Zone 3 - Perennials

Cold-climate gardens can still offer dependable color, texture, and seasonal interest. Our Zone 3 perennials include bellflowers, catmint, yarrow, salvia, hostas, ferns, and ornamental grasses selected for reliable performance through northern winters. Use these plants in borders, ground covers, and pollinator gardens, while mixing bloom times and foliage to keep Zone 3 flowers lively from spring through fall.
A tall spike of vibrant blue delphinium flowers with white centers stands against a blurred green background of foliage and grass.
Shadowland® 'Love Story' Hosta is a large variegated perennial with broad green leaves striped in creamy yellow and pale green - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.A close-up of Shadowland® 'Love Story' Hosta shows its large, textured leaf with striking green, yellow, and cream variegation - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Shadowland® 'Love Story' Hosta

$21.99
$21.99

Shadowland® 'Miss America' Hosta, a large hosta with green and creamy yellow leaves, is featured in a mulched shade garden bed among lush plants, its vibrant foliage illuminated by sunlight - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Shadowland® 'Miss America' Hosta, a large variety with pointed green leaves and creamy white centers, flourishes in mulched shade beds among other hostas. Sunlight enhances its vibrant foliage - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Shadowland® 'Miss America' Hosta

$13.19
$21.99 $13.19
Shadowland® 'Seducer' Hosta, a large shade perennial with broad green and yellow variegated leaves, grows in a garden bed near other plants and a white porch railing - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.Shadowland® 'Seducer' Hosta features broad green leaves edged in yellow and tall stems of white flowers in a garden bed with assorted green foliage and mulch - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Shadowland® 'Seducer' Hosta

$18.99
$18.99

Shadowland® 'Voices in the Wind' Hosta features broad, wavy green leaves with creamy yellow edges in a shady garden with soil and pine needles - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Shadowland® 'Voices in the Wind' Hosta is a large perennial with broad green leaves and wavy yellow edges - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Shadowland® 'Voices in the Wind' Hosta

$19.79
$21.99 $19.79
A close-up of Shadowland® 'Waterslide' Hosta, a shade perennial with wavy, ribbed blue-green leaves, growing in a mulched garden bed among plants with yellow and reddish foliage - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Top-down view of the Shadowland® 'Waterslide' Hosta features broad, blue ruffled leaves and pale purple flowers on tall stems - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Shadowland® 'Waterslide' Hosta

$21.99
$21.99

Shadowland® 'Wheee!' Hosta is a ruffled shade perennial with variegated leaves—light green edges and dark green centers - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Cluster of green ruffled hostas, including Shadowland® 'Wheee!' Hosta with its tightly curled leaves, growing in mulched soil against a backdrop of evergreen shrubs - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Shadowland® 'Wheee!' Hosta

$17.59
$21.99 $17.59

Shadowland® 'Coast To Coast' Hosta features large, bright green, textured leaves and pale purple flowers on stalks. Several ID labels are tucked among the foliage with pine needles covering the ground - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Shadowland® 'Coast To Coast' Hosta features large, bright green leaves with deep veins that grow in clusters, offering an attractive choice for shade gardens among other lush foliage - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Shadowland® Giant Collection 'Coast To Coast' Hosta

$20.99
$20.99

Shadowland® 'Empress Wu' Hosta, a large hosta with broad, ribbed green leaves, stands among other leafy plants and ferns in a lush shade garden - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.Shadowland® 'Empress Wu' Hosta impresses with its giant, textured leaves and pale purple flowers, thriving in shade gardens among leafy plants and pine needles for a stunning landscape accent - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Shadowland® Giant Collection 'Empress Wu' Hosta

$20.99
$20.99

Shadowland® 'Gigantosaurus' Hosta, a giant with broad green leaves edged in yellow, thrives in shade near a wooden lattice fence, surrounded by lush greenery and dappled sunlight - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Shadowland® 'Gigantosaurus' Hosta shows off its oversized green leaves with yellow edges in a shady garden spot near a wooden lattice fence, with soil and small plant markers visible in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Shadowland® Giant Collection 'Gigantosaurus' Hosta

