The plants on this list were chosen with care and had to meet four specific criteria before they could be included. As mentioned in the title they had to be easy, that is low maintenance and to flower for a long period. In addition the plants had to be long lived, so no annuals, and naturally they had to be attractive. I came across this list of eleven easy care plants in an article by Jami Boys on her An Oregon Cottage blog.

Do you need plant recommendations for your garden that are really real? Not just some list that?s been reworked from a magazine or garden website ? a tried-and-true list of plants to grow in your garden that you can trust are the lowest maintenance, longest living, and provide a long bloom or garden backbone. That kind of list?
I thought so ? me, too! So I took a long, hard look at our garden and am sharing the list I came up with based on?what I think is the ultimate plant criteria:

What would I always plant again ? and what would I avoid?

Of course, under that are a few other must-have criteria like:

• easy care (does it need a lot of cutting back, spraying, training, does it become weedy, etc.)
• long bloom time or seasonal interest
• beauty
• lives a long time (so, obviously, this isn?t a list of annuals?)

The other thing that I think you?ll appreciate about this list is that these 11 perennials and shrubs provide all-season interest. Meaning, if you planted only the plants on this list, your garden would have something blooming from February through October (maybe even November in milder climates) and even have some evergreens to provide winter interest!
This is different from my previous favorite plants lists (which you can see here and here to compare!), and time has sharpened my view of good-vs-bad plants, which is why I?m also adding a few plants to the end of this list that I will NEVER plant again. Live and learn, right?
And, since this is also a Tuesdays in The Garden, you will find even more plant recommendations from our group at the bottom of the post. I love seeing what others are growing and why, don?t you?

11 Easy Care Plants for Every Garden

Listed in order of bloom time in my Pacific Northwest Garden, zone 8

1. Spring Bulbs: Daffodils (February-March), Grape Hyacinth (March-April), and Tulips (April-May)
I will never have a garden, even the smallest bed, that doesn?t include these bulbs. The only- and I mean only- hard part of planting bulbs is to remember to plant them in the fall. They are truly one of the only ?plant and forget it? flower, coming back every year (well, some?varieties of tulips don?t, but you don?t have to plant those?) with no further care other than cutting back the leaves after they?ve turned brown.
Best Varieties: Any daffodils and grape hyacinths, but for reliable yearly blooms look for Darwin Hybrid ?Tulips. They are larger and come in a lot of colors (the pink tulip above is a Darwin) and never have to be replanted ? a true perennial tulip.

Go to the next page to see more easy care plants
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