5 Hard to Kill Plants for Your Flower Garden

Even the most experienced gardener loves hard-to-kill plants. If you're a beginner, these plants can make everyone think that you have a green thumb. These perennials will come back year after year and give you a starting point from which to build your garden.

5 Hard to Kill Flowering Plants for Your Garden

Hostas

Hostas are well known for their beautiful yellow, green, or blue leaves. They love shady areas, and some varieties tolerate partial sun as well. Hostas develop large spikes that bloom into white or lavender flowers. The flowers resemble a lily. I hate the flower. I actually chop them off when they grow. If you like them, leave them around. The flowers attract hummingbirds so it's a win if you like birds. I do not. Birds are shifty characters.
Overall hostas are very easy to grow and require little to no maintenance. Hostas are drought resistant. However, when they don't get enough water, their leaf tips will turn brown and may droop. To keep the leaves looking their best, make sure they are watered once a week.
Hostas are easy to divide and actually do better and grow bigger if you divide them in the fall. It's the plant that just keeps right on giving!

Don't miss this post: 5 easy to grow veggies to plant this summer

Daylilies

Daylilies are members of the lily family and come in many shapes, colors, and sizes. They require very little care and can grow in a variety of climates. They are drought, disease, and pest resistant. Each bud of a daylily only blooms for one day {or so}. However, each flower stalk has several buds providing constant blooming for weeks at a time. Daylilies bloom from late spring to autumn. Some varieties only bloom once, and other varieties bloom several times during the season.
Daylilies aren't great as cut flowers because they often close as soon as they are cut, but they do provide a season of color, and the plant when it blooms looks like a beautiful spikey bush and I love spikey bushes.
Daylilies are also super easy to divide. They are tubers that want to reproduce, and mine don't seem to care when they get dug up and moved around. 

Vacation Proof Your Garden!

Catmint

Catmint is a member of the mint family. This plant is very easy to grow. They are pest and drought-resistant. Catmint gets spikes of lavender flowers in the early summer and, when the spent flowers are removed, it will have a second bloom later in the season. This plant is often used as a substitute for lavender because lavender is much harder to grow. As the name suggests, cats love catmint.
Catmint is another one that's easy to divide and will continue to spread to other areas of your yard. You will need to keep an eye on this one because mint can become invasive and will continue to spread when you aren't paying attention!

Peony

Peonies grow 2 to 3 feet tall and resemble shrubs during the summer months. Peonies bloom in the early summer for only a week or two, but their flowers are spectacularly large and fragrant. Peonies are very easy to grow and can take plenty of abuse. They prefer full sun and don't usually bloom the first season after being transplanted. Peonies come in many different colors, and they make great cut flowers.
I have found that if you want success when planting a peony, buy a decent size plant instead of a tuber. Most of us don't have years to wait around for these gorgeous flowers to finally bloom, so start off strong. I bought my hardiest plant at Costco a few years ago for around $25 and I get dozens of flowers from it.
Love peonies? You'll love tulips too. Here are some tips to growing tulips in the spring!

Shasta Daisies

Shasta daisies are a favorite among a lot of gardeners. Shasta daisies have plenty of white petals with yellow centers. If you keep up with removing spent flowers, they will bloom from June until September. They are very easy to grow and are drought tolerant. Shasta daisies require full sun, and they make great cut flowers.
Full disclosure, shasta daisies STINK. They can be cut and put in a vase, but they will make everything around them smell like poop. Just leave them in the garden for beautiful yearly color.

Gardening Tips

Although these plants are hard to kill, they do need some maintenance to perform at their best. Even drought-resistant plants need frequent watering until their roots become established. Make sure you plant your flowers in a spot where they get the correct amount of sunlight. Removing the spent flowers or dead-heading will increase blooms. 
All flower gardens need regular weeding to keep them looking neat. Weeding weekly is ideal, but if you're short on time, try to weed at least once a month during the growing season. My old neighbor Lisa who I learned a lot about gardening from, used to say, if you aren't using Preen when you weed, then you are just weeding for fun. So there you have it.

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