Toughest Flora Picks for Your Backyard Oasis
For those new to gardening, finding plants that are easy to care for can be a game-changer. Here are some low-maintenance, can't-kill plants that are perfect for both indoor and outdoor spaces.
Indoor Plants
The snake plant, scientifically known as Sansevieria, is one of the toughest houseplants around. Its thick, striking, snake-like leaves hold a lot of water, allowing it to survive most indoor conditions and cramped spaces. It prefers to dry out between waterings and needs minimal care.
Another indoor favourite is the pothos, a plant that is very tolerant of low light and irregular watering. Its fast-growing trailing vines are easy to trim, making it a great choice for beginners.
The ZZ plant is another low-light champion that can thrive with watering only every couple of weeks. Its slow growth and hardiness make it perfect for neglectful care.
The spider plant is another great option. It grows fast, produces baby offshoots to propagate, and likes bright indirect light. When it's thirsty, it signals by drooping.
Outdoor Plants
For outdoor spaces, boxwood is a slow-growing evergreen shrub that requires little pruning and offers a year-round tidy appearance.
Catmint, with its thriving nature in poor soil and full sun, is another great choice. It's drought-tolerant and blooms with long-lasting purple flowers.
Coreopsis is a very easy-to-grow plant with bright yellow blooms that need little attention.
Marigolds are hardy annuals that bloom continuously throughout the season and repel pests.
Texas sage is a semi-evergreen shrub with silvery leaves and lavender blooms that appear after rain. It requires very little pruning.
Butterfly bush is a hardy shrub that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds and blooms with sweet nectar.
Sedum is an extremely drought-resistant plant that can withstand harsh heat and poor soil conditions.
Russian sage is a tall, wispy perennial plant that does not require much maintenance and can tolerate infrequent watering and clay soil.
Daffodils are known for their sweet scent, pest resistance, and ability to tolerate partial shade or filtered light.
Lamb's Ear, with its unique fuzzy, silvery-green foliage and silky blooms, is incredibly drought resistant. It does well in full sun but can also tolerate the shade.
Dead nettles are a can't-kill-shrub that can grow in dry shade and is one of the most adaptable plant varieties in nature. When they grow, they develop soft, tumbling foliage and a bed of blooms. They are drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, and prevent erosion.
These selections are ideal for beginner gardeners because they tolerate a variety of conditions, require minimal watering, and generally recover well from neglect. Whether you're looking to green up your indoor or outdoor spaces, these low-maintenance plants are sure to thrive under your care.
The diverse selection of plants, such as the snake plant, pothos, ZZ plant, and spider plant, are perfect for indoor spaces, thriving even in low-light conditions and requiring minimal care. In outdoor spaces, consider low-maintenance plants like boxwood, catmint, coreopsis, marigolds, Texas sage, butterfly bush, sedum, Russian sage, daffodils, Lamb's Ear, and dead nettles, all of which are tolerant of various conditions, requiring minimal watering and generally recovering well from neglect.