They’re as delightful to look at as they are simple to grow. Discover 13 garden stars that require minimal effort but deliver maximum beauty.
Easy Plants to Bolster Backyard Landscaping
1. Smoke Tree
Smoke trees are a fantastic choice for adding vibrant color and volume to your landscape.
These tall plants can reach over 15 feet in height, but a bit of pruning will help them fit into smaller yards.
Their striking rich plum color and airy pink seed clusters make a bold statement, and some varieties even offer brilliant red foliage in the fall.
2. Hostas
Hostas are the go-to plants for shaded areas and are remarkably easy to grow. As long as they’re not trampled or exposed to intense sunlight, they’re virtually foolproof.
With a variety of colors—green, chartreuse, blue-gray, and variegated—there’s a hosta to suit every gardener’s taste.
They also come in different sizes, from small six-inch-wide plants to larger 24-inch-wide varieties.
Just keep them watered during dry spells and watch out for slugs (trapping them in tuna cans filled with beer works well). Otherwise, relax and enjoy these popular shade plants!
Plant hostas in groups or waves in shady perennial beds, or use them to brighten a dark corner. They thrive best in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 3-9.
3. Siberian Iris
Siberian iris is one of the easiest irises to grow and quickly becomes a gardener’s favorite.
This low-maintenance plant is perfect for those who prefer a fuss-free option but still want a splash of beauty in their garden. It features spiky, sword-like foliage throughout the growing season and elegant, frilly blooms in late spring and early summer.
Flowers come in colors ranging from white and lavender to a striking clear blue. For maintenance, you can trim the foliage in late fall if you like, and dividing crowded plants every four to five years provides free new plants.
Siberian iris works wonderfully for lining fences or adding to mixed flower beds. It thrives best in Zones 3–8.
4. Virginia Spiderwort
Also called spider lily, Tradescantia virginiana is a hardy perennial that thrives in both dry shade and full sunlight.
Its adaptable nature makes it a great choice for various conditions. The plant features slender, spear-like leaves that can grow up to three feet long and remain attractive throughout the season.
In summer, it produces beautiful blue, purple, or occasionally white flowers that enhance its appeal.
Virginia Spiderwort is ideal for naturalistic settings, such as growing against rocks or tree stumps. It performs best in Zones 4–9.
5. Rudbeckia
Commonly known as black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia fulgida brings bright, sunny charm to any garden.
Its long-lasting, golden daisy-like flowers with dark brown centers are a favorite among butterflies and honeybees, making it a standout in late summer. Letting the flowers go to seed in the fall provides a winter food source for birds.
This drought-tolerant, clay-loving perennial is low-maintenance and deer-resistant.
Plant a large patch of black-eyed Susans to create a focal point in your flower bed. They thrive best in Zones 3–9.
6. Echinacea
Commonly known as purple coneflower, Echinacea now comes in a variety of colors beyond its traditional purple, including tomato-reds, bright oranges, and vivid yellows.
True to its prairie roots, echinacea is incredibly resilient, thriving in tough conditions and enduring both drought and neglect. It performs well in heavy clay soils and, like rudbeckia, attracts pollinators in summer and birds in fall and winter.
Echinacea looks striking when planted in large groups within a mixed flower bed. It’s best suited for Zones 5–8, though some cultivars can handle Zone 3.
7. Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius, commonly known as Ninebark, has long been a reliable garden plant, but recent cultivars with burgundy or copper foliage have elevated its appeal.
Its features include charming button-like flowers in spring, attractive peeling bark, and a graceful habit that requires minimal pruning.
Once established, Ninebark is drought-tolerant and adaptable to both acidic and alkaline soils.
It makes a striking addition to a shrub bed or can be pruned into a tree shape for a dramatic focal point. Best suited for Zones 2–7.
8. Heuchera
Often called coral bells due to its nodding, bell-shaped flowers that bloom in summer, Heuchera might be better known by its botanical name, as it conveys a more robust image—think Hercules in the garden!
Beyond its charming flowers, heuchera boasts striking foliage in a range of colors, from burgundy and purple to red, cinnamon, gold, and lime.
It makes a vibrant and colorful edging plant and thrives in Zones 4–9.
9. Vinca Vine
Also known as periwinkle or myrtle, Vinca is a versatile ground cover plant with a single goal: to blanket the soil.
It thrives in heavy clay soils and spreads moderately, making it easy to manage and preventing it from becoming invasive.
The periwinkle flowers add a lovely touch in spring, while the glossy dark-green foliage remains attractive throughout the rest of the season.
Vinca vine is especially charming as it weaves over rocks and fallen tree limbs. It thrives in Zones 4–10.
10. Juniper
Juniper is the rugged champion of evergreens, thriving in dry, rocky soils and enduring harsh sunlight with ease.
Browsing animals, including deer, generally steer clear of it. With an increasing variety of juniper types available, offering diverse textures and colors, it can fulfill many landscape needs.
From spreading groundcovers to mounded and upright forms, junipers offer versatility in the garden.
Upright junipers make a great substitute for arborvitae in areas with heavy deer pressure, while lower-growing varieties are ideal as foundation plants. They thrive in Zones 2–8.
11. Dwarf Alberta Spruce
With dwarf Alberta spruce, patience pays off. This tree grows only a few inches each year, which is often a plus for gardeners.
Its slow growth ensures it won’t outgrow your space, making it perfect for small gardens or even container planting.
Dwarf Alberta spruce is ideal for adding a touch of greenery to entryways, decks, or patios. It can also be a charming addition to the front of a mixed shrub border.
For more ideas on sprucing up your home entrance, check out these entryway plants. Best suited for Zones 2–8.
12. Ornamental Grass
Ornamental grasses are a breeze to grow, needing just a trim back to the ground in early spring to make way for fresh growth.
Most are drought-tolerant and thrive in poor soils. The key is to choose a variety that fits your space.
With options ranging from the petite eight-inch-tall blue fescue to the towering 14-foot giant miscanthus, ornamental grasses can be used for everything from edging a border to concealing unsightly areas. Their hardiness varies by species.
13. Hydrangea
Hydrangeas are remarkably resilient and low-maintenance plants. While bigleaf hydrangea (H. macrophylla), hardy in Zones 6–8, can be a bit finicky about watering and frost, oakleaf (H. quercifolia), hardy in Zones 5–9, and panicle (H. paniculata), hardy in Zones 3–8, are more robust and require minimal care once established.
The key to thriving blooms is ensuring they receive enough sunlight. Their vibrant flowers are long-lasting and remain attractive even as they age.
Hydrangeas make excellent focal points, foundation plants, or additions to mixed borders.