Top 10 Low Maintenance Plants for the Garden

Growing a garden can be time consuming, but it doesn't have to take over your whole life. You can get a beautiful garden with less effort and time if you just choose the right plants that need little of your attention. For the lazy gardener in all of us, here are some plants for a low maintenance garden:

1. Lavender.

Lavender likes a lot of sun and not too much water. Plant it in the right spot and you can simply enjoy the lovely fragrance and maybe water it occasionally if it doesn't rain.

2. Sedum.

This is a reliable perennial that doesn't need much care from you and that provides blooms into the fall. In fact, the flowers of sedum will deepen in color to a rich burgundy well into autumn in most places.

3. Peony.

You get big bang for your buck with this perennial flower. You can cut back the leaves in the fall but, otherwise, there is little you need to do for your peony besides enjoying the spectacular blooms.

4. Hostas.

For your shady spots, fill in the space with hostas. There are many different types of hostas, big and small, striped and solid, so you can choose a few and get a good variety and visual interest. There is little maintenance required.

5. Ornamental grass.

As with hostas, there are many varieties to choose from with different colors, heights, and textures. Ornamental grasses are showy and add good vertical height to a bed, but they don't need much care.

6. Coreopsis.

Choose the perennial variety and you will get bright, pretty blooms from this plant year after year. Coreopsis is heat tolerant and comes in yellow, orange, pink, and red.

7. Iris.

These striking perennial flowers like moist soil, so plant them near a water feature or a wetter part of the garden where other plants don't thrive. As long as irises get enough water, you don't have to do much else for them to bloom.

8. Hens and chicks.

This cute little succulent makes for an unusual texture and pattern in the garden and is very easy to grow. Hens and chicks need little water and will bounce back after a drought. Use in containers or in rocky areas of a garden.

9. Penstemon.

This plant produces tube-shaped bright flowers. It blooms early in the summer and continues until the fall. Easy to grow, penstemon will also attract hummingbirds to your garden too.

10. Daylilies.

A daylily is one of the easiest perennials to grow. Plant a few and they will spread to fill in a space, giving you striking flowers in a number of colors throughout the summer. The only maintenance needed is to pull out the flower stalks in the fall.