$30.99
$30.99
Shadowland® 'Hudson Bay' Hosta features large, textured green leaves and pale, drooping flowers in a shaded garden bed with pink daylilies. A plant label with information sits in front of this shade-loving perennial - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Shadowland® 'Hudson Bay' Hosta features large, variegated green and yellow leaves and tall stalks of pale purple flowers, making it a standout accent for shade gardens - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Shadowland® Giant Collection 'Hudson Bay' Hosta

$30.99
$30.99

Shadowland® 'Humungosaurus' Hosta features oversized, bright green leaves and pale purple flowers, making this shade perennial a standout among ornamental grasses and other hosta varieties in the garden - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.A person's hand wearing a black ring rests on the large, deeply veined leaf of Shadowland® 'Humungosaurus' Hosta, surrounded by lush shade perennials in a garden - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Shadowland® Giant Collection 'Humungosaurus' Hosta

$18.99
$18.99
Top-down view of Shadowland® 'Lone Star' Hosta features large green leaves with yellow edges, some brown spots, and pronounced veins - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.A close-up of lush green Shadowland® 'Lone Star' Hosta leaves shows prominent veins and yellow edges. This Proven Winners perennial forms dense, vibrant foliage with broad, slightly wavy leaves - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Shadowland® Giant Collection 'Lone Star' Hosta

$21.99
$21.99
Shadowland® 'Sound of Music' Hosta features large, broad leaves with yellow centers and wavy edges. Topped by clusters of pale lavender, bell-shaped flowers, this variegated hosta makes a striking addition to any shade garden - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.A black baseball cap with a white D logo rests on large, green Shadowland® 'Sound of Music' Hosta leaves covered in water droplets - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Shadowland® Giant Collection 'Sound of Music' Hosta

$13.19
$21.99 $13.19
A large Shadowland® 'Wu-La-La' Hosta is a giant shade perennial with broad blue-green leaves edged in yellow, thriving among leafy plants in a garden bed mulched with pine straw - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.The Shadowland® 'Wu-La-La' Hosta, a giant shade perennial, features large ribbed green leaves in a mulched garden bed with surrounding greenery and dappled sunlight - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Shadowland® Giant Collection 'Wu-La-La' Hosta

$21.99
$21.99

Close-up of two green, spiky pods growing on a Showy Milkweed (Asclepias) plant, surrounded by lush green leaves and stems with a softly blurred natural background - Photo Courtesy of PixabayClose-up of Showy Milkweed (Asclepias) clusters with pale pink and cream star-shaped flowers and elongated green leaves, set against a blurred background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Showy Milkweed (Asclepias)

$17.99
$17.99

A cluster of Spintop® Orange Halo Blanket Flower (Gaillardia) displays vivid red petals with bright yellow tips, green leaves, and buds - Photo Courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc.Close-up of vibrant Spintop® Orange Halo Blanket Flower (Gaillardia) features pointed red and yellow petals with a dark center, surrounded by green leaves and buds on this hardy perennial - Photo Courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc.

Spintop® Orange Halo Blanket Flower (Gaillardia)

$17.99
$17.99
A cluster of Spintop® Red Blanket Flower (Gaillardia) with vivid blooms and green foliage in full bloom against a white background - Photo Courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc.Spintop® Red Blanket Flower (Gaillardia) features bright red and orange blooms with yellow-tipped petals in dense clusters above green foliage - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Spintop® Red Blanket Flower (Gaillardia)

$17.99
$17.99

A planting of Spintop® Red Starburst Blanket Flower (Gaillardia) with yellow petals, red centers, green leaves, and unopened buds - Photo Courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc. Decorative pot not included.Close-up of Spintop® Red Starburst Blanket Flower (Gaillardia) features bright yellow petals with red centers and dark brown disk florets by green leaves and buds at various stages of bloom - Photo Courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc.

