Come springtime, many new homeowners want to spruce up their landscape. If they have not planted a thing since their preschool bean-in-a-cup project, figuring out what is right for the landscape and their gardening skill level can be overwhelming. The solution to that problem is to start with something easy to grow!  

 

  • Who would not want to plant grass that needs no mowing?  Ornamental grasses such as zebra grass, purple fountain grass, blue fescue, and Japanese blood grass grow to different heights and can add interest and color with little maintenance. Plant around posts and hard-to-get-to places in the yard for a mower-free plot! 
     

  • Offering a rainbow of easy-care color, daylilies come in hundreds of varieties.  Plant different cultivars in a sunny spot, keep them watered well for the first few weeks, and you will be rewarded with pops of color all summer. Bonus: daylilies come back each year and can be divided! 
     

  • Sunflowers come in varieties that range from a few feet tall that can be grown in containers or planted en masse with the giant varieties.  If you plant seeds, try planting each set every two weeks for six weeks, and once they bloom, they will bloom until fall. 
     

  • If your home faces north or the yard has lots of shade, try impatiens.  They are non-stop bloomers if you keep them deadheaded. They are great in containers and hanging baskets, too! 
     

  • Another plant for shady places is the fern.  There are many cultivars, and ferns thrive in the shade, and come back every year. 
     

  • Butterfly weed brings color and butterflies to your yard!  It is a native wildflower, making it practically care-free.  Look for plants already in flower in your garden center, as growing from seed will take a year or two for them to blossom. 
     

  • Zinnias put on a show all Summer, and come in many colors and bloom varieties, and all it takes is a scattering of seeds.  Like sunflowers, if you plant them every two weeks for about six weeks, you will have cheery blooms for months. 
     

  • Portulaca, or moss rose, is a succulent plant that grows low to the ground and blooms in bright pink, orange, red, white, and yellow.  Because they tolerate the heat and drought of summer, when everything else is drooping their small blossoms will stand out. 
     

  • Roses do not always need to be coddled! There are many easy-care hybrid roses.  Not only are the modern cultivations easy to grow, but some also bloom all season. 

 

Before you order plants or seeds from a catalog or website that is labeled “easy to grow,” make certain the plant is not a banned invasive plant in your state.  Check with your local cooperative extension service for advice on plants and flowers for your local climate.  Protecting native species as well as any hybrid beauties is an important part of having a green thumb. 

 

Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtors Tucker Robbins and Carol Arnott Robbins.

 

Photo credit: american meadows