This is something I've really been focusing on lately, too, as I'm living in a rental house and wanted to start and plant things that I would actually get to see bloom before we left, plus having a yard with quite a lot of shade and it seems like a lot of things that I like that are suitable for shade are perennials (foxglove, etc). The really sneaky thing, I think, is that a lot of the seed companies don't make it clear in the description whether or not you will get blooms the first year. Also tricky is that even within one type of plant, some varieties bloom the first year but others don't. A definitive list somewhere of first-year flowering perennials would be great.

Some that I have found to at least claim to be first-year flowering:
Digitalis 'Foxy'
Coreopsis
Lupine
Rudbeckia Hirta
Penstemon
Dianthus
Gaillardia
Delphinium
Hibiscus
Lavendar 'Lady'
Veronica
Echinacea
Phlox Paniculata
Achillea
Alcea Rosea

I know most varieties of Aquilegia don't bloom their first year, as well as Shasta Daisies and Digitalis. Try googling 'first-year flowering perennials' and you'll get a ton of info. Hope that helps!

Here is a list of perennials that bloom the first year that wife and I have put together over the years. But keep in mind it is also going to depend on your zone. Further north may not be until second year:

Balloon Flower, Black-Eyed Susan, Coneflowers, Blanket Flower (some), most Columbine mixes, Coreopsis 'Early Sunrise', Dianthus, Shasta Daisy, Blue Sage, Mallow 'Disco Belle', and Yarrows.

Most perennials will be second year bloom.

Dave

sleepy and digdirt -
Thanks so much! I've made a note of them. I'd like to at least have some blooms this year as the prens grow. Good luck and thanks again!
susan