Some plants need constant coddling—these aren’t them. Biennials are the quiet powerhouses of the garden: easy to grow, low on fuss, and big on bloom.
This list highlights 15 that bring bold, beautiful color year after year with minimal effort—plus a few bonus picks that add extra pop where your garden needs it most, without the extra work.
1. Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
Towering spikes of tubular flowers make foxgloves the woodland garden’s dramatic centerpiece. These stately plants thrive in partial shade and adapt to various soil types, making them incredibly forgiving for beginners.
Once established, foxgloves happily self-seed, creating new generations without any effort on your part. Their bell-shaped blooms in shades of purple, pink, white, and cream attract hummingbirds and beneficial pollinators.
Despite their beauty, remember that all parts are toxic if eaten – a natural defense that also means deer and rabbits leave them alone!
2. Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus)
Grandma’s garden favorite brings nostalgic charm with its clustered blooms in vibrant reds, pinks, whites, and bicolors. Sweet William creates a fragrant carpet of color that returns reliably with minimal intervention.
Growing just 12-24 inches tall, these hardy plants form perfect borders or container accents. Their clove-like scent attracts butterflies while their dense growth naturally suppresses weeds.
Plant once and enjoy for years as they generously self-seed. The flowers make excellent cut arrangements, lasting over a week in vases while filling your home with their sweet perfume.
3. Hollyhock (Alcea rosea)
Reaching for the sky with stalks that can tower 6-8 feet tall, hollyhocks create a vertical drama few garden plants can match. Their dinner-plate sized blooms in jewel tones transform ordinary garden spaces into storybook settings.
Originally brought to Europe by Crusaders, these historic beauties have graced cottage gardens for centuries. Their deep roots help them withstand drought once established, making summer care nearly effortless.
Children delight in making ‘hollyhock dolls’ from the flowers and buds – a craft passed down through generations, adding play value to their ornamental worth.
4. Canterbury Bells (Campanula medium)
Imagine cup-shaped blooms in heavenly blues, pinks, and whites dancing on sturdy stems – that’s the magic of Canterbury Bells. Their name comes from their resemblance to the bells worn by pilgrims journeying to Canterbury Cathedral.
Unlike fussier garden favorites, these European natives thrive with minimal attention in average soil. The bell-shaped flowers appear in late spring through early summer, creating weeks of enchantment.
For continuous displays, simply allow some flowers to set seed. The plant’s basal rosette of leaves provides winter interest before the spectacular second-year flowering show begins.
5. Lunaria (Money Plant)
Money doesn’t grow on trees, but it does grow in gardens with Lunaria! Better known as the ‘money plant’ or ‘silver dollar,’ this biennial offers two distinct seasons of interest.
Spring brings clusters of purple or white flowers that pollinators adore. By summer, the real show begins as seed pods develop into translucent silver discs resembling coins. These pods dry beautifully for everlasting arrangements.
Carefree and adaptable, Lunaria thrives in sun or partial shade. Its unique seed pods create winter interest long after other garden plants have faded, providing year-round garden value.
6. Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Golden sunshine on stems! Though sometimes grown as a short-lived perennial, Black-Eyed Susan typically behaves as a biennial, rewarding gardeners with cheerful daisy-like blooms featuring distinctive dark centers.
Native to North American prairies, these tough plants laugh at drought, poor soil, and neglect. Their wildflower heritage means they’re perfectly adapted to thrive with minimal intervention, making them perfect for naturalistic gardens.
Beyond their beauty, these plants serve as vital food sources for native bees and butterflies. Leave the seed heads standing in fall, and you’ll attract goldfinches and other seed-eating birds to your winter garden.
7. Angelica (Angelica gigas)
Korean angelica brings architectural drama with its deep burgundy umbels atop purple-flushed stems. Unlike its more common relatives, this striking biennial commands attention in any garden setting with its rich, unusual coloration.
Reaching 3-5 feet tall, angelica creates mid-border structure without demanding constant care. The dramatic flowers attract beneficial insects, especially hover flies that help control garden pests naturally.
