Perennials bring vibrant blooms, attractive foliage, dynamic movement, and endless planting combinations to the garden display. Sometimes, we’re drawn to a certain color in the garden, and peach is having a big year (Pantone’s color of 2024 is a delicate “Peach Fuzz”). Here, we’ll celebrate perennials in peach as they serve to unify and enliven the garden display.
As colors go, peach leans neutral. It doesn’t glaringly clash with other tones and harmonizes its surrounding palette. The same holds true in the garden, where peach flowers and foliage add harmony to the colorscape. Warm peachy tones also evoke an air of calm and invitation.
Peach perennials abound in delicious shades from pale blush to juicy orange. With vintage romantic charm and contemporary appeal, peach is a longtime favorite in the garden. Use peach perennials as a primary color scheme, or incorporate them as highlights of crisp color to enhance a planting arrangement.
Agastache ‘Peachie Keen’
This low-maintenance perennial thrives in full sun and dry soils.
| botanical name Agastache ‘Peachie Keen’ | |
 | sun requirements Full sun |
 | height 20-24” |
 | hardiness zones 5-9 |
Agastache, or anise hyssop, is an absolute garden favorite with its aromatic leaves and delicate tubular blooms in riotous colors. Bloom spikes rise above gray-green foliage and produce nectar for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Agastache is a hummingbird favorite.
Peach tones abound in perennial agastache cultivars, and they bring more compact foliage and tidier form than older varieties. ‘Peachie Keen’ blooms in delicious apricot-peach with deep pink calyxes (the part of the flower surrounding the bud). It packs a punch of peach as flowers bloom prolifically on dense spikes.
Agastache ‘Queen Nectarine’ is part of the Meant to BeeⓇ collection, selected for improved performance with taller plants, denser blooming, and increased hardiness. With ‘Queen Nectarine,’ peach blooms cover the top two-thirds of the plant. Calyxes are mauve and persist into fall for extended showy color. Plants reach three feet tall with full leafy forms.
Agastache blooms profusely in summer through frost and pairs beautifully with other perennials like aster, salvia, solidago, and ornamental grasses, as well as annuals like coleus, bacopa, and angelonia. One of the easiest perennials to grow, agastache, thriving in full sun and dry soils, needs little maintenance. You can’t go wrong with the peach infusion of agastache in the perennial garden.
Peony ‘Coral Sunset’
The ‘Coral Sunset’ peony blooms apricot-orange flowers with rose overtones.
 | botanical name Paeonia ‘Coral Sunset’ |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to part shade |
| | height 2’-3′ |
| | hardiness zones 3-8 |
The dreamy peony flower is among the most showy garden charmers due to its full blooms, often semi-double or double, and large, ruffled petals. Peonies bloom once a season, from late spring to early summer. Choosing a few with different bloom times prolongs the seasonal display.
‘Coral Sunset’ is a glowing apricot-orange bloom on strong stems that do not require staking. The semi-double flower features rose overtones – rich and vibrant – with yellow stamens at the center. ‘Coral Sunset’ is notable for its habit, reaching three feet tall with sturdy branching. Flowers are early to bloom in spring.
‘Coral Charm’ takes the bloom into mid-spring with delicious peach shades in light to dark. Numerous ruffled flowers cover the three-foot-tall plant for a significant garden presence. Large, bowl-shaped blossoms reach five-to-six inches across.
‘Apricot Whisper’ blushes in pale peach hues with huge single flowers (seven inches across!). Flowers appear tissuey and delicate, open with light ruffling. In early spring, fragrant blooms with pronounced red and yellow centers top 25-inch stems.
Combine peonies with hellebore, daffodils, salvia, and hosta. Buds, blooms, and purple-bronze fall foliage give peonies multi-season appeal. Because of their full flowers, some peonies must be staked or caged. Plant peonies in full sun, giving some afternoon protection from direct rays.
Dahlia ‘Peaches and Cream’
These flowers are categorized into varieties based on their petal arrangements and shapes.
| | botanical name Dahlia ‘Peaches and Cream’ |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | height 3-5’ |
| | hardiness zones 7-10 |
Dahlias add drama to the summertime garden, making stunning specimens and showy cut flowers. Beautiful, large blooms in many colors and petal arrangements make dahlias a garden standout.
