29 Low-Maintenance Plants for Gardens and Landscaping

You want to create a beautiful outdoor space, but you also don't want to spend every weekend watering and pruning, which means low-maintenance outdoor plants are at the top of your must-have list. Whether you're starting a new garden or filling in a current space, there are plant species that are practically impossible to kill with easy-growing habits, minimal needs, and gorgeous flowers and foliage.

With these low-maintenance plants, you can save time and money since you won't find yourself in the yard watering, fertilizing, pruning, and constantly replacing the plants that didn't make it. You'll just have to choose the right plant for your full sun, partial shade, or full shade garden, and then make sure that it's either thirsty or drought-tolerant depending on your climate. Don't even want to deal with a yard? No worries! Several of these 29 easygoing plants can even stay potted on your patio year-round with minimal care.

01 of 29

Russian Sage

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

In neighborhoods with new construction, the topsoil is stripped away, and the rubble that's left behind hardly qualifies as soil. What to plant in such a harsh environment? Start with a tough-as-nails perennial that features a cloud of purple flowers for three months in its first season. One thing Russian sage can't live without is full sun, essential for healthy bloom production.
02 of 29

Sedum (Stonecrop)

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

Sometimes tough plants have a reputation for being invasive, but drought-tolerant sedum plants always mind their manners. Also called stonecrop, this plant can survive for years without any watering, dividing, mulching, or deadheading. The varied genus offers tall and creeping varieties, all with succulent leaves that shrug off insects. Start with the wildly popular 'Autumn Joy' variety, which produces nectar-rich pink flower clusters at the end of summer.
03 of 29

Daffodils

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

The daffodil is one of those plants that you can casually scatter here and there in the landscape, and then look like a garden genius forever after each spring as your flowers multiply. Plant them deeply in the fall to ensure many seasons of returns; at least 4-inches beneath the soil's surface. A splash of bulb fertilizer is fine for pampered bulbs but not really necessary for peak performance. Space them several inches apart to allow for the colonies to have room to grow over the years.
04 of 29

Hosta

Getty Images/Irina Kosheleva

For yards with little to no sun exposure, hostas are the answer. These low-maintenance perennials require almost no care, they come back every year, and they're easy to propagate. Typically planted with bare roots, hostas reach their full mature size in three to seven years, and varieties come in mini to large sizes.

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05 of 29

Coneflower

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Coneflower is a cheery perennial that is a favorite of butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees. They'll stand up to summer's heat and humidity, deers have no interest in them, and they're drought tolerant. They're the definition of easy. Plus, as a native plant to North America, it's a colorful selection for those looking for low-maintenance landscaping comprised of native plants.
06 of 29

Peony

Getty Images/Jasenka Arbanas

It may come as a surprise that one of spring's most desirable flowers is also a low-maintenance plant. Peonies are one of the oldest ornamental gardening plants and for good reason — they can live up to 100 years. They require cold winters to push the plant into dormancy, but, once it comes up again in the spring, the only necessary maintenance is staking the plant if the blooms get too heavy. Once it becomes cold again, remove the old foliage and you're ready for the next year.
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Oak Leaf Hydrangea

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Oak leaf hydrangea is an easy-to-grow flowering deciduous shrub that reaches 4 to 8 feet tall and thrive when planted in the ground, not pots. They prefer full sun to partial shade and do best in moist soil. A once-a-year prune of unruly branches or unwanted height is all you'll need to do to take care of these blooming shurbs.
08 of 29

Coral Bells

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Adaptability is one of coral bells' best features, and they'll grow easily whether you plant them in a rock garden, container, border, or as a ground cover. With partial shade, well-draining soil, and occasional deadheading, these vibrantly colored leaves will add rich shades to your garden. But, while they will come back for the first few years, coral bells generally don't have a long lief span.

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Canna Lily

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The large, striking leaves of the canna lily and the vibrant orange blooms may not look low maintenance, but these showy flowers only require deadheading during the spring and summer to keep the blooms coming. Some people prefer to cut the blooms before they even have the chance to flower and, instead, enjoy the bold leaves.

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Canna lilies are grown as perennials in zones 6a-10a, and can either be overwintered inside as houseplants in colder areas or the rhizomes can be dug up and replanted again in the spring.
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Juniper

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Juniper is a drought-tolerant and low-maintenance ground cover that, despite its winter associations, thrives in hot-summer climates in addition to colder spots. It's famously agreeable and doesn't care about the type of soil, even thriving in rock gardens and seaside locals. It's also resistant to pests, diseases, and hungry deer and rabbits.

