13+ Full Sun Perennials Ideas to Brighten Your Garden Year After Year
Creating a lush, colorful garden that thrives in the sun doesn’t have to be overwhelming. If you’re someone who loves spending time on the back porch with a cup of coffee, dreaming up new back porch decor or experimenting with modern patio furniture arrangements, full sun perennials are your best friend.
They’re dependable, stunning, and come back every year with little fuss — which means more time enjoying your outdoor living space and less time replanting.
Below, you’ll find 19 full sun perennials that are perfect for garden beds, borders, and even container setups. Whether you’re going for a cottage-core charm or a sleek, modern landscape look, these ideas will help bring your garden to life.
1. Black-Eyed Susan
Black-Eyed Susan, or Rudbeckia hirta, is a garden classic that brings cheerful sunshine to any landscape. With bright yellow petals surrounding a rich brown or black center, it stands out beautifully in flower beds and borders.
This hardy perennial thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, making it an ideal choice for hot, dry climates. It blooms from midsummer into fall, giving your outdoor space long-lasting color and appeal. These blooms also attract butterflies and bees, making your garden a pollinator haven.
Black-Eyed Susans grow between 1 and 3 feet tall, so they’re perfect for adding height and layering to your flowerbeds. Pair them with ornamental grasses or modern patio furniture arrangements for an inviting and casual garden vibe.
What makes them especially beloved is their low-maintenance nature. Once established, they’re drought-resistant and disease-tolerant. A quick deadhead will encourage more blooms, but even if you skip it, they’ll return year after year.
These golden beauties are perfect for anyone seeking an easy-to-care-for plant that brings bold color and charm to their back porch view.
2. Coneflower (Echinacea)
Coneflowers, or Echinacea, are among the most popular full sun perennials, and for good reason. Their daisy-like blooms with spiky centers add instant texture and height to your flower beds. With colors ranging from deep purples to soft pinks, oranges, and whites, they fit into almost any garden design — from wild cottage gardens to structured, modern back porch ideas.
These perennials thrive in sunny spots and are incredibly tolerant of poor soil, drought, and even heat waves. Once planted, they require minimal maintenance. The deep taproots help them survive dry conditions, and their upright growth keeps them from flopping over in the wind.
Coneflowers bloom from early summer through fall, giving your garden months of vibrant color. They’re also known for attracting pollinators like butterflies, bees, and even hummingbirds — making your outdoor living space feel even more alive.
If you’re looking for a strong, beautiful flower that thrives in full sun and adds charm to any patio or garden design, coneflowers are an easy favorite.
3. Shasta Daisy
There’s something timeless and clean about the Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum). With bright white petals and sunny yellow centers, these blooms offer a classic look that fits beautifully into both traditional and modern landscapes.
Shasta Daisies love full sun and well-drained soil, and they’ll reward you with bloom after bloom from early summer through early fall. They’re ideal for lining walkways, surrounding patio edges, or creating a cheerful focal point near a garden bench or porch swing.
Growing about 2 to 3 feet tall, Shasta Daisies are perfect for adding visual structure without overwhelming the space. Their upright stems are sturdy, and the foliage remains attractive even when the blooms are gone.
These perennials are also deer-resistant and drought-tolerant, so you won’t need to fuss over them throughout the season. Regular deadheading encourages more blooms, but even without it, they’ll come back year after year stronger than before.
Whether you’re curating a relaxed cottage-style garden or incorporating them into more modern back porch decor, Shasta Daisies are a bright and breezy addition.
4. Coreopsis (Tickseed)
Coreopsis, also known as Tickseed, is a sun-loving powerhouse that bursts with golden-yellow blooms that seem to never stop. It’s one of the easiest perennials to grow, making it perfect for beginners or anyone who wants a low-maintenance splash of color.
With a long bloom season from early summer to fall, Coreopsis works beautifully along garden borders or as filler between larger statement plants. Its dainty petals flutter in the breeze, adding movement and softness to your backyard aesthetic.
Coreopsis pairs well with modern patio furniture and clean landscape lines, adding just enough wild charm without looking unruly. Many varieties are drought-tolerant and thrive even in poor soil, making them incredibly versatile for outdoor living spaces.
If you’re looking for a dependable bloomer that brings sunshine to every corner of your yard, Coreopsis deserves a top spot on your list.
5. Salvia
Salvia is a sun-loving, pollinator-attracting perennial that adds vertical interest and vibrant color to any garden. Its spiky blooms come in rich shades of purple, blue, pink, and red — making it an excellent choice for both soft and bold garden palettes.
Salvia thrives in full sun and is extremely drought-tolerant once established. It pairs well with ornamental grasses, stone pathways, or even sleek concrete planters, offering plenty of modern back porch inspiration.
Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds adore salvia, so it’s not just beautiful — it also supports the local ecosystem.
These plants typically bloom in late spring or early summer and can bloom again in the fall with a quick trim after the first round of flowers fades. Their upright growth habit also makes them ideal for narrow garden spaces or planting near patios and seating areas.
Salvia adds an effortlessly polished look to your outdoor living space — making it one of the most stylish and useful full sun perennials available.
6. Daylilies
Daylilies (Hemerocallis) are the ultimate low-maintenance, high-impact perennial for sunny spaces. With bold, trumpet-shaped blooms in just about every color imaginable, they fit any aesthetic — from rustic charm to polished modern patios.
Each flower lasts just one day (hence the name), but the plants are prolific bloomers and often flower repeatedly throughout the summer. Some varieties even re-bloom late into the season, offering ongoing color with very little care.
Daylilies thrive in full sun and well-drained soil, but they’re highly adaptable to various conditions. Once established, they’re drought-tolerant and require minimal upkeep. A quick trim of spent flowers and occasional division every few years is all they need.
Use them to line walkways, edge flowerbeds, or create a soft visual barrier between your lawn and a modern patio furniture setup. Their strap-like foliage stays neat, and their reliable blooming cycle makes them one of the most rewarding plants for busy gardeners.
7. Yarrow
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a tough, sun-loving perennial known for its feathery foliage and broad, flat flower heads in colors like yellow, pink, red, and white. Its unique texture adds contrast and softness to structured garden layouts.
This perennial thrives in poor soil, full sun, and dry conditions — making it perfect for rock gardens, drought-prone areas, or sunny borders. Its blooms appear in late spring and can last into late summer, often drawing butterflies and other pollinators to your outdoor living area.
Yarrow grows 1 to 3 feet tall, depending on the variety, and looks fantastic when mass-planted or mixed in with ornamental grasses. Its rustic, natural vibe makes it a great complement to more curated modern back porch ideas.
It’s also a fantastic cut flower and dries beautifully for crafts or indoor arrangements, making it both functional and beautiful.
8. Lavender
Lavender is more than just a garden staple — it’s a whole mood. Its fragrant blooms and silvery-green foliage create a serene, spa-like vibe that works beautifully in any sunny space.
Perfect for lining pathways, edging raised beds, or flanking your back porch steps, lavender brings calm and beauty wherever it’s planted. It pairs effortlessly with both rustic and modern patio designs, offering structure and scent in equal measure.
Lavender thrives in full sun and well-drained soil. Once established, it’s drought-tolerant and deer-resistant, making it incredibly low maintenance. Just a quick pruning after the first bloom will keep it tidy and encourage another flush of flowers.
It also attracts bees and butterflies, contributing to a healthy garden ecosystem. Plus, you can harvest the blooms for DIY projects like sachets, wreaths, or bath salts.
Lavender is an excellent choice if you want a hardworking, sun-loving perennial that’s as beautiful as it is useful.
9. Russian Sage
Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) is a graceful, drought-tolerant perennial that brings stunning silvery foliage and wispy lavender-blue flowers to full sun spaces. It has an airy, relaxed growth habit that makes it perfect for filling in larger garden beds or softening the edges of walkways and patios.
This plant thrives in hot, dry conditions and poor soil — a dream for gardeners in sunnier zones who want maximum impact with minimal care. Once established, Russian Sage is practically maintenance-free. Just cut it back in early spring and let it take off.
Russian Sage’s ethereal look makes it an ideal choice for blending modern and rustic styles. Whether you’re designing a clean, contemporary outdoor living space or layering textures around your back porch, this perennial adds softness and movement.
It blooms from mid-summer to fall, offering a long window of color when many other plants begin to fade. Pollinators like bees and butterflies love it, and deer tend to leave it alone — so it’s as practical as it is beautiful.
This is a must-have for anyone who wants low-effort elegance and year-after-year reliability.
10. Blanket Flower (Gaillardia)
Blanket Flower (Gaillardia) brings a bold, sun-kissed vibe to any garden with its warm red, orange, and yellow blooms. These daisy-like flowers look like tiny suns themselves and absolutely thrive in bright, full sun environments.
Native to North America, Blanket Flower is incredibly resilient. It grows in sandy or poor soil, tolerates drought, and can handle serious heat without missing a beat. Once planted, it blooms from early summer straight through fall with very little intervention.
Its compact size (usually around 12 to 18 inches tall) makes it ideal for front borders, container gardens, or even weaving through rock gardens. The vibrant color pops against neutral backgrounds, making it an excellent companion to modern patio furniture or minimalist landscaping features.
Blanket Flower attracts bees and butterflies and is typically ignored by deer. It also reseeds itself, meaning you’ll likely get more blooms in future seasons without lifting a finger.
