Five plants for a low maintenance border

Published on 28 March 2022

These five plants for a low-maintenance border are some of the best plants to grow when you don’t have much time to look after them. All plants in a cultivated garden will need some maintenance, but these will keep that to a minimum while ensuring your garden looks pretty and great for pollinators. Make sure you know if your border is in full sun, part sun/part shade or shade before you get planting. These five plants are all for a sunny border, although most will also grow well in part sun.

Best plants for a low maintenance border

Geranium’ Rozanne’
This hardy geranium was the winner of the RHS Plant of the Centenary at Chelsea Flower Show in 2013. The pretty blueish flowers stand out from the spreading foliage, as it grows fast to fill borders as perfect ground cover. Hardy Geraniums flower for an extended period from summer into autumn and can bring some fun to a low maintenance border.
Geum’ Totally Tangerine’
The cheerful orange flowers of this Geum flower bloom from early summer to early autumn in full sun and well-drained soil. Keep deadheading the flowers and see how they look lovely together with any other plant with lilac/blue flowers. Geums grow well at the front of borders.
Hebe ‘Heartbreaker’
An evergreen shrub with colour all year. The green leaves are creamy edged and turn to a bright pink colour from lower temperatures in autumn all the way until spring. You will also enjoy the purplish flowers in the summertime, so it really is a great plant.
Buddleja’ Pink Delight’
Forget the lilac Buddleja! This bright and beautiful pink Buddleja is fast-growing and flowers profusely all summer. Butterflies will be attracted to it, as will bees. It’s fully hardy and an excellent plant for a pollinator and low maintenance border. The flowers even have a sweet, honey scent, and it needs very little care, just a hard prune in spring.
Choisya ‘Goldfingers’
Choisya, also known as Mexican orange blossom, is a bushy shrub that has colourful interests all year. The fragrance also uplifts you throughout spring and early summer, from green to yellow flowers and small white flowers, ideally planted where you will walk by or by a seated area to enjoy the cheerful shrub with scent. Preferring a fertile, well-drained soil, Choisya is a fully hardy plant that will shine all year.