Wouldn’t you love it if you could plant your flowering plants, and then just sit back and enjoy them? I’m sharing some flowering plant options for you that I’ve found easy to grow. Here’s a list of my favorite 10 perennial plants for a low–maintenance garden.
I’m all about the flowers!
But I’m also about easy and simple. If you don’t have a lot of time to spend out in your garden, but still want to enjoy beautiful flowers, I’ve got some ideas for you. Here are my favorite top 10 perennials for a low-maintenance garden.
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Note: I am not a Master Gardener, but a self-taught gardener who shares my opinions and what has worked for me in the garden.
10 Perennials Plants For a Low-Maintenance Garden
1. Coneflower (Echinacea)
There is so much to love about coneflowers.
- Heat and drought-resistant once established
- Blooms for months and makes great cut flowers
- Does well in both full sun and partial shade
- Thrives in even poor soil
- Attracts pollinators like bees, birds, and butterflies
- Repels deer
- Ideal companion plants
Leave the seed heads after they bloom and they’ll also attract songbirds. All this plant needs is to be deadheaded in late summer to rejuvenate its blooms. Zone 3-9.
2. Day Lilies
This sun-loving perennial is low-maintenance and a great addition to any garden for the following reasons…
- Tolerates a wide variety of soil conditions
- Easy to divide and transplant to other areas in the garden.
- Blooms for years with little care.
- Each flower stem typically has at least a dozen flower buds, so the plant stays in bloom for several weeks.
Zone 3-9.
3. Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia)
Black-eyed Susans are great cut flowers and work well for borders and in containers.
- Butterflies, bees, and a variety of insects are attracted to the flowers for the nectar.
- Divide perennial types every 3-4 years to keep plants healthy and to prevent excessive spreading.
Remove spent flowers to prolong blooming. After the first season, black-eyed Susans can reseed themselves which may be a game-changer if you don’t have the space in your garden for more plants. Zone 3-9.
4. Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas have an old-fashioned charm that is hard to resist.
- They tolerate almost any soil
- Produces abundant blooms.
- Plant in garden beds, containers, or borders.
- They make a perfect dried flower.
Hydrangeas prefer morning sun with afternoon shade, and will also grow in partial shade. Zone 4-9.
5. Peonies
These low-maintenance perennials can live for at least 100 years.
- Drought and slug resistant.
- Blooms from late spring through early summer (depending on location and variety) The foliage stays green throughout the summer.
Young peony plants will take time to develop. Experts say harvesting immature plants within the first 2 years will stunt the size of the flowers, and the number of stems per plant for many years.
Because peonies produce large blooms, the plant will most likely need more support. I use wire tomato cages, but they sell three-legged metal peony rings as well. Zone 2-8.
6. Phlox
Garden phlox is a cold-hardy native plant with prolonged and staggered bloom phases.
- Mildew resistant
- Attracts native pollinators such as butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators to the garden
- A dependable plant that thrives and flowers for many years
- Deer and rabbit resistant
7. Salvia
This spiked flowered perennial with velvety leaves is part of the mint family. Here are some of salvia’s best traits…
- Their nectar-rich flowers attract pollinators including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds
- Drought-tolerant
- Their aromatic foliage makes them very resistant to browsing deer and rabbits.
- Adapts well to cold climates and a wide range of soils
- With regular deadheading, they can flower from late spring until the first frosts
9. Blazing Star (Liatris)
This perennial’s thistle-like blooms form along their tall spikes.
- Accepting of most types of soil
- Drought-tolerant
- Attract butterflies
- Relatively pest-resistant
- Fairly tolerant of cold
10. Sedum Autumn Joy
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ is a succulent that and
- Stores water in its leaves
- Prefers dry, poorly fertilized soil.
- Great late-season nectar source for butterflies and bees.
Sedum Autumn Joy’s flowers start out pink and turn to bronze as the weather gets cooler.
I hope you found some low-maintenance perennials for your garden. Do you have a flower that you love that’s not on this list, but is easy to grow? Leave me a comment below.
Until next time,
Happy Gardening!
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Kim, some of the perennials will not grow here and of course they are my favorites like hydrangeas and peonies. But I should try a few of the others like coneflower and phlox. We have day lilies but I’m not sure which kind. So surprised the Larkspur finally bloomed as most of the other seeds from Floret farm didn’t do much. Sunflowers are going crazy and will have blooms soon~and I love that they attract the peach-faced love birds. Someday I want to see your garden as I drool over every picture.
I would love to have you come to visit me and the garden. I can’t wait to see your sunflowers, Mary. I just started mine in the greenhouse so the birds won’t eat the seeds like they usually do.
Kim,
I see a lot of perennials in my future. LOL
I’m so glad to hear that Rachel.
Your gardens are so beautiful and inspiring, Kim. Low maintenance is what I need and is perfect for our busy lifestyle. I have some of these in our garden, but now I’m going to add a few others thanks to your recommendations. I’d love to share a photo and a link to your post in my weekly roundup tomorrow.
Thank you so much for sharing my post in your weekly round-up Jen. I really appreciate it.
I am all about low maintenance Kim so this is so good for me!! Thanks so much!
Thank you Kristin! I am all about easy!
So many of my favorite flowers made this list, Kim! I would LOVE to have some peonies but sadly we’re in coastal zone 9 and the heat is bananas down here. I’m still dreaming they’ll come up with a Florida version one day though 🙂 Hope your week has been a fun one, CoCo
It’s so interesting for me to hear what flowers can grow in which areas around the country. I think peonies are one of the most beautiful flowers! But then again, I say that about every flower when they’re blooming!
Thanks for the recommendations!
I’m so glad you found it useful Krista! Thank you for visiting the blog!
Gorgeous! I love that I can see your gardens from the east coast. xoxo
I love that too Stacy! You have definitely been a busy girl in your garden lately! So excited that we are finally in the gardening season!