Shrubs, flowers, and trees sound like a great addition to your backyard, but if you don’t have the green thumb, it may seem impossible. We’ve listed a few options of plants for your dream yard that don’t require heavy duty gardening and you won’t have to worry about through the year.
First off, I must add that the plants in this list do require a little pre-planting work, but over the years these plants will grow and make your yard look beautiful with blooms with little work.
Here is what you need to do first if you want to start preparing your backyard for a no-nonsense garden. Picking the right spot for each plant is critical because there should be decent soil and enough sunlight. You must also be prepared to do some regular watering during the first growing season. Every plant needs moisture to entice their roots to spread so be ready with a watering can, a garden hose, or a sprinkler system.
Dwarf Conifers and Dwarf flowering shrubs are good starters.
Conifers are cone-bearing plants, and they come in all shapes, sizes, needles colors, and growth rates. Don’t let the dwarf name fool you, these plants need adequate room to grow. If given this room, you won’t have to worry about pruning them as they flourish. The best choices here are those that are resistant to bugs, they include Hinoki cypress, green and gold thread cypress, Japanese plum yews, and firs.
Dwarf flowering shrubs are another low maintenance plant and don’t grow as tall as their dwarf conifer cousins. These bushes flower during the spring/summer and turn magnificent colors during the fall. They include weigela, a no prune May bloomer; abelia, early summer white bloomer; and the traditional hydrangea.
These bush choices can be paired with low maintenance flowers such as daylilies, perennials, Japanese painted ferns, Ajuga, Iris, and Cannas. If you’re buying from a garden center, make sure to check your plants’ labels to see what type of soil, sun, and water they require so you can know exactly how to care for them.
Having a beautiful garden doesn’t depend on your green thumb. Even if you’re anxious about the idea of keeping track of several plants, these are great ones to start off your backyard with little prep and even less attention.