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If you want to add year-round greenery and a low-growing groundcover to your garden without much effort, than easy-to-grow juniper is a prime addition.
11 of 29

Geranium

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The colorful, abundant blooms of geraniums are an easygoing and vibrant choice for garden beds and containers alike. These annuals do best in well-drained soil and will bloom continuously all season long if they're deadheaded when flowers fade. Geraniums prefer full sun, but the hottest summer days could put a damper on blooms.

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Geraniums actually bloom best when slightly root bound, which makes them an excellent option for a patio or front porch container garden. This also gives you the ability to move them when the summer sun gets too hot.
12 of 29

Knock Out® Roses

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Perennially popular Knock Out® Roses are a shrub rose that will bring colorful blooms to your garden from spring through the first frost. They are disease-resistant, drought-tolerant, and self-cleaning, meaning you don't have to spend hours dead-heading and risking a prick from one of its thorns. Once a year in late winter or early spring, you'll prune the rose bush, but that's it for maintenane.

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Dead Nettle

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Don't let the soft, tumbling foliage of Lamium maculatum fool you: neither shade nor drought slows this blooming ground cover down. Variegated or silver leaves emerge early in the spring, and snapdragon-like purple or white blooms soon follow. Dead nettle plants spread quickly by shallow-rooted runners, but you can pull up extras and use them as accents spilling over the edges of your containers and window boxes.
14 of 29

Catmint

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More than just a mere herb for the cat to frolic in, Nepeta x faassenii gained permanent cult status when the variety 'Walker's Low' was named as the 2007 Perennial Plant of the Year. Lovely grayish-green foliage complements the informal border, and bees delight in the nectar-rich violet blooms that appear throughout the summer months. Plants grow about two feet tall but have a prostrate habit that looks attractive at the edge of a wall or path.
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Daylily

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

Stella D' Oro daylilies have become an office park landscaping staple, but daylilies have much more to offer than the popular gold everblooming variety. Although the color spectrum is usually limited to the warmer side of the color wheel, interesting color patterns and flower forms take the available cultivar number into the thousands. Full sun is best, although darker varieties may benefit from afternoon shade to prevent sunscald. Fertilization isn't necessary, but an occasional deep watering during summer dry spells is beneficial.
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Feather Reed Grass

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Ornamental grasses belong on every lazy gardener's wish list. Many of them originate from the prairie and are used to surviving a range of pests and weather conditions. The deep roots of feather reed grass make it adaptable to wet and dry soils, and it grows just fine in lean soils, requiring no fertilizer. The six-foot blooming stalks make a handsome vertical accent that endures well into fall.

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17 of 29

Butterfly Bush

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

Gardeners who make room for a Buddleia in the landscape will soon discover that it's a one-stop buffet for many species of butterflies. The long flower panicles are comprised of many individual blooms, each with a rich store of nectar, which is why you will observe happy butterflies lingering over and around the shrub for long periods on warm, sunny days. Plant a butterfly bush in full sun in average soil, and cut plants back in early spring to encourage healthy branching. Flowering happens on new wood,
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False Indigo

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

Baptisia plants produce those blue blooms that complete any garden design, without the fussiness that many blue flowers exhibit. Plant false indigo in the rocky rubble of a new home construction site, and it will do just fine. Available in white, yellow, and purple hues, false indigo plants produce their blooming spires in the spring at the same time as peonies and bleeding heart. Butterflies love the low-maintenance plants, but deer don't.
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Lady's Mantle

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

Gardeners who wish to grow plants under a tree must contend with shade, dry soil, and competition for nutrients. Lady's mantle is one tough plant that can handle this environment. An exceptionally hardy plant, lady's mantle will survive zone 3 winters. Chartreuse flowers that appear in June are a lovely foil for blue and purple blossoms. Plants often self-seed prolifically, which you can allow to expand your collection or prevent with a few minutes of deadheading after blooming.
20 of 29

Lamb's Ear

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Stachys byzantina is a plant for the fifth sense in the garden, as it is a tactile plant unlike few others. More than just fuzzy, the silvery leaves are downright woolly and hold up to stroking more than a silky flower petal would. The lavender spikes aren't showy, but bees love them. Lamb's ear plants grow in full to partial sun and are drought tolerant. The clumps spread moderately each year to provide pass-along plants for friends, or you can dig some up to add to your container gardens.

