Every homeowner wants a beautiful outdoor space that portrays relaxed outdoor living, but beautiful yards don’t create themselves. The secret to having a great front or backyard is to accessorize with the right plants – it’s very much like using the right pieces to decorate the hallway or living room. But all this requires time, work and dedication, and with the busy lives many of us lead, who wants to spend a lot of time maintaining their garden?
Outdoor living spaces should be all about enjoying more relaxed time and entertaining and not worrying about watering. Hence, low-maintenance is the top characteristic homeowners (and apartment dwellers as well) look for in plants. Luckily there are many attractive and low-maintenance garden plants online and at local nurseries that blend perfectly no matter what your landscape design is.
Lomandra Longifolia
An easy-to-care Australian native plant that has strap-like leaves, forms tussocks to around 1m of height and has creamy flowers on spiny stems. Once established, this hardy garden plant requires very little maintenance. When shopping for garden plants online or at a local nursery, keep in mind that Little Con is a variety of Lomandra you should consider as it is a plant that can grow in both sun and shade, hot and cold, and it can thrive in almost any kind of soil. The best part about it is – it remains green all year around!
Nandina Domestica
Also called Japanese sacred bamboo, Nandina is an evergreen plant that has attractive foliage, creamy white flowers, and bright red berries. This plant can survive in most areas of Australia and with very little care. Although this plant belongs to the Barberry family, its Japanese sacred bamboo name is because its erect, cane-like stems and compound leaves resemble bamboo. The foliage, plant fort and fall colour of this plant makes it an interesting ornamental for the garden.
Phormium Tenax
A dramatic, clump-forming plant that has long-sward-shaped leaves which varies in colour, depending on the subtype. This plant is hardy and does well in almost any climate. Phormium is definetly a plant that can make a dramatic statement in your garden.
Strelitzia Reginae
Another strong and easy to maintain plant. It has grey-green spoon-shaped leaves and stunning orange and blue flowers that last for long periods. Winter hardy, Strelitzia Reginae does well in full sun to semi-shade, prefers to grow in rich loamy soil and likes plenty of water.
Nerium Oleander
Native to the Mediterranean region, the Nerium Oleander is the strongest of all other plants on this list. There are many varieties of this plant with flowers that range in colours, from white to light pink, apricot and deep reds. This plant can thrive in sandy, dry soils, drought, salt-laden and heat.
When shopping for low-maintenance garden plants online or at local nurseries, it is a good idea to ask the vendor for advice so he/she can recommend the best plant for your local climate and type of soil.