Dahlia blooms range in size from tiny pom poms to large dinner plates. They have nearly perfect petal arrangements in varying forms. The American Dahlia Society characterizes dahlias in groups like decorative, ball, orchid, and cactus, all based on petals and shapes of intricate symmetry.
Dahlia ‘Peaches and Cream’ delights, with peach, light pink, and ivory shades. Lush, fully rounded blooms reach six to eight inches across. ‘Peaches and Cream’ is a decorative dahlia with broad, flat petals arranged symmetrically. Petals curl slightly for graceful, rounded flowers. Plants are tall and grow up to five feet.
Dahlia ‘Apricot Desire’ brings the palest peach petals in a double flower, waterlily form. The soft hue contrasts beautifully with stems that are almost black atop dark green foliage. Blooms last from midsummer until frost on plants three to four feet tall.
Pair dahlias with geranium, agastache, salvia, and spring-blooming bulbs. Dahlias grow best in full sun with evenly moist, well-drained soils. They are toxic to dogs and cats, so keep them out of range of curious pets.
Heuchera ‘Peachberry Ice’
Pair Heucheras with various part-shade plants for an attractive display.
| | botanical name Heuchera ‘Peachberry Ice’ |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to part shade |
| | height 8-10” |
| | hardiness zones 4-9 |
Heuchera, or coral bells, are North American native perennials, mostly evergreen in warmer climates. Prized for their foliage, heuchera hybrids have green, purple, bronze, black, red, or orange leaves, often in mottled tones. Their showy leaves add exciting visual interest and high contrast to the garden, brightening up shady spots.
Heuchera ‘Peachberry Ice’ – as delectable as its name – features large, ruffled leaves in rich peach and mellow orange. Five-inch leaves have a silvery luster and a bright pink underside. Part of the PrimoⓇ series, ‘Peachberry Ice’ grows quickly and is more significant than many other heuchera varieties. Creamy bloom scapes reach two feet and make a delicate cut flower. New growth on ‘Peachberry Ice’ emerges in vivid peach on burgundy stems, mellowing as the warm season progresses.
Heuchera ‘Georgia Peach’ has large, rounded leaves in silvery peach with deep rose tints and venation. This heuchera tolerates heat and humidity and handles sunny conditions. Leaves emerge in shades of orange and mature to muted tones, with a resurgence of color in the fall. Foliage mounds and reaches 14 inches tall.
Grow coral bells in a dappled shade area of the garden. They can also grow in full shade, though growth may be slower. Heuchera needs rich, organic soils with good drainage. Pair coral bells with nearly any part-shade perennial or annual like hellebore, pansies, purple fountain grass, or hosta for a striking combination of multi-season foliage and flowers. For a twist on the display in the spring, underplant with tulips and daffodils.
Foxglove ‘Dalmatian Peach’
Peach foxgloves thrive in part sun with moist, rich soil.
| | botanical name Digitalis purpurea ‘Dalmatian Peach’ |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to part shade |
| | height 2-3’ |
| | hardiness zones 4-9 |
Foxgloves are stunning early summer bloomers with bell flowers on tall stems. Busy bees stop at each flower along the stem. Basal leaves are thick and leathery green.
Digitalis purpurea ‘Dalmatian Peach’ bears stiff, sturdy stems with creamy peach flowers and orange freckles. Flowers open pinky peach and transition to pale yellow peach. The Dalmatian foxglove series features fast-growing plants that bloom quickly with good plant vigor.
‘Apricot Beauty’ boasts pastel apricot-pink flowers on towering stems that grow three to four feet tall. Plants form masses of showy blooms that make an excellent garden display and cut flowers, too.
Peach foxgloves create a stunning backdrop for poppies, snapdragons, hosta, heuchera, and astilbe. They grow best in part sun in consistently moist, organically rich soils with good drainage.
Yarrow ‘Firefly Peach Sky’
‘Firefly Peach Sky’ grows one to two feet tall with flowers in various shades of apricot.
| | botanical name Achillea millefolium ‘Firefly Peach Sky’ |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | height 24-36 inches |
| | hardiness zones 3-8 |
Yarrow, a native North American perennial, features large, flat flower heads that make irresistible landing pads for pollinators. Bloom clusters rise above a base of feathery fernlike foliage.
Achillea ‘Firefly Peach Sky’ is a peaches-and-cream dazzler with prolific bloom clusters atop sturdy, two-and-a-half-foot stems. Taller and more upright than other yarrows, ‘Firefly Peach Sky’ brightens the garden with peach-orange flowers that fade to yellow.