If you’re looking for a fiery, no-fuss perennial that energizes your space and keeps on giving, this cheerful plant is an absolute winner.
11. Sedum (Stonecrop)
Sedum, often referred to as Stonecrop, is a full sun perennial that checks all the boxes: low-maintenance, drought-tolerant, pollinator-friendly, and visually stunning.
This succulent-like plant comes in many varieties — from low-growing groundcovers to tall, upright clumps like the popular Autumn Joy sedum. Regardless of the type you choose, Sedum thrives in sunny spots and poor soil. It actually prefers dry conditions and needs little more than occasional watering once it’s settled in.
Sedum produces star-shaped flowers in late summer and fall, offering seasonal interest long after other perennials have faded. The blooms are often pink, red, or yellow, and they attract butterflies and bees like crazy.
Because of its sculptural shape and varied textures, Sedum works wonderfully in both cottage-style and sleek, modern gardens. Pair it with gravel pathways, raised planters, or near your back porch steps to give your space a clean, curated look.
Plus, it’s a fabulous plant for anyone looking to mix garden beauty with practicality — especially if you’re designing around water-saving goals or a low-maintenance lifestyle.
12. Bee Balm (Monarda)
Bee Balm, or Monarda, is a wild and whimsical perennial that’s a magnet for pollinators and a total joy to watch in full bloom. With its shaggy, pom-pom-like flowers in shades of red, pink, purple, and white, Bee Balm adds a lively burst of color to sunny garden spots.
This native plant thrives in full sun and moist, well-drained soil but can tolerate brief periods of dryness once established. It typically grows 2 to 4 feet tall, making it ideal for background layers or as a colorful vertical accent near patios and fences.
One of Bee Balm’s most delightful traits is its ability to attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies in droves. It also has a sweet, minty fragrance that lingers in the air — perfect for creating that dreamy outdoor living experience.
Pair Bee Balm with ornamental grasses, Coreopsis, or Salvia for a lush, meadow-inspired look that feels natural yet intentional. It’s especially eye-catching near back porch decor that leans into bold colors or playful cottage vibes.
Low-maintenance and highly rewarding, Bee Balm is a must for any full sun perennial collection.
13. Catmint (Nepeta)
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Catmint (Nepeta) is one of those magical perennials that seems to thrive on neglect — yet still delivers gorgeous color and fragrance throughout the summer. With its soft, silvery foliage and lavender-blue flower spikes, Catmint is ideal for edging garden beds, filling in awkward spaces, or softening the look of hardscape elements.
This full sun-loving plant is drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, and incredibly easy to grow. Once established, it handles heat and poor soil with grace. The flowers bloom in waves from late spring through summer, and you can encourage reblooming by trimming it back midseason.
Catmint’s relaxed shape and gentle color palette make it a wonderful match for modern patio layouts, raised garden beds, and cottage-style outdoor spaces alike. It’s also a pollinator favorite, with bees and butterflies flocking to its flowers all season long.
Whether you want to create a romantic garden path or add a soft border to a sleek backyard layout, Catmint fits the bill with beauty and reliability.
14. Blanket Bush (Santolina)
Also known as Lavender Cotton, Santolina is a Mediterranean native that thrives in hot, sunny conditions. It’s a unique option among full sun perennials because of its dense, silvery foliage and compact growth, which works especially well in structured or minimalist gardens.
The plant blooms in summer with small, button-like yellow flowers, but it’s the evergreen, aromatic foliage that really shines year-round. Santolina grows in tidy mounds and is perfect for edging pathways, lining raised beds, or planting in geometric patterns for a clean, modern look.
It prefers well-drained soil and is highly drought-tolerant, making it a smart choice for xeriscaping or water-wise gardens. It also pairs beautifully with gravel, stone, and modern patio furniture, offering a sleek contrast to more traditional blooms.
If you’re after a subtle, sculptural plant that looks good in every season and asks for very little in return, Santolina is a design-forward choice that elevates your outdoor living space with minimal effort.
Conclusion: Design a Radiant Garden That Thrives in the Sun
Choosing the right full sun perennials isn’t just about what’s pretty — it’s about building a garden that works with your lifestyle and reflects your personality.
Whether you want soft pastels or fiery color, structured elegance or wild charm, these 19 perennials offer variety, durability, and long-lasting beauty that return year after year.
From charming Coneflowers and dreamy Lavender to bold Blanket Flowers and sculptural Sedum, each one has a place in a thoughtful, well-designed backyard. Pair them with modern back porch ideas, layered container arrangements, or tucked alongside your outdoor furniture setup — and watch your space come to life.
So, pour yourself a glass of iced tea, step out onto the patio, and get inspired. With the right mix of full sun perennials, your outdoor living space will be blooming with color, texture, and joy all season long.
