A Garden Expert Says These 10 Low-Maintenance Garden Plants Are Basically Impossible to Kill

“Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links.”

Starting a garden is one of the most joyous and rewarding hobbies for both you and your home. However, no matter if you follow every piece of advice from experienced gardeners, perfectly stick to your watering schedule, and prune and harvest regularly, disaster—often in the form of unhealthy or dying plants—can strike at any time.

Sometimes it’s the fault of pests or the weather; other times it’s a bit due to a lack of a green thumb. Either way, choosing hardy plants that are both resilient and heat-tolerant makes all the difference when beginning a garden. With that in mind, we chatted with gardening whiz and Sunday’s Natural Science Manager, Teri Valenzuela, to uncover low-maintenance plants for your garden that are incredibly hard to kill. While every plant has its limits and needs proper care, this collection of herbs, hardy vegetables, and colorful flowers can tolerate a range of growing conditions and still thrive.

Plumbago

VERANDA editors have tested their fair share of pollinator-friendly blooms, shrubs, and even trees—yet our favorite foolproof plant has to be plumbago. The delicate clusters of periwinkle flowers add a cheerful touch to the garden or front porch while being deer-resistant, tolerating high heat and light frost, and thriving in both pots and in-ground plantings.

Pro tip: Invest in a trellis or obelisk for your plumbago to wrap itself around. Plumbago can grow up to six feet tall, so if you’re not one for regular pruning, a trellis gives it room to grow without overtaking neighboring plants.

Oregano and Rosemary

Artfully79 – Getty Images

If you have a palate for fresh herbs but lack a green thumb and, thus, have never tried to grow your own, we have good news: According to Valenzuela, oregano and rosemary are easy to grow and hard to kill.

“Both love full sun, tolerate dry conditions, and come back each year in warmer climates,” she explains. “Oregano spreads fast and is best grown in pots to keep it contained. Rosemary develops into a woody, fragrant shrub with small blue flowers that pollinators love.”

Where oregano plants typically live for five to six years, well-kept rosemary plants can live for between 10 and 20. To enjoy such a lifespan, Valenzuela says to plant your rosemary in pots so that you can easily bring it indoors over winter.

Hardy Veggies

Lucian Smoot / 500px – Getty Images

Meanwhile, if you want to supplement your cooking with more than just homegrown herbs, Valenzuela says hardy veggies like lettuce, squash, and peas require little TLC to make it from garden to plate.

“These fast-growing crops are easy to manage with the right timing,” she says. “Lettuce and peas thrive in cooler weather, while squash prefers warmth and space. Plus, peas naturally fix the soil with nitrogen, making this trio both productive and low-maintenance.”

Lavender

Caroline Gauvin – Getty Images

Dreaming of, well, sweet dreams? It’s time to plant soothing lavender in your garden. “Lavender thrives in full sun and well-drained, slightly alkaline soil,” Valenzuela says, noting that you can prevent root rot by using a potting mix with coir and perlite to improve airflow and drainage around the roots. “It can be slow to establish, but it’s tough and low-maintenance once settled.”

Sunflowers

David C Tomlinson – Getty Images

If you want to grow your flowers from seed to bloom, Valenzuela says that sunflowers are a great place to start, as they’re hardy and fast-growing. “They love full sun and well-drained soil, and they can grow in surprisingly tough conditions,” she points out. “Dwarf varieties work in containers, while tall types may need support from garden twine or poles as they mature.”

If you want your sunflowers to come back year after year, opt for perennial varieties; if you don’t mind having to replant at the start of each summer, annuals work fine. In either event, Valenzuela says to prioritize local varieties adapted to your region.

Zinnias

glennimage – Getty Images

For tough, easy-to-grow flowers that pack a powerful punch of color, add zinnias to your garden. “Zinnias are easy to grow from seed and bloom well into fall,” Valenzuela says. “They’re also pollinator-friendly and great for cutting.”

Just be sure to plant them somewhere they can get lots of sun, and make sure to regularly water and deadhead them to keep the voluminous petals blooming for months to come. (Though, once the first hard frost comes, you can expect these annuals to disappear.)

Pro Tip: If you begin to notice your zinnias are lacking, try reviving them with fertilizer. “Feeding mid-summer with a bloom-specific fertilizer can help extend flower production through peak summer heat,” Valenzuela says.

Petunias

Akaradech Pramoonsin – Getty Images

Petunias are another annual variety that is built to weather it all, so long as they’re planted in a place with plenty of light. “Petunias thrive pretty much anywhere you plant them,” Valenzuela assures, noting that they need to be regularly watered and deadheaded to stay looking their best.

Long-Blooming Perennials

Grace Cary – Getty Images

Unlike annuals, perennials come back year after year. Still, some perennials bloom longer than others and are thus considered more satisfying to grow. “Hardy geraniums (also called cranesbill) and rudbeckias (like brown- or black-eyed Susans) are long-blooming and tolerant of dry or lean soils,” Valenzuela says. “They’re ideal for filling in sunny spots with minimal upkeep.”

Pro Tip: Boost your perennials’ growing power with compost or nutrient-rich soil, Valenzuela says.

Hardy Native Pollinator Plants

While planning out your hard-to-kill garden, consider giving back to the pollinators that play a vital role in our ecosystem. “Native flowers like coneflower (echinacea) and bee balm (monarda) are hardy perennials that provide long-lasting color and support native pollinators,” Valenzuela says.

She adds, “Coneflowers bloom for weeks and tolerate drought once established. Bee balm spreads easily and thrives in moist, well-drained soil, and its bright, spiky flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.”

Ornamental Grasses

Photos by R A Kearton – Getty Images

Lastly, if you’re merely hoping to add texture, depth, and color to your garden, you can’t go wrong with ornamental grasses.

“My favorites are bluestem, dropseed, or whatever is local,” Valenzuela shares, noting that bluestem changes color in the fall, while dropseed creates soft, bouncing mounds. “These native grasses are tough and pretty low-maintenance. They can tolerate drought once established and add texture to any garden.”

A Word to the Wise

As helpful as Google and gardening articles are, Valenzuela says it’s beneficial to check your state’s extension service or Department of Natural Resources website, or speak with a local gardening expert before planting anything you’re unfamiliar with.

Doing so can prevent the unintentional introduction of invasive species. “It’s one of the best ways to protect your local ecosystem and avoid future removal,” she adds.