Summer seems so fleeting sometimes, with many of our garden favourites fading as fall approaches. We love to use gorgeous perennials in the garden to keep it alive and lush during the rest of the year, and into next summer! These beautiful perennials will add colour, texture and interest to your garden - and you won't have to say goodbye when summer is over. Take a look at our top 10 perennial picks this year!

Japanese Tassel Fern

Polystichum polyblepharum

Bright, shiny green fronds make the Japanese Tassel Fern a garden favourite, especially in the Pacific Northwest, as it adds a lush spot of fresh colour. This fern needs consistently moist soil, that is also well-draining, as it doesn't like its roots to stand in water. Perfect for those hard to fill shady spots, as it prefers full to part-shade. The Tassel Fern really shines in borders, under trees, and in woodland or wild gardens. Combine it with other shade lovers, such as Hostas.

Sedum SunSparkler Series

We couldn't pick just one! (Although Firecracker and Dazzelberry are two of our top choices.) The Sedum SunSparkler series has so many amazing varieties of our favourite plant that we're sure you won't be able to choose. Sedum is known for being a slow-growing spreader, that covers the ground or rocks, and creates beautiful texture and colour. In mid to late summer a carpet of flowers will bloom and cover the plants. They love full sun, and need well-drained soil that gets an average amount of water. We love that they are drought tolerant, for those hot summer months! Perfect for garden borders and rock gardens.

A hummingbird favourite! The orange, red (and sometimes yellow) blooms create hot summer colour that will also have your garden abuzz with hummingbirds and other pollinators. The tall, vertical foliage is beautiful on its own, but really shines when it starts blooming! Crocosmia love a well drained soil, that's moderate moist, in full sun or part-shade. Our tip? Grow them in large clumps of 7-12 plants, for an eye-popping display all summer! This plant looks great as a border, along the back of the garden or even in container gardens.

Hosta 'Dancing Queen'

This plant can dance, jive and have the time of its life! Hostas are known as having gorgeous giant foliage and loving part-shade areas in your garden. The Dancing Queen is no exception. It's bright yellow foliage  (turning pale green later in the season) will contrast beautifully with other hostas or green foliage in your garden beds. Keep the soil moist, but make sure it is well-draining, so that the Hosta isn't sitting in water. You can divide your Dancing Queen in the early spring, once it's full size, and create more dancing royalty! Fantastic for your shade borders, gardens or woodland areas.

Anemone Japonica 'Honerine Jobert'

Just when you thought summer was growing to a close, this beautiful Anemone will fill your garden with beautiful white flowers right into the fall! It's height (growing to 3" tall) makes it ideal for larger spaces or back borders of your garden, especially  if they are in part shade. Plant the Honerine Jobert in rich, loamy soil, and make sure to keep it moist throughout the summer. In the winter you can protect your Anemone by mulching around the base of the plant. Use this beautiful summer annual in the borders of your garden or yard!

Aralia Cordata 'Sun King'

The giant golden leaves on this perennial make it obvious why it's called the Sun King! The gorgeous colours make it stand out in your garden, as well as its tall height (grows to 4" tall). Grow the king in moist, loamy (but well-drained) shade areas of your garden and yard. Small white flowers grow in the summer, and in the fall you'll see purple berries appear, which will attract birds! A fantastic choice for shaded landscaped areas of the yard or as a back border in your garden.

Euphorbia x Martini 'Ascot Rainbow'

The unique variegated foliage of Ascot Rainbow will spice things up in the garden or in containers on the patio! Golden leaves with a touch of pink, when the weather gets cooler. A drought and heat tolerant plant, it's perfect for the summer in full to part-sun locations, but stays looking beautiful the rest of the year as well. Plant it in well-draining soil as a border, garden accent or in containers.

Beesia Deltophylla

The Beesia's heart-shaped, dark-green, shiny leaves are evergreen, so you get to enjoy them all year long! A shade-lover, you can plant this evergreen in your full to part-shade areas of the garden as long as the soil is well-drained. In the spring you'll see white, star-shaped flowers appear. An easy to grow beauty, the Beesia is a must have for your shade gardens or container planters in shady areas.

Disporum Cantoniense ' Moonlight'

Moonlight is a compact form of 'Chinese Fairy Bells', with gorgeous white and green variegated leaves. A real eye-catching addition to your garden, Moonlight loves full sun to filtered shade areas. Look for small yellow flowers in the spring. When the temperatures get cooler in the fall months, the leaves will add purple and pink colours to their designs, as a showy summer finish! Beautiful as a boarder, an accent plant in the garden or in container gardens.

Senecio 'Angel Wings'

Angel Wings is known for its silky, silvery white foliage which stands out in the garden or in planters. Large leaves catch the sun all summer long. A heat and drought tolerant plant, Angel Wings makes a beautiful backdrop for your garden or an accent in your container gardens. Plant in full to part-sun areas, and make sure to give it lots of room as it can quickly grow to 16" in height and diameter.

There are so many noteworthy and beautiful perennials for the garden that we had a hard time choosing just ten! Keep an eye out for perennials with unique foliage or eye-catching colours to light up your garden all year long. Pair your perennials with spring and summer annuals, for a knock-out garden full of colour and beautiful combinations!