the ONLY stupid question.. is the un-asked question ...

the answer is no .... as to losing leaves ....

unfortunately .. the question is so broad.. its hard to answer it...

where are you??? .. and what other things are important.. such as sun [how many hours? ].. size... soil.. flowers .. variegation ... color .... height .... etc ...

in other words.. at this point.. any list of perennials.. answers your list request ...

whats your pleasure???

ken

No, not all perennials lose their foliage in the off-season. Some are evergreen and some are semi-evergreen. Ornamental grasses are an option, as they tend to look interesting year round, though not necessarily being 'green'. Heuchera and Heucherella are options. They are grown mostly for their foliage and also put on quite the display. Leafy Spurge is an evergreen (perennial Euphorbia), as is Buxus (boxwood) or Arborvitae (Wintergreen) These last two are shrubs. Hope this helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: Choices and more choices

Not silly, smarge.

To construct and maintain a garden takes learning. Both ongoing learning and ongoing labour are relevant to my interests in gardening.

You are likely talking about "perennials"; namely herbaceous perennials, those that die down seasonally, as in winter. Woody perennials like trees and shrubs certainly provide winter shape, form and colour, including in finer details like berries, bark and stems.

It also depends majorly on where you live. Your page only says the United States (an enormous range of growing conditions). Perennials in one location may be annuals in another.

Some herbaceous perennials leave seedpods and dead stems and leaves above the soil in winter.

Personally, I clear these away in fall clean-up in the interests of an unobstructed view of the early bulbs in the coming spring. You can't walk on the perennial beds here, in early spring, without damaging earlier and later bulbs and perennials. (We do make provisions to feed the birds and other wildlife at the lean times.)

I'll leave it to those who do use the dead parts (dead, except seeds) of herbaceous perennials for winter shape, form and colours to make suggestions. I'm assuming it's rarely "greenery". Some low spring perennials do remain green under the snow, but those aren't relevant to your inquiry.

This post was edited by SunnyBorders on Wed, Mar 26, 14 at 13:18

A great many so-called "herbaceous" or non-woody, flowering perennials are considered to be evergreen or hold their foliage throughout the year. How hardy they are or suitable for your needs depends on your location and zone.

Here are a few - all of these are fully evergreen in the PNW:

Various epimedium species
Heucheras and heucherellas
Hellebores
Bergenia
Sempervivum and Jovibarba (hens and chicks)
certain stonecrops/sedums
certain iris species (I. foetiddisima, I. graminiea, innominata, tenax, PCI hybrids)
Veronica umbrosa 'Georgia Blue'
various types of saxifrage
sea thrift - Armeria maritima
spurge - euphorbias (most)
certain hardy geraniums - G. cantabrigiense, endressii, cinereum, incanum, oxonianum, etc.
various Artemisia
lamb's ears (Stachys byzantine)

and then there are all manner of ornamental grasses, ferns, groundcovers and smaller woody sub-shrubs (lavender, heathers, candytuft, helianthemums, etc.) that are evergreen, often sold as perennials and included in perennial planting beds.

Re leafy or green spurge (potential caveat):

It's on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's list of invasive species.

Significant to (my style of) gardening:
(1) it puts out a chemical that inhibits the growth of other plants around it, and (2) it will grow from small pieces of root which makes it difficult to eradicate.

These look right good in winter.
Textural, evergreen or ever-silver perennials I have in zone 7 that keep colorful:

Artemisia--Fringed Sage, Silver King, Silver mound etc
Damianita--green
Winter hardy agave--see 'Cold Hardy Cactus' website online for zone 7
Prickly pear cactus
Euphorbia rigida--blue
Grasses --endless varieties & heights, good texture/fluffy seed heads
Sedum--blue, yellow or mint green depends on type
Dianthus--tight blue mounds, real pretty
Mexican Feather Grass--often stays evergreen, gorgeous 'blonde' tips in winter
Nolina--olive green, curly tips
Desert Spoon--blue
Yucca rigida is a nice big round soft leaf type yucca, blue. I steer clear of most.
Pink Hesperaloe--deep green with curly hairs, seedpods on tall stems look good.
Chicks & Hens --many colors
Penstemon
Thyme
Rosemary --'Arp' is hardy in zone 7
Santolina--the silver or the green kind
Elijah Blue Fescue or another variety of blue fescue like it
Purple Winecups or White Winecups
Dalea greggii--blue & blooming purple if its a milder winter (not this winter)
Mormon Tea--olive green

If I didn't have something to interesting look at in winter I'd be fit to be tied.

Thank you so much for the lists/suggestions!! I have a starting point!

Sorry to be so vague, I'm in Middle Tennessee (zone 7, or 7B according to some web-sites). Pretty hot and sometimes very dry in the summer, but I have a watering system set up.

I was thinking of Heucheras (especially some of the purple ones), but the local garden center guy says that they are for shady areas.

I was also thinking of possibly some small grasses for movement, except most of the ones that I've seen locally seem to get pretty large.

My space is pretty sunny, shady in AM, with afternoon sun.

Re leafy or green spurge (potential caveat):
It's on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's list of invasive species.

Euphorbia is a huge genus....one of the largest. 'Spurge" is a common name for many of the temperate or hardy species. 'Leafy or green spurge', Euphorbia esula, is only one of several weedy and/or invasive species but not at all the same as the very desirable garden euphorbias, like cushion spurge, Euphorbia characias, Euphorbia x martinii, E. robbiae, E. griffithii and many more.

These are great plants! I wouldn't be without a spurge in my garden!!

smarge117 - there aren't any stupid garden questions--only a need to know from folks who do. Where do you think WE all got so smart?

I grow heuchera/coral bells 'Palace Purple' in a part sun bed in one of my garden beds and they're pretty much a year-round foliage plant plus the bees love the tiny flowers. I give my various garden beds NO supplemental water and they perform beautifully year in & year out. My plants were nursery-grown rather than grown from seed.

Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln'/dwarf fountain grass doesn't grow more than 2-3 ft. tall and has an elegant mounding form. I grow it in full sun at the southeast corner of my house as well at either end of my granite garden bench.

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For winter interest I grow Hellebore/Lenten rose in part sun. They bloom here in February/March but would obviously bloom earlier if you're gardening in a warmer zone. Other than Vinca minor/creeping myrtle or Pachysandra, I don't have much else that remains evergreen in winter. Penstemon digitalis/beardtongue 'Mystica' does retain it's form & foliage even through a harsh winter but I can't say it looks fresh as a daisy once the snow melts.

Not a stupid question! I'm into edibles. Rosemary, thyme and oregano and peppermint are my evergreen perennials.