Easy Care Plants For Landscaping: Choosing Low Maintenance Plants For Gardens

easy garden
easy garden
(Image credit: LeeYiuTung)

Not everyone has the time or energy to be in the garden every day, and that’s okay! Just because you can’t devote a lot of effort doesn’t mean you can’t have a beautiful garden. In fact, if you just plant smart, you can save yourself a lot of extra work. Keep reading to learn more about easy care gardening and plants and flowers that require little maintenance.

Choosing Low Maintenance Plants for Gardens

Easy care gardening isn’t just about choosing from a list of low maintenance plants. It’s also about understanding your gardening environment and working with it. Plenty of plants grow wild in your area, and they don’t get any maintenance. You just have to figure out what they’re doing right. First of all, good low maintenance plants for gardens are the ones you only have to plant once. Perennials and annuals that self-seed should come back every spring without you having to lift a finger. Just make sure that they’re able to make it through the winter where you live - a warm climate’s perennial is a cooler climate’s annual. In a similar vein, look into plants local to your area. If it grows wild, you know it can survive the winter. You also know that it tolerates your climate’s heat, rainfall, and soil quality. Another thing to think about is the setup of your garden. You probably have some parts that are shadier and some sunnier, maybe some sandier and some loamier. Match your plants to their requirements when you plant them, and you’ll spend less time later making up for it. Similarly, group plants with the same water needs near each other. If all your thirsty plants are in one spot near the hose, you’ll have a much better time watering. To make things even easier on yourself, install a drip irrigation system - it’s actually healthier for the plants and it saves you a lot of work. If you follow these rules, there are a lot of plants you can grow without too much trouble. If you’d like somewhere to start, though, here are some good choices: For sunny spots

For shady areas

Liz Baessler
Senior Editor

The only child of a horticulturist and an English teacher, Liz Baessler was destined to become a gardening editor. She has been with Gardening Know how since 2015, and a Senior Editor since 2020. She holds a BA in English from Brandeis University and an MA in English from the University of Geneva, Switzerland. After years of gardening in containers and community garden plots, she finally has a backyard of her own, which she is systematically filling with vegetables and flowers.