Top 5 Plants to Grow for Easy Low Maintenance Landscaping

Have you just purchased your first home? Or are looking to create the perfect outdoor living space? It can be challenging to find the perfect blend of plants to help bring your vision to life. Whatever your budget and plans may be for your backyard landscape, today’s growing guide offers you five easy and low maintenance plants to turn your backyard into a beautiful outdoor oasis. So grab your gardening tools. Let’s dig in to help you transform your backyard space into a low maintenance landscape in a few easy steps!

Sedums for a Water-Wise and Low-Maintenance Landscape

One of the most easy-to-grow and low maintenance perennials are sedums. These fun and interesting plants are part of the succulent family. This means that they will need minimal water to grow. They do not need to be on a strict fertilizing schedule like some of the more finicky landscaping plants. Many perennial varieties of sedums are hardy in zones 3-9. Their use in a variety of different backyard projects makes them well worth investing in. You can transform your space into a beautiful outdoor retreat. Due to their versatility, sedums can grow in:

1. Deck borders
2. Patio pots and containers
3. Rock wall gardens
4. Perennial flower beds

Sedums are also adaptable to different locations of the yard. Sedums thrive best in full sun. But they can also tolerate partial shade. This feature makes them the perfect plant for a variety of different landscape projects. Sedums also come in a variety of different bloom and foliage colour options. You can be the painter of your own garden canvas with the colours that will best highlight different features of your yard.

Are looking to add sedums to your backyard landscape this year? If so, they are best planted in spring or summer. You can split and divide sedum in early spring. Their blooms last a long time and some varieties even put on a more spectacular display as summer transitions into fall.

Ornamental Grasses to Add Texture and Movement

Looking to achieve movement and texture in your landscape? If so, make sure to add some ornamental grasses to your list when shopping for plants this season. In some cases, these grasses can provide summer, fall, and winter interest. These ornate plants come in shorter varieties like Blue Fescue or taller varieties like Fountain Grass or Feather Reed Grass. Most grasses will be hardy in zones 4-10, but some can withstand colder or warmer temperatures.

Ornamental grasses help to highlight other perennials or plants. If you are on the fence about adding some to your garden try planting some ornamental grasses this year. When you are sitting in your backyard relaxing and listening to the gentle rustling of the grasses, you will be glad you did!

Dianthus as a Versatile Low-Growing Garden Perennial

One of our all-time favourite landscaping perennials is dianthus, otherwise known as pinks. It is a low-growing perennial available in a variety of colours. With so many options to choose from, you will be able to select one that will compliment your backyard space.

Most dianthus are hardy in zones 4-8 and thrive best in full sun locations. Plant in well-draining, loose soil. They can tolerate short bursts of high heat and drought-like conditions. Dianthus work well planted in garden borders or as a ground cover. Deadheading after flowering can lead to re-blooming depending on the varieties planted. If you only want to plant dianthus for one or two seasons, they are also available as either biennials or annuals.

Hydrangeas for Stunning and Colourful Backyard Shrubs

If you’re looking to add in some flowering shrubs to your backyard landscape, you cannot go wrong with hydrangeas. They come in a variety of different colour options and some will bloom on new wood and some on old. Hydrangeas grow best in well-drained, moist soil and in sun or part shade. Do you experience hot and dry summers? If so, be sure to water your hydrangea to keep it healthy and happy to promote bloom production.

Give your hydrangeas the space they need to thrive in the garden. This is a necessary rule when adding them to your backyard landscape. Two of our favourite varieties are the Incrediball and the Limelight hydrangeas. Most hydrangeas will be hardy in zones 4-9. Always be sure to check before you plant so that you choose the right varieties for your growing conditions and zone.

Ninebark Shrubs for Cold Climates and Easy Care

Are you gardening in a colder climate and looking to add some much needed colour to your backyard landscape? Look no further than ninebark! Available with either white or pink blooms. These easy-to-grow, low-maintenance shrubs will add beauty to your outdoor living space. This is true even after they finish blooming. The foliage on these shrubs is a thing of beauty and most will hold onto their dark colours well into the fall. Ninebark is the perfect backdrop against which to place your coloured fall perennials and annual flower displays.

Ninebark grows best in full to partial sun. If your soil is more clay-like, you are in luck. Ninebark thrives best in clay and loamy soil conditions. You can use these hardy plants as:

1. Borders
2. Hedges
3. Decking accents

Ninebark is also hardy in zones 3-9 making it adaptable to a wide range of growing zones and conditions. Fertilize ninebark shrubs once a year to maintain the health of the shrub. A bonus of ninebark is that it is very drought tolerant. Why not go out on a limb this summer and try planting one in your backyard landscape. Trust us, you won’t be sorry you did!

Final Thoughts on Low-Maintenance Backyard Landscaping Options

Planning your own backyard landscape can seem like a daunting task at first. This is especially if you are looking for easy, low maintenance plants. You will surprise yourself at how many easy-to-grow, low maintenance perennials, shrubs, and flowers are available to you. If you’ve been struggling to transform your backyard into a functional and inviting space, why not give some of the plants in today’s growing guide a try! Let nature be your guide as you transform your backyard into a liveable outdoor space to enjoy for years to come!