12 Best Flowers for Low Maintenance Landscaping That Still Wow

Not everyone wants to spend their weekends knee-deep in mulch and garden gloves. If your dream landscape is one that looks good with minimal upkeep, you’re not alone. Many homeowners are looking for practical ways to fill their yards with beautiful blooms—without making gardening a second full-time job. Whether you’re a first-time gardener or a seasoned green thumb who’s short on time, finding the best flowers for low maintenance landscaping can bring colorful rewards with little work year after year.

The good news? Smart choices and just a few tools can turn even the most stubborn patch of land into a thriving, vibrant garden—without constant watering, trimming, or replanting. Below, we’ve broken it down into manageable steps to help you create a low-maintenance flower-filled yard that’s as restful as it is beautiful.

Step 1: Choose Drought-Tolerant, Perennial Flowers

The foundation of any low-maintenance garden starts with smart plant selection. Perennials are your best friend—they come back every year, so you don’t need to replant each spring. Choose varieties that are known for their hardiness, require little watering, and can handle your local climate with ease.

Top Flower Choices for Low Maintenance Landscapes:

• Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia): These bright, happy yellow blooms thrive in full sun and poor soil. They’re great for attracting pollinators, too.
• Salvia: A perennial favorite, salvia produces long-lasting spikes of purple, pink, or red flowers that require very little babying.
• Coreopsis: Bursting with yellow or pink blooms, coreopsis is heat- and drought-tolerant—perfect for busy homeowners.
• Lavender: Aromatic and mosquito-repelling, lavender thrives in dry climates and rarely needs extra water once established.
• Daylilies: These tough flowering plants are practically indestructible and bloom for most of the summer.

Consider starting these in a few Bloem Saturn Planter with Saucer, 12" Peppercorn pots if you’re not ready to commit to a full garden. These planters look stylish and work beautifully for perennials, especially if you’re experimenting with sun exposure and placement.

Step 2: Mulch to Reduce Weeds and Watering

If you’re tired of pulling weeds and re-watering dried-out beds, mulch might just be your garden’s MVP. A few inches of mulch around your plants helps retain moisture, prevent weed growth, and even insulate roots during temperature shifts. Best of all, it gives your garden that fresh, finished look without extra effort.

Why Mulching Helps So Much:

• Slows down evaporation, reducing how often you need to water
• Suppresses weeds naturally—no chemicals needed
• Keeps plant roots cooler in summer and warmer in winter
• Breaks down slowly to improve soil over time

Try Scotts Nature Scapes Triple Shred Mulch, Classic Black for a rich, high-contrast look that makes your blooms pop. It’s finely shredded for easy spreading and tends to stay in place even in wind or rain.

“We started mulching last spring, and it cut our watering down by at least half. It’s one of the easiest wins for any garden.” — Helen, reader in Virginia

Step 3: Install an Easy, Hands-Free Watering System

Watering might be the single biggest time drain in gardening—but it doesn’t have to be. One of the smartest upgrades you can make is installing an irrigation system that waters your plants automatically. No more dragging hoses or watching the forecast. Just set it and let your blooms thrive.

Benefits of Drip Irrigation:

• Directs water straight to the roots, where it’s most effective
• Minimizes waste from evaporation or runoff
• Prevents overwatering and root rot
• Works great with mulch—just install underneath

We recommend the Raindrip Automatic Drip Irrigation Watering Kit for Flower Beds. It’s beginner-friendly and customizable, making it perfect for both new and established gardens. Once it's in place, you might wonder why you didn’t start using it years ago.

“Installing a soaker hose saved me hours a week — it’s the best garden upgrade I’ve made.” — Mark, reader in Texas

Step 4: Design with Clusters and Ground Covers

Instead of spreading your plants thin, group similar types together in small clusters. This technique—called mass planting—not only looks intentional but makes watering and care more efficient. You can also fill in gaps with low-maintenance ground covers that suppress weeds while adding texture and color.

Simple Garden Layout Tips:

• Plant larger perennials (like Russian Sage or Coneflowers) toward the back
• Use mid-height blooms (such as Coreopsis or Bee Balm) in the center
• Fill edges with compact flowers and ground covers like Creeping Thyme or Sedum
• Repeat clusters of 3–5 of the same plant to create rhythm and reduce visual clutter

This layout strategy makes it easier to maintain consistent care over groups of plants with similar watering, sunlight, and soil needs.

Step 5: Add Planters and Portable Color Spots

Not every flower needs to go directly into the ground. In fact, containers offer major flexibility if you want a low-maintenance setup that can change with the seasons. They’re also a fantastic way to manage soil conditions or relocate sun-lovers during heat waves.

The 12-inch Bloem Saturn Planter with Saucer, 12" Peppercorn is a great all-around choice—it’s the right size for most perennials, includes a built-in saucer to catch extra water, and has a simple look that fits most outdoor spaces. Set a few of these on your front porch, patio, or beside walkways to bring instant color where you want it most.

Low-Maintenance Flowers That Thrive in Pots:

• Geraniums
• Lantana
• Dusty Miller
• Hostas (in shade)
• Zinnias

Portable planters not only make care easier, they also let you experiment with colors and layouts before committing to permanent planting in your garden beds.

Helpful Tools from This Article

• Bloem Saturn Planter with Saucer, 12" Peppercorn
• Scotts Nature Scapes Triple Shred Mulch, Classic Black
• Raindrip Automatic Drip Irrigation Watering Kit for Flower Beds

With just a bit of upfront planning and the right plants, you can create a yard that bursts with color and personality—without spending your weekends pulling weeds or messing with hoses. The best flowers for low maintenance landscaping work with nature, not against it. Set up your space once, and enjoy the simple pleasure of watching it bloom season after season.

We’d love to see how your setup turns out — tag @PorchLightPicks and show us your garden!