Medieval herbalists named this plant ‘angelica’ believing it had angelic healing properties. Modern gardeners appreciate its bold presence and the way its seed heads provide winter interest long after blooming has finished.
8. Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)
Lemon-yellow blooms that open at dusk create garden magic as the sun sets. Evening primrose puts on a nightly show, with each flower unfurling in a matter of minutes – fast enough that you can actually watch it happen!
Native to eastern North America, these adaptable plants thrive in poor soils where fussier flowers fail. Their deep taproots access nutrients and moisture other plants can’t reach, making them remarkably drought-tolerant.
Beyond ornamental value, evening primrose has medicinal properties. The seeds produce an oil rich in gamma-linolenic acid, used in treating skin conditions and hormonal imbalances – beauty and function in one carefree plant.
9. Stock (Matthiola incana)
Spicy-sweet fragrance wafts across the garden from stocks’ clustered blooms in shades of pink, purple, white, and cream. Often grown as annuals in cold climates, these Mediterranean natives naturally follow a biennial cycle in milder regions.
Cool-season bloomers, stocks provide color and scent when many garden plants are dormant. Their clove-like perfume intensifies in evening, making them perfect near patios or windows where their fragrance can be enjoyed.
Cutting actually encourages more blooms, so harvest freely for fragrant bouquets. The gray-green foliage remains attractive even when not in bloom, providing texture and color throughout the growing season.
10. Honesty (Lunaria annua)
Don’t let the ‘annua’ in its name fool you – this beauty follows a biennial growth pattern! Honesty’s spring display of purple or white cross-shaped flowers gives way to its more famous feature: papery, translucent seed pods that resemble silver coins.
Victorian gardeners prized these ‘silver dollars’ for winter arrangements, a tradition that continues today. The flat, iridescent discs catch light beautifully, adding sparkle to dried bouquets.
Remarkably undemanding, honesty grows in sun or shade and tolerates poor soil with grace. Allow plants to self-seed, and you’ll enjoy continuous displays without replanting – nature handles the garden work for you!
11. Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis sylvatica)
Clouds of tiny sky-blue flowers with sunny yellow centers create a dreamy spring display that looks like the garden is floating in blue mist. These woodland natives spread happily without becoming invasive, filling empty spaces with their cheerful blooms.
Legend says a medieval knight fell into a river while picking these flowers for his lady. As he drowned, he tossed the bouquet ashore crying, “Forget me not!” – giving the flower its romantic name.
Perfect companions for spring bulbs, forget-me-nots provide a living mulch that hides fading bulb foliage. Their shallow roots mean they’re easy to remove where unwanted, making them manageable self-sowers.
12. Dame’s Rocket (Hesperis matronalis)
Sweet evening perfume announces Dame’s Rocket’s presence as twilight falls. Often mistaken for garden phlox, these tall beauties produce four-petaled flowers in shades of purple, pink and white on 2-3 foot stems.
Medieval monastery gardens featured these fragrant plants for both beauty and medicine. Modern gardeners appreciate how they naturalize in woodland edges and meadows, creating spectacular spring displays with zero maintenance.
Butterflies and sphinx moths flock to the nectar-rich blooms, bringing additional life to evening gardens. The plants’ ability to thrive in partial shade makes them valuable for brightening darker garden corners where other flowers struggle.
13. Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)
Reaching skyward with candelabra-like flower spikes, common mullein brings architectural drama to garden borders and naturalized areas. The first year’s fuzzy rosette of silvery leaves was once gathered as ‘cowboy toilet paper’ by American pioneers!
During its second year, a remarkable transformation occurs as the plant sends up a towering flower stalk that can reach 6-8 feet tall. Tiny yellow blooms open sequentially from bottom to top, extending the display for weeks.
Drought-resistant and deer-proof, mullein thrives in poor soil where pampered plants fail. Native bees adore the pollen-rich flowers, while goldfinches feast on the seeds, bringing wildlife to your garden.
14. Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
Surprise! Your kitchen herb has a secret life as an ornamental biennial. When allowed to complete its two-year cycle, parsley produces stunning umbels of tiny yellow-green flowers that rise 3 feet above the familiar foliage.
