17 Low-Maintenance Plants and Dwarf Shrubs

Tough comes in a pretty package with English lavender. This Mediterranean herb packs perfume into purple blossoms and silvery leaves. English lavender can form a fragrant hedge. In smaller gardens, try a compact variety, like 'Munstead’ or 'Thumbelina Leigh.’

Prune these plants by late August, so plants have time to harden off before freezes arrive. Once you get these plants going in your garden, they'll quietly take care of themselves from there. Best perk of this variety, they beckon butterflies of all shapes and sizes to its blooms.

This beauty delivers white, fringe-like flowers in late spring to early summer, followed by blue-black fruits that are favorites among birds. Fall color delivers with leaves that shift from bright green to shades of yellow-gold. This tree has no pests and stands up to pollution. It also doesn’t need pruned. These plants grow 12 to 20 feet both in heighth and width.

Splash some color into garden beds with the striking leaves of coral bells. This group of plants offers nearly any hue, and prefers a life of part sun, part shade. Many varieties bring bicolor designs to life. Use them to edge planting beds or fill out containers. They’re frequently deer resistant and always carefree.