Hard To Kill Outdoor Plants

Gardening is one of America's most popular pastimes, yet it has its drawbacks. Can you picture spending countless hours and hundreds of dollars redesigning your bedroom only to have it fall apart after a year? That's how it feels when you start a new garden and it dies after a season.

There are certain outdoor plants that are superior than others. While it is possible to destroy these plants, by selecting some of the super robust plants that can withstand a broad variety of growing circumstances, you can be confident that your time and money will be well spent for many more growing seasons.

Sage from Russia

The topsoil is scraped away in new-construction areas, and the debris that remains is barely dirt. In such a tough climate, what should you plant? Begin with a tough-as-nails perennial that blooms for three months in the first season. Full light is required for optimum bloom development in Russian sage, and it can't exist without it.

Daffodils

The daffodil is one of those outdoor plants that you can throw about in the landscape and appear like a garden genius for the rest of your life as your blossoms multiply1 each spring.

Plant them at least 4-inches under the soil's surface in the autumn to guarantee a long season of returns. For pampered bulbs, a squirt of bulb fertilizer is great, but it isn't required for top performance. Allow plenty of area for the colonies to expand over time by spacing them a few inches apart.

Nettle

Don't be fooled by Lamium maculatum2's soft, falling foliage: this flowering ground cover isn't slowed down by shadow or dryness. Early in the spring, variegated or silvery leaves appear, followed by purple or white snapdragon-like blossoms. The shallow-rooted runners of dead nettle plants grow fast, but you may pluck out excess to use as accents overflowing over the borders of your pots and window boxes.

Catmint

When the variety 'Walker's Low' was selected the 2007 Perennial Plant of the Year, Nepeta x faassenii became more than simply a cat-friendly herb. The bees love the nectar-rich violet blossoms that occur throughout the summer months, and the lovely grayish-green foliage compliments the informal border. Plants grow to be around two feet tall, but they have a prostrate tendency that makes them look nice near the edge of a wall or road.

Daylily

The iconic gold everblooming Stella D' Oro daylily has become a landscaping standard in office parks, but daylilies have a lot more to offer than that. Despite the fact that the color range is normally confined to the warmer side of the color wheel, fascinating color patterns and flower shapes have increased the number of cultivars available into the thousands. Although darker types may benefit from afternoon shade to avoid sunscald, full sun is preferred. Although fertilization isn't required, thorough watering during dry periods in the summer is useful.

Reed Grass, Feather

Every lazy gardener's wish list must include ornamental grasses. Many of them are prairie natives who have adapted to a variety of pests and climatic conditions. Feather reed grass has deep roots that allow it to thrive in both wet and dry soils, and it thrives in lean soils without the need for fertilizer. The six-foot flowering stalks provide a striking vertical accent that lasts far into the autumn.

Bee Balm

Plants' drought resilience has received a lot of attention, but a moist patch in the garden may be just as tough to maintain. One solution to the wet garden problem is bee balm. Flowers in blue, pink, red, or white attract butterflies and hummingbirds to the 3-foot tall clusters. Bee balm is an aggressive plant that belongs to the mint family, although it may be pulled up if it spreads too far. 'Marshall's Delight' and 'Violet Queen,' for example, are new types with enhanced mildew resistance.