Whether you’re a new or experienced gardener, we understand that sometimes you’re just looking for easy flowers to grow. This is a no-judgment zone. You don’t have to obsess over your garden to enjoy colorful flowers all season long and attract pollinators such as butterflies and bees.
Not every gardener wants to face those tasks every day, so we’ve included a few drought-tolerant options that will do just fine without daily watering, not to mention bi-weekly fertilizing and frequent dead-heading. Ahead, here are our favorite easy-care blooms for any garden.
If you crave color, long bloom times, and flowers you’re not going to have to coddle, there are many annuals and perennials that fit the bill.
Portulaca, also known as moss rose, is a low-growing annual that thrives in poor or sandy soils in full sun. It has brilliant bloom colors from hot pink to pure orange.
This succulent retains water in its fleshy leaves so it’s a good choice for hot, dry areas. It works equally well as a ground cover or in hanging baskets, and many types self-seed and will pop up in your garden again next year.
This shrubby, sun-loving plant has multi-colored flowers in shades of bright pink, peach, white, and yellow. Nowadays you can find compact varieties that only grow a foot tall.
Lantana is treated as annual, though it can be perennial in the Lower, Coastal, and Tropical South. The plants are heat and drought-tolerant once established, though it does need occasional watering in containers. Butterflies and hummingbirds will flock to this plant.
Cheerful zinnias are hard to resist, especially once you know how hardy they are in the garden. Zinnias like average, well-draining garden soil and become drought-tolerant once established. They need sun and warm weather to survive and will bloom until first frost (deadhead the flowers to encourage more blooms).
Pollinators are attracted by the flowers. Zinnias do well in a meadow, cutting garden, or summer containers, so there’s always a place for these colorful flowers. This is another plant that’s easy to grow from seed.