Achillea ‘Apricot Delight’ is a more compact grower in the Tutti FruttiⓇ series, bred for a mounded, bushy habit with uniform flowering. Plants reach one to two feet tall. Flowers range from pale apricot to coral to deep red in a single cluster.
Yarrow should be used more in the perennial garden; its wispy foliage contrasts broad leaf plantings and blooms like coleus, echinacea, rudbeckia, and zinnia. Another easy-to-grow perennial, yarrow is a low-maintenance, full-sun, drought-tolerant plant. It doesn’t need much more than a sunny spot with well-draining soil.
Salvia ‘Coral Nymph’
The Salvia ‘Coral Nymph’ features peach and white bicolor flowers.
| | botanical name Salvia coccinea ‘Coral Nymph’ |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to part shade |
| | height 1-2’ |
| | hardiness zones 8-10 |
Salvia, also called sage, encompasses over 400 different species and varieties in a myriad of colors and forms. Salvia’s vibrant, tubular blooms are magnets for pollinators.
Salvia ‘Coral Nymph’ is a compact, two to three-foot sage with spikes of peach and white bicolor flowers that bloom in the spring. Emerging earlier than other salvias, the orchid-like blossoms last until frost.
‘Coral Nymph’ grows as an annual outside its hardiness zones and may self-seed in the garden for the following season. Extremely heat and drought-tolerant, ‘Coral Nymph’ grows with little maintenance. Deadhead spent blooms for prolonged flowering.
Salvia microphylla x greggii ‘Heatwave Glow’ infuses the garden with light peach blossoms tinged in rosy pink edges. Plants reach two feet tall. The HeatwaveⓇ salvia collection of hybrids is heat and cold hardy, with vigorous growth and blooming.
Another microphylla and greggii hybrid, Salvia x jamensis ‘California Sunset,’ blooms profusely in delicate blush apricot. An exquisite little flower, ‘California Sunset,’ flowers in spring and again in fall on shrubby, mounded forms that read three feet tall by four feet wide.
Salvia thrives in hot, dry conditions, preferring full to partial sun. Pair salvia with bright rudbeckia, echinacea, gaura, and yarrow for a pollinator-attracting combination. The aromatic foliage of salvia is deer and rabbit-resistant
Echinacea ‘Princess Peach’
This native summertime bloomer attracts pollinators with its ray flowers.
| | botanical name Echinacea ‘Princess Peach’ |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | height 10-15” |
| | hardiness zones 4-9 |
Echinacea, or coneflower, is a quintessential native summertime bloomer. Ray flowers surround a center of disc florets, a prime nectar source for pollinators and beneficial insects. Dried seed heads provide food for birds and extend winter interest in the garden.
Coneflower cultivars delight in peachy hues from pastel to neon. ‘Princess Peach’ shows off petals in varying shades of peach, from warm to pale, in a double layer surrounding a small cone center. The PrincessⓇ series features compact plants with prolific and long-lasting blooms.
Echinacea ‘Big Kahuna,’ on the other hand, boasts large flowers on tall stems that reach over two feet. Blooms are deep melon and pink at the center, fading to yellow-orange. ‘Big Kahuna’ blooms profusely and is highly fragrant.
For an intense burst of peach, look to E. ‘Butterfly Rainbow Marcella’ and its swirl of vibrant pink and orange petals. The ButterflyⓇ collection holds compact plants, with ‘Rainbow Marcella’ reaching only 18 inches high. Their infusion of blooms and changing colors pop in the garden.
Perennials like agastache, monarda, and ornamental grasses make stunning coneflower companions. Echinacea is a natural prairie plant and requires well-draining soil. Coneflowers thrive in heat and full sun.
Gaillardia ‘Mesa Peach’
Blanketflowers bloom generously with supplemental water for prolonged flowering.
| | botanical name Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Mesa Peach’ |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun |
| | height 1-2′ |
| | hardiness zones 5-10 |
Gaillardia, or blanketflower, casts a sunny glow in the garden with its daisy-like flowers in gold, orange, red, or bi-color with brown button centers. Gaillardia blooms throughout summer and well into fall. This North American native grows easily in the landscape and is drought and heat-tolerant.
