds.

This one might resemble a petunia, but it’s an entirely different plant. Best used in baskets or window boxes for maximum effect, this perennial (in warm climates only) comes in amazing colors—ranging from hot pink to lemon yellow to vibrant orange and everything in between—with single or double petals.

Pretty heart-shaped leaves with splashes of pink, green, and white make this foliage plant a stunner. Plant a caladium in its own container or within the landscape. It can survive winters in warm climates, or you can pot it and bring it indoors as a houseplant for winter in cold climates.

Native to tropical regions, hibiscus adds an exotic flair to any container. Available in an array of bright, saturated colors—from deepest red to pink, orange, and yellow—some types are perennial, others annual. Read the tag to be sure what you’re buying.

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Able to handle the heat because it’s native to Africa, this annual has starry blooms that come in an array of colors, such as pink, white, lavender, and red. Fun fact: Butterflies love it. It’s important to note that Pentases are only perennials in warm climates.

This hardy perennial, also called floss flower because of its cute fringed petals, blooms all season without any need for deadheading. Bonus: Pollinators love ageratum!

Another hummingbird favorite, this perennial, also called beardtongue, has tubular flowers in pink, red, or purple tones and pretty foliage with a burgundy tint. Some types self-sow, so you’ll have more plants in coming years.

Begonias come in an array of colors and sizes, and some tolerate full sun, while others prefer mostly shade. (Read the plant tag or description to make sure what type you have.) Able to thrive equally well in pots or beds, this perennial will take the heat, but it needs to be strong and healthy—so keep it watered, especially during the hottest periods of the summer.

This succulent is tolerant of dry and hot conditions, which is why it’s a popular choice for rock gardens. It’s a great alternative to grass or other types of ground cover if you’re looking for a solution for troublesome areas in your yard. Some types have small flowers, but the real show is thanks to the plant’s intricate shapes and varieties. Be sure to read the plant description because there are both annual and perennial types.

When it comes to hardiness, this purple stalk is fierce! It requires full sunlight to bloom best, so plant this perennial in cottage garden borders or as an accent in beds. (Butterflies love it!)