Grow 4 beautiful low-maintenance plants that you ‘never’ have to prune or deadhead

Pruning is often necessary for plants to stay tidy and healthy, but if you strongly dislike it or prefer something that requires less upkeep, these four garden plants thrive without pruning.

Grow 4 beautiful low-maintenance plants that you ‘never’ have to prune or deadhead(Image: Yana Tatevosian via Getty Images)

Whether you’re a fan or not, pruning is frequently an essential gardening job to keep plants neat, thriving, and looking their absolute best year after year.

But if you’re not keen on it or fancy something more straightforward, certain plants flourish without any pruning whilst still delivering a spectacular show with hardly any fuss.

For those new to gardening or feeling slightly nervous about it, there’s no cause for concern about trimming at the wrong season or botching the job, as these plants need very little or absolutely no pruning whatsoever.

Even seasoned pruning enthusiasts can appreciate these undemanding plants, allowing you to sit back and relax, since they prosper without intervention and will consistently flower and impress without demanding extensive cutting back.

Evergreen azaleas are plentiful and vibrant (Image: Photos by R A Kearton via Getty Images)

1. Evergreen azalea

Anyone fortunate enough to cultivate azaleas has likely fallen for this gorgeous, fuss-free plant. The blooms are abundant and eye-catching, whilst the hardy foliage stays put throughout winter.

These shrubs and trees need no essential pruning, making them effortless additions to any garden, according to experts Teo Spengler at Gardening Know How.

2. Spiraea

Spiraea, often called spirea, are celebrated for being undemanding, aromatic shrubs. They provide prolonged visual interest, boasting beautiful foliage and long-lasting, attractive flowers.

For those in search of a spirea that demands little to no pruning, Amy Martin, landscape designer and founder of Plant and Bloom Design Studio, recommends the Double Play Doozie Spirea.

She explains: “If you want nonstop colour with no fuss, Double Play Doozie Spirea is your shrub. It keeps its neat, mounded shape without a single snip of the shears and puts on a vibrant flower show from early summer right up until frost.

“Since it’s a seedless and non-invasive variety, you don’t have to worry about unwanted spreading, and there’s absolutely no deadheading needed to keep the blooms coming.”

If you want nonstop colour with no fuss, Double Play Doozie Spirea is your shrub(Image: Westend61 via Getty Images)

3. Sunjoy Todo Barberry

Sunjoy Todo Barberry ranks high on Teo’s list. Its natural form is a compact mound of rich purple-black leaves, but its appeal doesn’t end there.

With the addition of bright golden flowers in spring and subsequent seedless red berries, this shrub provides year-round interest.

4. Firethorn

Firethorn is another easy-care option, boasting a host of attractive features. These include glossy leaves, sharp thorns, and clusters of vibrant late-summer berries in shades of orange, yellow, and red.

Planting Firethorn also serves as an effective way to attract wildlife, as birds are particularly fond of the berries, which remain on the branches well into winter.

Teo expressed her affection for this plant, having adored it “for a decade” as it forms a significant part of her border hedge. Regarding their maintenance, the gardening expert confessed: “I have never, ever pruned them.”