Gaillardia x grandiflora combines the best of both G. pulchella and G. aristata to extend bloom color and plant height. ‘Mesa Peach’ has upright blooms with peachy-orange centers that transition to yellow. This is an intense peach combination for a sunrise glow but with tones more muted than its parent plants. Plants are well-branched and uniform.
Gaillardia aristata ‘Arizona Apricot’ has bright apricot blooms with deep orange centers and yellow tips. Layers of petals cover tidy, mounded plants in summer through frost. These compact growers reach one foot tall.
Gaillardia is a carefree performer that grows in poor, sandy soils and is adaptable to various conditions. With well-drained soil, blanketflowers need little else, though to prolong blooming, supplement with additional water during dry periods. Early to flower and late to fade, blanketflower’s disc blooms bring cheer and vibrance to the landscape.
Astilbe ‘Peach Blossom’
The ‘Peach Blossom’ astilbe presents early-season peach-toned spikes with pink accents.
| | botanical name Paeonia japonica ‘Peach Blossom’ |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to full shade |
| | height 1-2’ |
| | hardiness zones 4-9 |
Astilbe brightens the shade garden with frothy, foamy, colorful plumes in summer. A long-lived perennial, astilbe is a garden favorite for its unique form and color in shade situations.
Astilbe japonica ‘Peach Blossom’ is a Japanese astilbe loaded with bloom spikes in peach shades with touches of pink. Japanese astilbe features glossy green leaves with tinges of red and dense, pyramidal bloom spikes. ‘Peach Blossom’ is an early-season bloomer.
Plant astilbe in groups for impact and pair with hosta, columbine, ferns, and heuchera. Seed heads develop post-bloom for lasting garden interest. Astilbe is relatively easy to grow if soil moisture is consistent and organic matter is high. Astilbe suffers in dry periods. Plant it in light shade with dappled sun for best blooming.
Daylily ‘Apricot Sparkles’
This plant is known for its cheerful blossoms that follow the sun.
| | botanical name Hemerocallis ‘Apricot Sparkles’ |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to part shade |
| | height 15” |
| | hardiness zones 3-9 |
Cheery daylilies follow the sun with their lovey blossoms that open during the day and close at night. Each flower opens for only a day or two, but with abundant successional blooms, daylilies bring long-lasting color during the warm season. Daylily leaves are strappy blades in green or blue-green with a mounding form.
Hemerocallis ‘Apricot Sparkles’ has true peach flowers with a sprinkling of diamond dust and ruffled edges. Dwarf plants reach 15 inches high and are ideal for containers and garden borders. ‘Apricot Sparkles’ blooms early, from May to June, and reblooms later in the season.
H. ‘Lady Georgia’ holds large, ruffly blooms in peach with apricot centers. Tall stems reach 32 inches to support the five-inch flowers. ‘Lady Georgia’ blooms early to mid-season in June and July.
As tough perennials, daylilies grow in a variety of soil conditions. They’ll do best with moisture during dry spells in full to part sun. For a tidy appearance, deadhead spent blooms and stems. Daylilies complement coreopsis, echinacea, geranium, sedum, and dark foliage plants like purple heart and Persian shield.
Abutilon ‘Souvenir de Bonn’
The abutilon plants thrive in diverse soil types with consistent moisture.
| | botanical name Abutilon pictum ‘Souvenir de Bonn’ |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to part shade |
| | height 8-10’ |
| | hardiness zones 8-11 |
Abutilon is a unique perennial with distinct leaves and tropical flowers that lend a graceful elegance to the garden. Also called flowering maple, abutilon has maple-pointed leaves in shrub form. Folded blooms are mallow-like and resemble Chinese lanterns; pendants in colors from orange to pink to red.
Abutilon pictum ‘Souvenir de Bonn’ is a gorgeous perennial with rich salmon-pink flowers. The variegated “maple” leaves are just as striking in blue-green with creamy white edges. Flowers last from spring through fall (and year-round in warm climates).
Abutilon x hybridum ‘Bella Apricot ‘ blooms early on compact plants reaching only 18 inches tall. Large, copper-peach flowers with red venation face upward and cover the dwarf plants all season. ‘Bella’ comes in a select mix that includes creamy white, yellow, pink, and rose varieties.
Abutilon thrives in various soil types as long as they are moist and well-draining. Even moisture is a key to abutilon’s success. In areas where it’s not hardy, grow abutilon in a container and overwinter it indoors – you may even enjoy continued blooming.