Spintop® Red Starburst Blanket Flower (Gaillardia)

$17.99
$17.99

Sun Jewels™ 'Pink Diamonds' Bleeding Heart (Dicentra) is a sun-loving perennial featuring pink, heart-shaped, fringed flowers above soft, fern-like blue-green leaves, with larger green leaves from another plant in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Close-up of Sun Jewels™ 'Pink Diamonds' Bleeding Heart (Dicentra) flowers featuring heart-shaped pink and white petals, set against a blurred green foliage and brown soil background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Sun Jewels™ 'Pink Diamonds' Bleeding Heart (Dicentra)

$15.99
$19.99 $15.99

Clusters of white, delicate, drooping flowers with fringed petals bloom above fern-like green foliage on Sun Jewels™ 'White Diamonds' Bleeding Heart (Dicentra), adding elegance to any garden. Grass can be seen in the background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.Clusters of white, drooping flowers with delicate petals bloom above fern-like green leaves - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Sun Jewels™ 'White Diamonds' Bleeding Heart (Dicentra)

$19.99
$19.99
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias), a native perennial features clusters of deep pink flowers in the garden with blurred trees and a red-roofed building in the background - Photo Courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc.

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias)

$17.99
$17.99
Bright purple, bell-shaped flowers of the Takion Blue Bellflower (Campanula) bloom among green foliage, with a large rock in front and leafy bushes behind - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.The Takion Blue Bellflower (Campanula) with vibrant purple bell-shaped blooms and slender green leaves in a mulched bed with a blurred fence in the background - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Takion Blue Bellflower (Campanula)

$17.99
$17.99

Takion White Bellflower (Campanula) blooms among green leaves and purple foliage, with blurred grass and flowers behind it - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.Close-up of several Takion White Bellflower (Campanula), a perennial with white bell-shaped flowers and light green stems, blooming among other buds and blurred foliage in a garden or greenhouse - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Takion White Bellflower (Campanula)

$17.99
$17.99
‘Valentine’ Bleeding Heart (Dicentra) features red and pink heart-shaped flowers with green leaves, growing densely together in a garden, set against a softly blurred natural background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Close-up of 'Valentine' Bleeding Heart (Dicentra) flowers, displaying red and white heart-shaped blooms hanging from a curved stem with green foliage in a garden setting - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Valentine® Bleeding Heart (Dicentra)

$20.99
$20.99

Spintop Red Blanket Flower with red and orange blooms, yellow-tipped petals, and green foliage

Choose Hardy Zone 3 Perennials for Your Growing Conditions

The best perennial garden begins with plants suited to your climate and each bed. These perennials may tolerate low winter temperatures, but they still need the right sunlight, soil drainage, and moisture to perform well. Check each plant’s care information before deciding where it belongs.

When arranging perennials, sunny beds can support yarrow, catmint, false sunflower, milkweed, perennial salvia, and ornamental grasses. In locations with less direct light, hostas, lady ferns, lungwort, and other foliage-rich choices can bring color and texture. Group plants with similar needs together, then leave enough room for each variety to reach its mature size.

Mini Marvels Twilight Bellflower with light purple blooms and dense green foliage

Plan Flowers for Color Across the Seasons

A beautiful Zone 3 garden does not need to bloom all at once. Select Zone 3 flowers with different bloom windows so fresh color continues as the growing season progresses. Bellflowers and catmint can begin the display, while yarrow, milkweed, false sunflower, and salvia provide summer interest. Foliage plants and grasses help carry the design between flowering periods and into fall.

Use the collection filters to compare sun exposure, bloom time, water needs, pollinator value, critter resistance, and design use. You can also find plants suited to borders, mass plantings, containers, ground cover, and cut-flower gardens.

Shop online or from a family-owned nursery with more than 20 years of plant-shipping experience. Every order is personally inspected before leaving Garden Crossings, helping you start with healthy plants selected for garden success.

FAQs

Plant these perennials in the springtime after the soil becomes workable, and the risk of a hard freeze has passed. Early fall planting is also possible, but we recommend planting them six weeks before the first freeze.

Plants such as catmint, yarrow, salvia, and bellflower can provide weeks of color when planted in suitable conditions. Combine plants with different bloom times to enjoy these perennials from late spring through fall.