Easy Care Shrubs & Perennials

Today I’m sharing a list of shrubs and plants that you may want to consider as you cruise the garden shops and nurseries over the next couple of months, looking for new plants to add to your gardens. I’ll talk a bit about where to buy plants and then share what I’ve found to be the easiest, no-fail, tried-and-true shrubs and perennials to bring lasting beauty to your yard and gardens.

A couple of years ago, I listed my all-time, garden tested, no-fail perennials along with my thoughts on a national magazine’s list of so-called no-fail perennials. It’s still a good read and pretty much on-target with the perennials I still grow consistently. To that list of seven, though, I need to add these easy perennials you will find throughout my yard:

No-Fail, Tried-and-True Perennials & Shrubs

Perennials

1. Stella D’Oro daylily. Nothing fancy here, just putting out green sword-like leaves (that are a great contrast to other leaf shapes) and yellow flowers all summer long. I bought two plants at a nursery the first year I started redoing the backyard beds and have used those to populate many other beds because they are so easy to divide and grow.
2. Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla). Yep, I love this cottagey, airy plant for the front of borders. I don’t have a problem with it seeding too much for me, but then again, I have a lot of soil to fill. I might feel differently if I were on a small patch of land.
3. Verbena Bonariensis. From two plants I started from seed, I now let them grow all over the garden and I love the effortless show they put on all through the summer – even the dog days.
4. Sedums. Autumn Joy and similar varieties provide a nice season-long show, first with green buds and then color-changing large blooms.
5. Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia). Yes, it’s normal, regular, done everywhere. But there’s a reason – it blooms when I need some color (July-August), is not fussy about soil, and comes back reliably each year – even when it doesn’t get watered (a-hem…).

Shrubs

1. Boxwood. Love, love, love it for it’s subtle small leaves, it’s easy to control shape, the way it lends itself as a partner to so many plants, and how it stays green and lovely all year long. Oh, and how it’s a plant-it-and-forget-it plant. Well, as close as you can get with plants, that is.
2. Hydrangea. More hydrangeas. And even more. Gee, can you tell it’s my favorite shrub like, ever? I have lace caps, mop-heads, all-season bloomers, oak leaf, and a Pee Gee standard. Not enough – I had to go and get this one last year, and it’s my new favorite. All I can say is: SO much bloom, SO lovely, and SO perfect for vases and drying. It all makes up for the barren sticks it becomes in winter. And combined with boxwoods? Sigh. There’s a cottage combo for you.
3. Spirea. This three-season shrub blooms in the sun or shade, has large and small varieties, and comes with green or glowing yellow leaves. It’s another plant-and-forget it shrub I would never be without.
4. Dwarf Alberta Spruce. The conical slow-growing shape is perfect for containers and in beds as a counterpoint to round boxwoods and sprawling flowering shrubs. It’s evergreen needles provide some shape and interest to the garden in winter and early spring. I have about 10 planted around my house in beds and pots as I write this. At around $3-5 for a gallon sized plant, it’s a lot of consistency for your dollars.
5. Camellia and/or Weigela. Both are large shrubs that once planted don’t need anything but watering (if planted in a space where there’s room to grow). They don’t bloom long, but they are lovely and look great in a large back border.

Where to buy Shrubs and Perennials

I get my plant mainly at garden centers and nurseries. The garden centers will have the basics at great prices and the nurseries carry more unusual varieties, and still better prices than mail order.

At one time I bought quite a bit through the mail, but prices have gone up during the past ten years so it’s not the savings it once was. Plus I’ve had a much lower success rate. The only exception would be certain varieties of fruiting plants and shrubs like raspberries, currants, grapes, and such that are harder to find. For these, I suggest you buy from mail-order nurseries that are in your region to have the best chance of growing them to maturity since they are grown in your specific zone.

As you can see, these plant choices aren’t unusual, hard to find, or expensive. I can’t justify spending large amounts just to have the newest or most unusual plants. I look for beauty, longevity, and low initial cost all wrapped up in the easiest care possible. And these all fit the bill.

What would you add to these lists?

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