Angel’s Trumpet
The pendulous trumpet flowers of Brugmansia attract a diverse range of pollinators.
| | botanical name Brugmansia versicolor |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to part shade |
| | height 10-15’ |
| | hardiness zones 9-11 |
Brugmansia’s size and enormous, pendulous trumpet flowers make it stand out in the garden. Commonly called Angel’s Trumpet, the highly fragrant flowers draw pollinators from bats to hummingbirds to moths and range in color from creamy white to melon to yellow.
Brugmansia versicolor is originally from Ecuador and boasts the largest flowers. Blooms begin as creamy white and quickly turn peachy-apricot with light and warmth. Blooms hang straight down, covering the plant in pendulous trumpets from summer ‘til frost.
For variegated varieties, look to Brugmansia ‘Sunset’ and ‘Peaches and Cream.’ ‘Sunset’ is a showstopper with creamy white margins along its large green leaves. Pale yellow flowers mature to pale peach. Plants reach five feet tall and are well-suited to containers.
B. ‘Peaches and Cream’ holds bundles of pendant trumpet blooms in ivory warming to yellow peach. Broad, tropical leaves are blue-green lined in white. Plants grow 10 to 15 feet.
A tropical shrub, brugmansia overwinters in the mulched garden bed where hardy or indoors in containers. It needs rich, moist, well-drained soils to thrive and does best with morning sun and dappled afternoon light. Angel’s Trumpet is salt tolerant and withstands light frost and drought. Angel’s Trumpet is toxic to humans and animals. Use caution when planting.
Daffodil ‘Kapiti Peach’
Plant daffodil ‘Kapiti Peach’ bulbs in the fall to maximize their growth.
| | botanical name Narcissus ‘Kapiti Peach’ |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to part shade |
| | height 14-16” |
| | hardiness zones 3-8 |
To welcome spring with a sweet blush, plant daffodil bulbs – available in all kinds of peach combinations. Daffodils are among the showiest spring bulbs, bursting into color in late winter and early spring. With trumpet blooms and cups of yellow, white, apricot, and pink, daffodils are a classic cool season showstopper.
Narcissus ‘Kapiti Peach’ peps up the garden bed with high fragrance, crisp white flowers, and deep peach cups that flare. Multiple blooms float on each stem for a mid-spring display.
N. ‘Vanilla Peach’ boasts creamy yellow flowers with frilly peachy-pink butterfly centers. Butterfly daffodils feature split cups, where the central cup is open and divided into lacy segments for a full, ruffly look. ‘Vanilla Peach’ is 14-16” tall and blooms in mid-spring.
Plant daffodils in the fall for plenty of cooling time. Cluster bulbs in groupings at three to six inches apart and four to six inches deep. After blooming, let leaves persist until they turn yellow and die back as temperatures rise. Keeping the leaves lets bulbs absorb and store as much energy as possible for the next growing season.
Cuphea
The Cuphea plant boasts tall stems with tubular blooms.
| | botanical name Cuphea micropetala |
|---|---|
| | sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
| | height 1-3′ |
| | hardiness zones 8-11 |
Cuphea, also called giant cigar plant or firecracker plant, features tall leafy stems lined with tubular blooms. Hummingbirds can’t resist cuphea, a late-summer bloomer with explosive color persisting into fall.
The flowers of Cuphea micropetala open bright yellow and mature to deep orange-red, giving an all-over hot peach glow from the bicolor blooms.
Cuphea ignea ‘Hummingbird’s Lunch’ reaches only 14 inches tall and bears densely packed blooms all summer and into fall. The flowers are cherry red with apricot tips. ‘David Verity’ glows in orange flowers on three-foot stems.
Cuphea is a rugged perennial that thrives in heat. Plant it in full sun with evenly moist, well-drained soils for best flowering. Grow cuphea in containers to overwinter indoors where not hardy.
Final Thoughts:
A little peach obsession never hurts in the garden. Incorporating perennials with peach tones brings harmonized visual interest to the garden bed and container arrangement. Peach shades complement and neutralize surrounding colors while nurturing connection and warmth in the overall mood of a landscape.
With so many perennials in peach, the hardest (and most fun!) part may be whittling down the selection. Enjoy the simple elegance, warmth, and quiet joy peach brings to the garden.
