Many of us look forward to enjoying a vibrant outdoor space as the seasons transition.

However, constant garden maintenance can sometimes be challenging, especially for seniors who might want less physically demanding routines.

If you want a beautiful garden without extensive and tedious upkeep, this guide is for you.

Before we proceed, a few words of advice: It’s important to base your plant choices on local conditions, considering rainfall and temperature.

If you need more clarification about your area's climate, consulting with a local university gardening extension can provide clarity.

With that out of the way, let’s go through some no-fuss plants you can consider:

Ground cover plants

Plants with ‘creeping’ in their names, like creeping thyme, creeping sedum, and creeping jenny, often require minimal attention.

These plants grow outwards on their own, offering beautiful blooms during certain times of the year that attract pollinators.

Juniper is an evergreen that keeps your yard green even in winter. Image source: Pixabay

Shrubs with minimal upkeep

Oak leaf hydrangeas, weigela shrubs, and juniper make for excellent choices.

While the first two boast beautiful blooms, junipers provide a year-round green, coming in various styles, from those that stay low to the ground to those that grow tall.

Mostly, they thrive with a bit of sunlight and an occasional trim.

Simple annual flowers

Sunflowers, bachelor’s buttons, and zinnias are straightforward to grow.

After planting and initial watering, they primarily require sunlight.

Pairing sunflowers with ground-cover plants can also help reduce weeding, as the ground cover competes with unwanted growth around the sunflower base.

Effortless perennials

Bulb plants like crocus, daffodil, and hyacinth are wonderful for those looking for recurring beauty.

Once planted, they mainly need sunlight and perform well with some rain in the spring.

Integrating them with your ground cover can provide a meadow-like appearance, and placing them along fence lines can help reduce trimming and weeding in those spots.

Ornamental grasses

Grasses such as red hot poker, fountain grass, and maiden grass are perfect for adding varied texture to your garden.

They typically need a yearly trim and perhaps an occasional weeding session to keep the surroundings neat.

Lady ferns are especially ideal for those shaded spots in your garden. Image source: Pixabay

Shaded spots

If parts of your garden are shaded, plants like hostas, lady ferns, and begonias are ideal.

They flourish in shaded areas and will reappear season after season with some light maintenance, like occasional trimming or bulb division.

Key Takeaways

• Choosing low-maintenance plants for your garden will largely depend on your region's climate, rainfall and temperature.
• Ground cover plants such as creeping thyme, sedum, and jenny are all varieties that require little care and can spread on their own.
• Low-maintenance shrub options include oak leaf hydrangeas, weigela shrubs, and juniper, while sunflowers, bachelor's buttons, and zinnias are easy-to-grow annual flowers.
• For shadier spots, hostas, lady ferns, and begonias are all low-maintenance, shade-loving plants that require little maintenance once planted.

Members, which easy-care plant is essential in your garden? Share your favourites in the comments below!

 

[MariaG]

I have no garden but lots if outdoor pots.
We get lots of sun, so succulents thrive with little fuss.
I still get to potter but without physical effort.