How can you have a flower garden without maintenance? It’s obviously not possible. But some plants require less work than others. I’d like to introduce you to 16 maintenance-free flowering plants – a selection of plants I’ve tested in my garden in Brittany, France, and which are worry-free.
You’ll also love this article on drought-tolerant perennials in summer or, if you have a dry garden even in winter, this article on plants for arid gardens.
Almost maintenance-free flowering plants
What I love about the garden is sitting back and admiring it. Watching the plants grow, the flowers bloom. I don’t like to spend too much time cleaning around plants that are too fragile to take care of themselves, and my least favorite thing is pruning. In short, I’m definitely a bit lazy.
Don’t worry, I don’t want to sell you an “effortless gardening with permaculture” course. But all the same…there are plants that require a minimum of maintenance. And that’s what I’d like to highlight today: flowering plants that require little or no maintenance.
What do I call a maintenance-free plant?
- It’s a plant that requires the least possible work
- No size
- Little cleaning
- Little or no watering
- No weeding
- Not for field mice and voles
I’ve selected plants that grow well in temperate climates, which I’ve tested in my garden. There are perennials, small shrubs, annuals and biennials that can be reseeded without my intervention.
1 – Peruvian lily – Alstroemeria
The Peruvian lily thrives in Brittany. Especially in humid Brittany. The flowers are therefore a little capricious, and some years they bloom very little. But when they are happy, you can make bouquets until November. You need to pull slightly on the deflowered stem to pull it out and motivate the plant to bloom again.
The red variety goes beautifully with blue agapanthus.
2 – Agapanthus
Now a classic in Breton gardens, agapanthus reseeds itself, and it’s great! All you have to do is pick up the old stems at the end of winter. The clump stays in place for many years. Chickadees eat the seeds, so I leave the dead stems all winter.
3 – Hemerocallis
I love this plant. I try to put it everywhere because it’s so carefree. You just have to pick up its dead leaves in autumn. No weeds bother it. I water it, but I’m not sure that’s necessary. Here, daylilies flower for about a month, in June and July. In the “maintenance-free flowering plants” category, they’re perfect.
4 – Daffodils and Narcissus
As well as being pretty and announcing the arrival of spring, these bulbs have the great merit of not being to the taste of field mice and voles, unlike muscaris, tulips and camassias.
I use them in pots, in beds and in the lawn with tulips for a bulb meadow effect.
5 – Heather if left to grow as it pleases
6 – Japanese azaleas and mollis
Azaleas grow in acid soil. Once planted…nothing to do. No pruning or cleaning whatsoever. There’s no need to water them in Brittany. Elsewhere, I don’t know. In general, I think they prefer shade, but here they grow well in full sun. Mollis azaleas are taller than Japanese azaleas. They’re also less pink and more yellow or orange.
7 – The foxgloves
Foxgloves are biennial plants. They are sown in autumn to produce a plant that may flower the first year, but is more likely to flower the second. It then reseeds itself and dies. They make big, strong plants that require no special help. They establish themselves wherever the environment is favorable. A little clean-up in autumn is all that’s needed.
8 – Poppies
Poppies are annuals that quickly grow into large plants. They grow wherever the environment is favorable. They thrive in the vegetable garden. They cannot be moved or transplanted. You have to sow them in place. Then I broadcast the seeds all over the garden and they take care of themselves.
9 – The hellebores
Hellebores aren’t totally maintenance-free, as I’ve just noticed that some varieties smother others. This year, for example, I lost a white plant to a larger pink one. It’s sometimes advisable to cut off the leaves when the flower buds appear. You can, if that’s all you have to do, but frankly, I don’t bother.
Hellebores bloom in January and February
10 – Sedums
Large sedums are perennials that flower in August-September. All you need to do is cut back any old stems in January.
11 – California poppies
Just needs a little cleaning up in the fall. Basically, we pull out the old plant once it’s ginned up.
12 – Evening primrose
Evening primrose is a wild plant that flowers in summer from dusk until dawn, when the sun heats up nicely (around 10 or 11 a.m. here). It’s fun to watch. If you’re patient enough, you can see the flowers open at a glance. It lights up the garden at dusk.
Cut the stems in autumn, or leave them for the birds to eat the small seeds.
13 – Rudbeckia
I’m talking about rudbeckia and not echinaceas. Echinaceas are very beautiful, I like them a lot, but either they don’t like my soil or they get eaten by field mice. Rudbeckias, on the other hand, are strong and gradually spread out to form large clumps. A little tidying up at the end of winter and that’s all there is to it.
14 – Astilbes
Perfect for shady areas. I have pink and white ones. No particular maintenance to report. I think I cut off what’s left of the old stems at the end of winter. Be careful, they don’t like sun or drought!
15 – Le Daphné
If it’s willing to grow, this little shrub requires no maintenance. You just wait for it to grow. It’s wonderfully fragrant.
16 – Potentilla
This little shrub doesn’t need pruning to flower and remains rather small. It comes in white, yellow and more or less orange.
There are, of course, many other carefree, maintenance-free flowering plants. I’ll add to this list as I discover them. I’m currently testing chrysanthemums, which seem to spread rapidly without my intervention. I’m also testing a few varieties of daisy, which I hope will be less invasive than the wild daisy.
Don’t hesitate to suggest other plants I don’t know yet. In particular, I’m looking for shrubs that remain compact even without pruning, like potentilla.
