Easy Maintenance Plants that have stood the test of time

Grace Peterson

50plus Magazine

We all love the plants and shrubs that require little help to stay healthy and beautiful season after season. Here are five low-maintenance, high-performance plants that have stood the test of time in my garden.

Rosa glauca is a rose species with single, pink 1-to 2-inch flowers in late spring. The blooms are wonderful, but this plant is more about the gorgeous, disease-free, purple-blue foliage that turns bright yellow in fall before going completely deciduous. My plant flourishes in a full sun border that gets little water in summer. I cut it back late winter to keep it compact. This inhibits the flowering, but with this plant, it’s all about the foliage!

Cotinus coggygria or Smoke Bush is another fabulous plant that complements all its neighbors with its deep burgundy foliage. This plant can get quite large. I’m growing the new-to-the-market compact cultivar, “Winecraft Black,” which shouldn’t need much pruning while still boasting gorgeous dark foliage.

Geranium “Rozanne” is a long-blooming low-growing perennial. There are many hardy Geraniums on the market, but Rozanne is among the most reliable for continuous blooming from spring until frost. Full to part sun with occasional water, it will expand outward each year and cover a lot of ground. Bonus: bees love the flowers.

Fuchsia magellanica is the winter-hardy shrub fuchsia that looks tropical but isn’t. Long blooming, it begins in late May and continues until a hard frost. It makes a nice cut flower and will sometimes reseed. This species needs supplemental water in summer, especially if planted in full sun, but will reward you with hundreds of hummingbird-attracting dangling blossoms. There are many named cultivars on the market with showy flowers. Some are wonderful, others can be fussy, but you will have no problems with this one.

Lilium “Stargazer” looks exotic but is very easy to grow and a reliable summer bloomer. Taking up very little space, bulbs can be planted in fall or spring between shrubs, perennials or in containers. Blooming June through August, depending on where and when they’re planted, the intensely sweet fragrance is enhanced by summer’s warmth and if brought indoors will perfume an entire room. The bulbs will survive many years in the ground if the soil doesn’t get too soggy. Good drainage is a must.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. To find hundreds more garden-worthy, reliable plants, check out Great Plant Picks:  https://www.greatplantpicks.org/  Many of the plants listed on Great Plant Picks can be purchased at Plant Lust https://plantlust.com/