Outdoor Plants You Can’t Kill
Whether you’re planting your first-ever seeds or you’re a gardening mogul, seeing your hard work go to waste when your plants die is no fun. We’ve put together a guide of easy-to-grow plants that can withstand almost any condition.
Geraniums
Geraniums are the No. 1 selling annual, and for good reason. They come in a wonderful range of colors and hold up in the heat of summer, even with limited water.
Petunias
Petunias bloom spring to frost in a seemingly limitless range of colors: light lemon yellow, lime green, pink, and more. Almost all varieties are self-cleaning (no deadheading required) for carefree color. For optimal performance, water and fertilize regularly.
Sedums
A versatile group of plants, sedums range from short groundcovers to midsize clumping plants. Once planted, they require little care — simply water if they look dry and cut back plants after flowering to maintain their shape.
Hostas
Hostas can be one of the easiest plants to grow—as long as deer and slugs don’t frequent your garden. (Repellents are available if you love hostas and have these unwelcome visitors.) Varieties range from tolerating dappled sun to tolerating part sun, such as Liberty Hosta. Colors range from pure green to yellow-green variegation to blue-gray and beyond.
Coralbells
Coralbells are easy to grow and bring evergreen (to semi-evergreen) color to your garden. Though they grow in full sun to shade, lime green varieties benefit being planted in shade. Bonus: Hummingbirds love the flowers.
Weigela
Weigela is a maintenance-free shrub loved by gardeners, hummingbirds, and butterflies for its plentiful bell-shape flowers. Several varieties have rebloom abilities, including Wine & Roses and the Sonic Bloom collections.
Verbena
Clusters of verbena blooms typically come in white, pink, or purple; they make a great accent plant. The variety ‘Imagination’ stands out for its ability to survive in the hottest, driest conditions.