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Bee Balm

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

Much ado is made of the drought tolerance of plants, but a wet spot in the garden can be just as difficult to cultivate. Bee balm is one answer to the soggy garden dilemma. 3-foot tall clumps feature blue, pink, red, or white flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. As a member of the mint family, bee balm is an assertive plant, but you can pull up unwanted plants that spread out of bounds. New varieties boast superior mildew resistance, especially 'Marshall's Delight' and 'Violet Queen.'
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Agave

Getty Images/Gabriel Perez

With agave, you actually could kill the plant by caring for it. When the agave plant blooms, it will most likely die shortly thereafter, and fertilizing can encourage blooming. If they don't bloom and are allowed to grow in full sun and sandy or rock soil, these succulent plants typically live up to 25 years.
23 of 29

Rosemary

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Rosemary is an evergreen herb that spreads easily in the right conditions. It's a low-maintenance Mediterranean plant that prefers full-sun and tolerates drought conditions. It does well in pots and containers, as long as there's proper drainage, and, if you live somewhere it gets below 30 degrees, then bringing rosemary inside in the winter is the best way to keep it thriving.
24 of 29

Dusty Miller

Getty Images/Yulia Shaihudinova

The silver, wooly leaves of dusty miller make for a stunning contrast to the greenery and colorful blooms of most gardens. Grown as an annual in most climates or a perennial in warmer locales, dusty miller prefers full sun, tolerates drought, and is resistant to most pests. If you want to remove yellowing leaves, that's the only pruning necessary.

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Creeping Thyme

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Creeping thyme is another plant that is easygoing and thrives on neglect. In full sun or partial shade and well-draining soil, creeping thyme will put on a show with its small flowers that cover the found like a colorful carpet. The only maintenance necessary is pruning woody stems to encourage the plant to produce new growth.
26 of 29

Sage

Getty Images/Stefano Madrigali

The fuzzy leaves of sage don't require a green thumb to grow. This small shrub-like herb has aromatic leaves in an eye-catching shade of silvery green. It fares best in full sun and prefers a drought-like environment to too much water. Sage is best grown in plants where it can be brought inside during the winter.
27 of 29

Clematis

Getty Images/Jacky Parker Photography

Blooming from early summer through fall, clematis is a mesmerizing vine that's overflowing with purple, star-like flowers. It requires full sun, well-draining soil, and regular watering, but is an easy-to-grow plant that's a showstopper in your garden. Each year, it will need to be pruned to 12 inches to encourage it to come back the next.
28 of 29

Ice Plant

Getty Images/sakura bunn

Ice plant is a vibrant perennial with succulent-like foliage that is evergreen in zones 6-10. Fast-draining soil and full sun will encourage these plants to spread quickly, allowing them to act as a colorful groundcover. Deadheading isn't necessary, but it can be done to remove any blooms that don't survive winter.

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Ribbon Grass

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With bold variegated leaves, ribbon grass is a cool season ornamental grass that grows quickly in wetlands. It does best in full sun, moist areas where it will thrive without assistance. Grow it along a bank or another area where other plants are not battling for survival since it easily takes over when the conditions are right.

FAQ

What are the easiest plants to take care of for the patio?

On a patio, you want low maintenance plants that provide color without significant effort. The colorful blooms of geraniums and the striking leaves and showy flowers of the canna lily are both easy to care for and beautiful at the same time.
What flowers don’t need maintenance?

Stonecrop and Knock Out® Roses are flowers that don't need deadheading, require little maintenance, and have long bloom seasons. When grown in the right conditions, thees flowers will provide blooms from spring to the first frost.
What should I put in an outdoor planter for winter?

Lamb's ear and rosemary are both woody plants that can tolerate colder temperatures in most climates. You may need to bring rosemary in if the temperatures consistently dip below freezing.

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Spring Daffodils. University of Maryland Extension
Lamium maculatum. North Carolina Extension Gardener
Baptisia. North Carolina Extension Gardener
Alchemilla mollis. North Carolina Extension Gardener

29 Low-Maintenance Plants for Gardens and Landscaping

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