Adding some color to your yard can instantly boost your home’s curb appeal, or can make your backyard feel warmer and more welcoming. with the best loppers for pruning, you can easily maintain the beautify of your yard and promote new growth each season. However, if you’re someone who can’t manage to keep plants alive to save your life, then achieving your dream garden may seem out of reach. Because of this, I’ve decided to create a guide on the 10 low-maintenance flowers for your garden that even the amateur can easily keep alive all season long. Below, you’ll find a list of these must-have beginner-friendly flowers, in addition to some other flowers that are worth a mention.
Table of Contents
The Perfect Low-Maintenance Garden
Not everyone was born with a green thumb, so it can be disappointing to plan out a garden, only to have most of your plants not make it past three or four weeks before they begin to shrivel up and die. Replacing your garden plants so soon can not only be pretty costly but discouraging as well.
If you haven’t had much success keeping up on lawn maintenance or creating that perfect garden, then maybe your problem was starting out with flowers that were too demanding and required more skill and knowledge to grow. Different plants have their own unique light, water, food, and soil requirements. Some flowers are very fickle and can respond to even the slightest change in a watering pattern or poor drainage. If you’ve struggled to keep your flowers alive each season, then the following flowers will all be great additions to your garden since each type is very easy to care for.
Marigolds
The marigold is considered one of the hardiest plants to grow, which is why they’re also one of the most commonly found species of flowers in gardens all over the country. These easy to grow drought-resistant plants can also handle plenty of heat and can thrive in most areas. Keep in mind, these are annual flowers, so their growing period will end when the first frost hits.
Daylily
If you want a flower that can really brighten up your yard, then I recommend planting daylily. These flowers are available in a variety of colors, however, their blooms will only last for a single day. Yet, the blooms will continue to make an appearance all throughout summer. These flowers do well in full sunlight and can handle drought conditions easily, which means even if you’re guilty of forgetting to water them now and then, they should continue to do just fine.
Cosmos
These are another low-maintenance plant that’s perfect for beginners. The cosmos is very easy to grow and will seed itself and continue to grow well in warmer parts of the country, with very little care. These flowers will do the best in full sunlight, but can also thrive in partial shade. This means you’ll have total freedom concerning where you can plant them in your garden.
Kalanchoe
Categorized as a succulent, this flowering plant is able to retain water, which will allow it to easily survive a drought. This plant loves the heat and will do well in intense summer conditions. Additionally, the leave’s of the plant is prone to burning, which actually gives the plant a beautiful red color. The plant can grow up to one foot tall and produces pink, yellow, red, and orange flowers.
Begonia
These are brightly colored flowers that are sensitive to frost, so they don’t do well during the winter months in some parts of the country that experience intense cold. This flowering plant loves a nice spot in the shade, so if your garden is not very sunny, then you’ll find that this plant can really thrive. This plant can also handle plenty of sunlight and drought conditions, so it will grow well, regardless of where you plant it in your garden.
Goldenrod
This plant is typically known for its wildflower form, however, it can also make a nice addition to your garden since it’s able to grow well on its own. These tiny yellow flowers will instantly brighten up your yard and can also attract bees and butterflies. These plants can handle both partial and full sun, are drought-tolerant, and can easily grow up to eight feet tall.
Coneflowers
If you’re looking for a plant that can produce bright crimson, purple, or pink flowers that will attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies, then you’ll love coneflowers. These plants tend to prefer full sunshine but can also grow well in full shade. Their blooming periods usually start early on in the summer and will continue until the first frost.
Yarrow
If you’re looking for a plant that can provide plenty of ground cover, then you’ll want to try your hand at growing yarrow, which has a reputation for spreading rapidly. This plant can grow up to four feet tall, is drought-resistant, and can handle plenty of heat, so it will be able to survive easily, even if you forget to water it from time to time. The red, pink, white, and yellow blooms will continue to pop up all during summer.
Hosta
If your garden doesn’t get much sun, then this very adaptable plant is a great choice. It can do well in both hot and cold weather and tends to go dormant for thirty to forty days once the temperature falls below forty degrees. The golden hosta does very well in partial sun and features foliage that will turn yellow in bright sunlight.
Other Flowers Worth a Mention
The flowers below didn’t make it onto my top ten list of low-maintenance flowers, but they can also be a great addition to your yard and will do well in the hands of a beginner.
Zinnia
These flowering plants can grow up to three feet in height and are very adaptable. They grow well in the shade, but they tend to prefer full sunlight. They are also very drought resistant and will attract hummingbirds and butterflies to your yard. The blooms will also last all summer long and are available in a variety of colors including white, yellow, purple, orange, pink, and red.
Petunia
These flowers require very little maintenance and tend to bloom later in the season. The plants only need to be watered once a week and can thrive in partial and full sunlight. These flowers normally bloom during the spring, summer, and fall, in shades of white, yellow, red, purple, and pink.
Spider Flower
The spider flower grows well in a variety of light conditions. In fact, growing them is as easy as sprinkling the seeds on some soil and allowing them to take root. These flowering plants are also available in a wide range of colors and do well as annuals.
Moss Rose
The eye-catching rose-like blooms are accompanied by succulent leaves and are available in a variety of vibrant color options. These succulent leaves are able to retain water, which is why this plant does well in dry conditions and hotter climates. Basically, the hotter the climate and the more humid, the better this plant will do.
Coreopsis
This is a great plant to consider if you have a garden that’s full of poor quality soil. It can easily thrive in humid, hot, and dry conditions, with little care. This plant usually grows wild and can add some beautiful red, yellow, and orange blooms to your garden. It’s also a great choice if you want to attract pollinators to your yard such as butterflies and bees.
Butterfly Weed
This plant will thrive in any type of soil and doesn’t require much water to survive. It does well in both shady and sunny environments and attracts pollinators such as bees, birds, and hummingbirds.
Agastache
This perennial is easy to grow and maintain. Even if you end up neglecting it for several weeks at a time it will still do well. It’s very aromatic and will invite plenty of wildlife to your yard. It can handle both excessive heat and early frost, so it’s considered very low-maintenance and versatile.
Pasque Flower
If you want to add a unique touch to your yard and some texture, then the pasque will be a lovely addition. These flowers are perennials and come from Europe’s alpine meadows. They prefer full sunlight, but if you live in a part of the country that experiences intense summers, then you’ll need to plant them in a spot that allows for afternoon shade.
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Final Thoughts
This list of the top 10 low-maintenance flowers for your garden will allow you to create the perfect environment and one that’s filled with color. Even if you don’t stay on top of watering and routine garden maintenance, many of these flowers will continue to thrive and survive throughout the duration of the season. Many of the other plants that I’ve included in the other section of this guide are not quite as durable and sturdy, but many are drought-resistant and can handle a variety of soil and lighting conditions.