Right about July the garden is bursting at the seams with loads of flowers and lush growth, but it’s also the time when many plants are pretty needy. Feed me. Water me. Weed me. Mulch me. On it goes. How about a few that just do their thing without much input from you. Sound good? Here are a group arranged by mature size, so you can layer them into existing plantings or start from scratch.
Need more choices to fit a specific location? Just drop us a note in comments and we’ll get back to you with ideas.
May Night Sage
Zone: 4 – 9
Showy perennial is excellent for mixed borders, flower beds and patio containers. Thrives where summer nights remain cool. Up to 2′ tall and wide. Full sun.
ON THE SHORTER SIZE
Wink Maiden Pink
Zone: 3 – 9
Fragrant flowers on an excellent rock garden plant, border edging, or groundcover. Drought tolerant when established. Up to 1′ tall and wide. Full sun.
Becky Shasta Daisy
Zone: 4 – 9
Excellent in sunny borders and in containers for patio or landscape accents. Foliage reaches 1′ tall, 2′ wide; flowers reach up to 3′ tall. Full sun.
Vision in Pink Astilbe
Zone: 4 – 8
The Visions series tolerates drier soils than other Astilbes (all of which are pretty unfussy to start with). Up to 2′ tall and wide. Full shade to partial sun.
MOSTLY MEDIUM SIZED
Candy Store® Bubblegum Pink™ Phlox
Zone: 4 – 9
This series tolerates drier soils once established. Compact, hardy, and disease resistant. Up to 2′ tall and wide. Full sun.
Baby Pete™ Lily of the Nile
Zone: 8 – 11
Rarely sets seed pods, resulting in a longer bloom period. Splendid along pathways, or in groupings and mixed containers. Blooms up to 24 in. tall. Partial to full sun.
Red Butterflies Milkweed
Zone: 8 – 11
This easy care, well-behaved plant needs little attention and provides wonderful color. Tolerates poor, unimproved soils. Up to 3′ tall, 2′ wide. Full sun.
LARGE BACK OF THE BORDER TYPES
Skyracer Purple Moor Grass
Zone: 4 – 8
Spikes of tiny purplish flowers rise above the foliage clumps, nearly shimmering when back-lit by the sun. Up to 8′ tall, 4′ wide. Partial to full sun.
Aphrodite Rose Of Sharon
Zone: 5 – 9
Produces little to no seed, which means an abundance of nearly continuous flowers over a long bloom season. Up to 10′ tall, 6′ wide. Partial to full sun.
Tropicanna® Canna
Zone: 7 – 11
So much oomph, so little fuss. Adaptable when established; tolerates wet, poorly drained soils. Upright stalks quickly reach 5′ tall, forming clumps to 4′ wide. Full sun.
