Easy Garden Flowers

When you're a mom, having a place that's all your own is sometimes necessary to maintaining your sanity. A garden gives you that place right outside your patio door. But what you don't need is more demands. The key to an easy flower garden is all in the picking of your plants. Focus on those that are very easy to grow, advises Ann Lapides, owner of Sugar Creek Gardens in Kirkwood, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis. What characteristics do these plants have? "They don't need great soil, are very forgiving if they've missed being watered, plus they look gorgeous for months." Lapides shares some of her favorites for a low-maintenance, high-pleasure garden.

Black-eyed Susans exude a laid-back, summertime vibe in your garden. Their yellow petals brighten the yard all summer long in sunny or partially shaded locations. Called a perennial, black-eyed Susans reliably reseed themselves, providing you with a wealth of new plants, Lapides says, and the plants live about two years. "This delight is wonderful in containers or in the garden, as it blooms for months," Lapides adds.

Shasta daisies bring cottage garden style to your flower bed in full sun or partial shade and ask very little in return. The cultivar "Becky" gets raves from Lapides. "If you can only plant one daisy, this should be it. Hordes of pure white flowers top 36- to 42-inch stems in summer. [It's] tolerant of heat, drought, humidity or any other lashing Mother Nature wants to give it." This long bloomer was named Perennial Plant of the Year in 2003 by the Perennial Plant Association.

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If you are looking for a reliable perennial that has beautiful foliage, "Caramel" heuchera is worth checking out. This plant looks great in containers or in the ground, Lapides says. "Its leaves, in shades of orange and apricot-yellow, transform to soft amber in summer, then in autumn to an intense salmon red. Wands of white flowers appear in late summer." "Caramel" always looks good, Lapides says, and it's "fantastic for containers by the front door."

Shady gardens are an oasis in summer heat, but they require plants that thrive with little sun, and variegated Solomon's seal, named Perennial Plant of the Year for 2013, is one worth knowing about. "[Its] graceful, arching stems with green leaves edged in white add an elegant element to the shade garden," Lapides says. White flowers bloom in spring, dangling down the stems. "But don't let its lovely look fool you; this baby is tough as they come, thriving in the hardest growing spots of all — dry shade," Lapides says.

Angel flower, also known as summer snapdragon, gives a sunny garden drama, with its orchid-like blossoms covering stalks that can grow as tall as 24 inches. "One of my favorite annuals," says Lapides. "[It has] great color choices of pink, blue and white, plus the gorgeous striped blue and white." Angel flower has another charming attribute: It thrives in heat and humidity. Angel flower is "stunning in containers or the garden. The tall varieties are ideal for the center of large containers," Lapides adds.

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"Sunrise Rose" lantana is the busy gardener's friend — it blooms profusely no matter how little attention you give it. "Brilliant blossoms of dark rose-pink, pale pink and electric yellow completely cover this workhorse," Lapides says. "Butterflies and hummingbirds love it, bunnies and deer hate it." Put this annual in a sunny location and its vigorous growth will add "exciting color" to the landscape, Lapides says, and "Sunrise Rose" is a stunner in a container.

Tall verbena is another strong candidate for a cottage garden in a sunny to partially shaded location. "Wave after wave of showy clusters of rose-violet flowers continue all summer … fantastic in the garden, wildflower border or containers," says Lapides. Tall verbena loves heat and tolerates drought, Lapides advises, and "reseeding is 99.9 percent guaranteed."

If you want to plant and forget, creeping Jenny is an easy bet. "Sun, shade, wet, dry, it takes it all. You can't lose," says Lapides. "Small, round leaves of bright yellow lighten up even the darkest of corners." If you don't have flower beds, this perennial can make a garden out of a container. "[It is] fantastic in mixed containers as it cascades beautifully, complementing all the other plants," Lapides adds.

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