Easy to Care For Outdoor Plants

Easy to Care For Outdoor Plants

Maybe you have the luxury of a large outdoor space, but the job which affords you said luxury is keeping you busy. While we all wish we could spend all our time in the garden, it is tricky to find time to maintain our home indoors, keeping the outdoors up to scratch can be difficult. Whether you want to plant shrubs, trees, flowerbeds, planters or any other flora outdoors, you might need to find those plants which are as low-maintenance as possible. Fortunately, there are many plants out there which can both meet your time needs and provide a beautiful lush garden to admire whenever you are able.

At oneHOWTO, we provide 12 easy to care for outdoor plants species to meet your needs. We provide a list and photos of these plants so you can see just how beautiful your garden, terrace or outdoor space might be.

Bearded iris

When it comes to selecting outdoor plants that need little water, one of the most recommended is the Iris × germanica. This hybrid flowering plant will give you a beautiful and aromatic bloom with minimal care. These irises are plants with wide ribbon-like leaves, which can be grown in the garden or in large pots.

They grow alone and the only precaution you should take is to avoid waterlogging the ground as they require minimal watering. They hold up very well in full sun or in semi-shade and can withstand frost. In spring, they have generally blue and purple flowers, although they can also be white. They are the best decoration for any garden.

Laurustinus

Laurustinus (Viburnum tinus), also known as laurestine, can handle just about anything. It is one of the most resistant shrubs that you can plant, both directly in the garden soil, ideal for forming hedge borders, and in a large planter. It is an evergreen plant which also maintains its white flowers in clusters for most of the winter, adding a touch of color to any patio or terrace. If you are looking for plants that withstand frost and a lot of sun, the laurustihnus is for you as it will withstand the most extreme temperatures.

Geranium

The geranium cannot be left off our list of the most decorative and cheerful outdoor plants. There are about 22 species of geranium which flower in an explosion of color in spring and summer. In winter they can withstand low temperatures, although not frost. While still easy to care for, you will have to protect these plants by putting them under cover in a place that gives them some protection. It is the only care you should have because the geranium grows perfectly in full sun and is undemanding in terms of watering.

If you fancy planting low-maintenance plants, take a look at our article on how to care for geraniums.

Jasmine

Among the many varieties of jasmine that exist, one of the most popular and resistant is the star jasmine, recognizable by its beautiful white flowers and its delicate and unmistakable aroma. It stands out among cold- and heat-resistant outdoor plants, requiring simple care to emit its perfume every spring. This is a climbing plant, perfect for decorating the walls or trellises of a balcony or garden. To flourish, jasmine requires full sun exposure, but is also capable of withstanding temperatures as low as 3 ºC below zero.

Jasmine is not only a great easy to care for outdoor plant, it is also great for indoor spaces.

African lily

Another ideal easy-care outdoor plant is Agapanthus, genus of which different plants are known as African lilies. It is an easy plant to find in parks and gardens because it requires little attention, but has great ornamental value. You can also grow it in your garden and wait for the spring-summer season to enjoy its beautiful flowers, gathered in umbels, generally of an intense blue or white color. The flower arises from leaves, whose stem can exceed one meter in height. It grows in the sun and in semi-shade and is even able to withstand sub-zero temperatures.

Boxwood

This is a very slow growing shrub ideal for decorating terraces, patios and balconies. You can also use it to create original hedges in the garden or terrace, pruning it frequently if you wish. Caring for a boxwood is very simple because it requires moderate watering, it supports the sun very well and it resists hardly up to -15 ºC, maintaining its leaves throughout the year.

Oleander

Do you want an outdoor plant resistant to both cold and heat? Oleanders, with their pink, white or red flowers, are a safe bet. It is an exuberant flowering shrub that can reach a considerable height, also adapting to practically any type of soil. They love the sun, direct light and high temperatures, even those exceeding 30 ºC. Oleanders need minimal watering in cold months and somewhat more frequent in summer. In addition, they outgrow winter even with moderate frosts.

Bougainvillea

It is one of the most abundant climbing vines you can plant in your garden, filling a lattice, fence or wall with color. The bougainvillea, with its beautiful modified leaves or bracts, surrounding the small white true flowers, are of striking bright pink, purple, red, white, yellow or orange tones. They can perfectly withstand the hottest days, even if you forget to water it for a few days. It can also lose its flowers and bracts in winter, but they will appear again the following spring as long as you protect it from the hardest frosts.

Bougainvillea is a perfect plant for the outdoors, specifically a great plant for balconies.

Lavender

The beautiful color of its flowers and its pleasant aroma make lavender one of the best options to brighten up a garden or a balcony if you plant them in pots. This outdoor plant requires little care, flourishes in almost any type of substrate (even in rocky areas) and asks for very little when giving you its splendor. It needs direct sun and requires minimal watering. Winter, even with frost, is not a danger for it, although it may not bloom.

If you like the sound of this plant for your garden, take a look at our article on how to plant lavender.

Yucca

There are different varieties of this plant, but they are all resistant like few others. Outdoor yucca can be planted in gardens, directly in the ground, or in a large planter. In both cases, you will have a plant that will bring an exotic touch to any space without having to worry just about its care. It is one of the easy-care outdoor plants, requires minimal watering and is resistant to both cold and heat, but the sun is its best ally.

Hibiscus

Unmistakable for its deep green leaves and large, brightly colored flowers, the hibiscus is one of the hardiest and easiest to care for shrubs that looks best in a garden or in a large pot on a terrace. You should only choose the ideal place to plant it because it needs a lot of natural light, although the direct sun of midsummer can damage its flowers and leaves. Moderate watering and some protection against severe frosts and direct summer sun is the most important thing to keep in mind.

Petunias

To finish this our list of easy to care for outdoor plants, we couldn't do better than the famous petunias. Perfect for decorating terraces and balconies, petunias are a summer classic. They bloom in all their splendor, withstanding the sun and high temperatures without problems. Pink, white, red, violet and more can be found. Its variety of colors is extensive and another of its advantages is that it is very undemanding regarding the richness of the soil where you plant it. As if that were not enough, it also adapts to moderate cold and, although it loses its flower in winter, it will generally bloom again in the spring.

To make the most of your outdoor space with minimal effort, you can use the low-maintenance petuina as one of your plants to decorate a patio.

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