Preparing your lawn for spring and summer takes work after the cold winter months. It can be challenging for people who don’t have a green thumb to find plants they can maintain in their yard. But planting and maintaining an outdoor garden is well worth the effort.
These 10 low-maintenance outdoor plants make it easy to enjoy nature year after year and add environmental and monetary value to your home.
Why Invest in Outdoor Plants?
Whether you’re looking to price and sell your home or cultivate an outdoor environment to enjoy, landscaping with outdoor plants has multiple benefits for homeowners. Some of these benefits include:
Environmental benefits
By introducing more plant life on your property, you can create a friendly environment for local animals in the surrounding ecosystem. Plants attract insects which, in turn, attract birds and other wildlife. Investing in outdoor plants can cultivate a habitat in your backyard.
Financial benefits
Plant life and landscaping can increase the value of your property, especially if you’re looking to sell your home quickly and don’t have time for extensive renovations. Investing in landscaping upgrades, such as shrubs and perennials, can increase the “curb appeal” of your home and make it more attractive to potential buyers.
Popular Types of Outdoor Plants
If you’re gardening for the first time, understanding the different types of outdoor plants will be key to cultivating a successful yard or garden. Some plants are easier to care for than others.
Annuals
Annuals are plants that must be replanted every year. Many bloom in the spring and summer before their life cycle ends with colder weather, but some annuals bloom during the winter. Many popular outdoor flowers, such as sunflowers, geraniums, and impatiens, are annuals and will need to be replanted each spring.
Biennials
Biennials still need to be replanted, but they have a two-year life cycle. This makes biennials a popular choice for home sellers who are looking to boost their curb appeal without forcing the new owner to accept their landscaping style upon moving in. Popular biennials include black-eyed Susans, lunaria, and foxglove.
Perennials
Perennials are some of the easiest plants for new gardeners to cultivate. Once planted, perennials return year after year, making them an ideal choice for someone landscaping their home for the long term. Some popular perennials include daylilies, hibiscus, and hydrangea plants.
10 Best Low-Maintenance Outdoor Plants
Hostas
Conditions: Moist soil, partial light
Hostas, also known as plantain lilies, are a hardy perennial that add shady leaf growth to any garden. Hostas don’t grow tall, but the leaves can be several inches wide and provide shade to a garden over sunny summer months. Hostas grow best in moist soil and can thrive in partially shady gardens.
Agave
Conditions: Dry soil, direct sunlight
Agave is a popular succulent for homeowners in dry, sunny climates. A hardy perennial, agave plants are even known to survive colder temperatures. Agave plants have a distinct rosette shape and can grow to be several feet wide.
Black-eyed Susans
Conditions: Well-drained soil, direct sunlight
Black-eyed Susans are biennials known for their daisy-like flowers with yellow petals and a dark brown center. Black-eyed Susans grow and bloom in the summer months. Plant Black-eyed Susan seeds in the spring and enjoy beautiful yellow blooms until the fall.
Coneflowers
Conditions: Well-drained soil, direct sunlight
Coneflowers are perennials with narrow petals and soft centers. Common coneflowers have tall stems and purple petals, but this plant comes in other color varieties to suit the look of any garden. Coneflowers take full sunlight and attract butterflies to your garden while repelling deer that may come looking for a snack.
Chrysanthemums
Conditions: Well-drained soil, direct sunlight
Chrysanthemums are another popular perennial known for their distinctive, colorful blooms. Although they often won’t survive cold temperatures, if planted early in the spring, summer, or fall, homeowners can enjoy their color and spruce up their gardens.
Perennial geraniums
Conditions: Well-drained soil, partial sunlight
Perennial geraniums, also known as hardy geraniums, are small flowers with purple petals that grow low to the ground. They are also deer resistant and tolerate brief periods of underwatering. Perennial geraniums will also propagate through a garden over time.
Petunias
Conditions: Well-drained soil, partial sunlight
Petunias are a popular choice for gardeners looking for a low-maintenance plant with a long blooming period they can enjoy. Although petunias require annual replanting, the beautiful range of petal colors is a wonderful addition to any low-maintenance spring and summer garden.
Outdoor ferns
Conditions: Well-drained soil, partial or low sunlight
Ferns offer beautiful green foliage, cover a lot of square footage, and are easy to plant and care for. Homeowners with shady gardens can plant ferns without worry. They thrive in low sunlight and require weekly watering in the absence of rainfall.
Catmint
Conditions: Well-drained soil, full sun to partial shade
Catmint, or catnip, is a flowering plant with tall stems and small cone-shaped purple flowers. Catmint is a great plant for homeowners who travel frequently because it is drought resistant.
Impatiens
Conditions: Well-drained soil, partial shade
Impatiens come in perennial and annual varieties and produce colorful blooms that lay low to the ground. They’re perfect for homeowners with shady yards and flower best when planted in late spring.
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