These intricate blooms attract beneficial insects, particularly tiny parasitic wasps that help control garden pests. Swallowtail butterflies lay eggs on parsley, making it a valuable addition to butterfly gardens.
After flowering, parsley produces abundant seeds that ensure future generations. Allowing some plants to complete this natural cycle means enjoying both culinary and ornamental benefits from this dual-purpose biennial.
15. Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea)
Aromatic foliage and spectacular flower spikes make clary sage a standout biennial for dry gardens. The first year’s textured, gray-green leaves release a complex scent when brushed against, while the second year brings 3-foot flower stalks in shades of pink, purple and white.
Ancient herbalists called it ‘clear eye’ because its seeds were used to remove dust from eyes. Today, its essential oil appears in high-end perfumes for its complex, warm, herbaceous fragrance.
Drought-tolerant and deer-resistant, clary sage thrives in poor soil and full sun. Its architectural presence works beautifully in Mediterranean gardens, gravel gardens, or anywhere needing drought-tolerant beauty.
16. Caraway (Carum carvi)
Beyond the familiar seeds in rye bread lies a graceful biennial with fern-like foliage and delicate white flower umbels. Caraway brings airy texture to herb gardens and perennial borders while attracting beneficial insects with its tiny blooms.
The lacy foliage emerges in the first year, creating an attractive rosette that resembles a refined version of Queen Anne’s lace. Year two brings 2-foot stems topped with intricate umbels that beneficial wasps and flies particularly appreciate.
After flowering, you’ll harvest the aromatic seeds for cooking or allow them to self-sow. Either way, this low-maintenance herb delivers both ornamental value and culinary rewards with minimal effort.
17. Wild Carrot (Daucus carota)
Known as Queen Anne’s lace, this roadside beauty brings natural elegance to cottage gardens and meadow plantings. The flat-topped white flower clusters feature a distinctive purple-black center floret – according to legend, representing a drop of blood where Queen Anne pricked her finger.
The first year’s fern-like foliage forms an attractive rosette. In year two, branching stems rise 2-3 feet, topped with intricate umbels that attract tiny beneficial wasps and flies that help control garden pests.
As flowers mature, they curl inward to form bird’s-nest-like seed heads with excellent winter interest. Self-seeding ensures continuous displays in coming years with zero effort.
18. Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)
Clouds of tiny fragrant flowers hover above ferny foliage on this medicinal biennial. The vanilla-scented white or pale pink blooms appear in early summer, creating a frothy display that butterflies find irresistible.
Ancient Greeks and Romans valued valerian root for its calming properties – a use that continues in modern herbal medicine. In the garden, it’s prized for its graceful presence and the beneficial insects it attracts.
Growing 3-5 feet tall, valerian adds vertical interest to perennial borders or herb gardens. Its hollow stems mean it stays upright without staking, making it truly low-maintenance while providing structure and movement in the garden.
19. Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum)
Sculptural and dramatic, teasel brings architectural interest from summer through winter. First-year rosettes of prickly, crinkled leaves give way to soaring 6-foot stems topped with egg-shaped flower heads ringed with tiny lavender blooms.
Historically, dried teasel heads were used by wool manufacturers to raise the nap on fabrics – nature’s perfect carding tool. Today, they’re prized by floral designers for their distinctive shape and texture in dried arrangements.
Goldfinches perform acrobatic feats to extract seeds from the dried heads, making winter gardens come alive. Self-seeding ensures continuous displays while the plant’s tap root helps break up compacted soil naturally.
20. Nasturtium ‘Tip Top’ (Tropaeolum majus)
While typically grown as annuals, certain nasturtium varieties like ‘Tip Top’ follow a biennial pattern in mild climates. Their lily-pad-like leaves and jewel-toned flowers in oranges, yellows, and reds bring a cheerful presence to garden edges and containers.
Both flowers and leaves are edible with a peppery flavor similar to watercress – try them in salads for a spicy kick and visual punch! The round leaves naturally collect morning dew in their centers, creating miniature reflecting pools.
Nasturtiums actually bloom better in poor soil – fertilizing produces lush foliage at the expense of flowers. This makes them perfect low-maintenance options for garden spots where other plants struggle.