What are some low maintenance but colorful flowers/plants I can use to spruce up my yard?

Question

I recently rented a home that needs a lot of yard work. I am looking for some relatively low matinance flowers and plants to give my yard a make over. Nothing too exspensive just somethings to make the outside look a little nicer and colorful.

The house is located in southern, WV (Charleston)

the plants will be sourrounding my porch so they should get plenty of sun

Answer 1

my wife and I have always had great luck with Impatients. They are a hardy plant that can grow close to the ground and spread out far giving the impression that there are many plants in one area. There is white, purple, pink, red, pink and white, and white and violet. There is also an orange color. These flowers also do well in shade or sun. If it is a real sunny area, watering the plants at night will liven them up by the next morning. Good Luck!

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What are some low maintenance but colorful flowers/plants I can use to spruce up my yard?
I recently rented a home that needs a lot of yard work. I am looking for some relatively low matinance flowers and plants to give my yard a make over. Nothing too exspensive just somethings to make the outside look a little nicer and colorful.

Answer 3

It is really important to know whether the plants will be in shade or sun. Can you give a bit more info?

Okay- For your area in the sun:
For some height and green in the background, I thought these choices would be nice.
Perennials: (more expensive but will last year after year)
Viburnum- med size shrub that blooms seasonally
Grey Owl Juniper- ask for the female ones they will give you blue cones
Holly - always a nice evergreen with dark waxy leaves

In the foreground some annuals for a splash of color.
Here are some to choose from that I have used and like:

Cosmos- they are taller than most annuals
Impatiens- they are not drought hardy and do need at least partial shade but otherwise very attractive.
African daisies- very happy flower I think
Zinnia-pop of color!

Now I will suggest an herb-Rosemary. There is a bush variety that is very hardy and if you have it next to a walkway the smell is wonderful for passersby.
I would like to pass on some friendly advice if I may also. Go to a reputable nursery not a Department store garden center. You will have knowledgeable staff available to you and healthy plants.

Answer 4

First of all, you have to take your sun exposure into consideration... what type of sun do you get? north, south, east or west? Cosmos are low maintenance and since you're on a budget, I would suggest buying a couple bags of top-soil (depending on how big your yard is), and loosely rake it into your existing soil (bags are very cheap!), then around mid-April, buy a few little packs of seeds (again, very cheap), and broadcast them through the soil. I think Ohio's temperate zone is a 5A or 4B, so just make sure all danger of frost is gone. The seeds germinate quickly, and produce dainty colorful flowers throughout the summer and into early fall. Make sure to keep the soil moist while seeds are growing. You're looking at spending maybe $10. Other recommendations- corn flowers, amaranthus, black-eyed Susans, purple cone flower, all of which can be purchased in packs and done the same time as the cosmos for an attractive mix.

Answer 5

What will grow well depends a lot upon where you live and whether your planting area is mostly in sun or shade. "Annuals" give lots of instant color, but in most places they don't come back every year, so you will need to plant new ones every year. Sun-loving annual flowers that do well almost anywhere are petunias, periwinkle, zinnias, bronze-leafed begonias. Shade-loving annual flowers that do well almost anywhere are impatiens, green-leaf begonias. "Perennials" come back every year, so if you plan on living there a while, those are a good choice. Some I've had good luck with are Gerber daisies, dianthus (pinks), phlox (ground cover like plant with small purple flowers). There are some annual flowers which "go to seed" easily, so although the actual plant doesn't usually survive the winter, new plants often come back up the next year in the same spot. Moss rose or portulaca is good at coming back from seed and will fill an area pretty well with multicolored flowers. You can plant most of these from seeds as another person suggested, but you can buy small "6-packs" that are pretty cheap and give instant results.
In most places, this is not a good time of year to plant pansies, unless it is still pretty cool where you live for a while. Pansies are good fall and early spring flowers. Tulips, lilies, daffodils all grow from bulbs and would have had to be planted during the winter for blooming around this time, so it's too late to grow them from bulbs this year, but you can buy them in pots.

Answer 6

Impatiens are colorful, low maintenance flowers that will bloom all season. They spread rapidly and form a large colorful mass. The only problem is they are a drag to remove in the fall. They have a large root ball. Hostas are perennials that are great, too. They produce spikes of lavender to blue flowers in the late summer. Sedum is a another good perennial. It sets its own buds every fall and can be separated to create new plants.

Answer 7

I live in WV, too....

I assume you also have clay soil. You will need flowers that can tolerate that.

I recommend day lilies, such as the popular Stella D'Oro. They are very easy to grow and are pest free. Deer do not seem to bother them. They are commonly available at Walmart, Lowes, Kmart, etc.

http://www.gardening-tips-perennials.com/images/daylilystella.jpg

For Shade, our native Tradescantia (Spiderwort) has beautiful small purple flowers, grows well in deep shade and is not bothered by deer. It flowers all summer long. It thrives in clay soil.

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/newsrel/reiman/SpiderwortT_ohiensis.jpg

Here is a list of others you might take with you to the store:

Plants Recommended for Growing in Clay Soil
(Zones will vary with variety.)
Amsonia Blue Star (Zones 5-9)
Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly Weed (Zones 4-9)
Aster (various) Aster (Zones 4-8)
Coreopsis Tickseed (Zones 4-8)
Echinacea purpurea Coneflower (Zones 3-9)
Eryngium yuccifolium Sea Holly (Zones 5-10)
Helianthus angustifolius Swamp Sunflower (Zones 6-9)
Helianthus x laetiflorus False Sunflower (Zones 5-9)
Heliopsis helianthoides Ox Eye (Zones 4-9)
Hemerocallis Daylily (Zones 3-10)
Liatris pycnostachya Kansas Gayfeather (Zones 4-9)
Liatris spicata Blazing Star, Gayfeather (Zones 4-9)
Monarda fistulosa Wild Bee Balm (Zones 3-9)
Ratibida pinnata Drooping Coneflower (Zones 3-10)
Rudbeckia hirta Black-eyed Susan, Gloriosa Daisy (Zones 3-7)
Sedum 'Autumn Joy' (Zones 3-10)
Silphium integrifolium Prairie Dock (Zones 4-7)
Silphium laciniatum Compass Plant (Zones 5-9)
Silphium perfoliatum Cup Plant (Zones 5-9)
Solidago Goldenrod (zones 5-9)
Vernonia noveboracensis Ironweed (Zones 5-9)
Yucca filamentosa Adam's Needle (Zones 5-10)
Ornamental Grasses Suited for Clay Soils
Acorus gramiineus Grassy-leaved Sweet Flag (Zones 10-11)
Andropogon gerardi Big Bluestem (Zones 2-7)
Elymus canadensis Canadian Wild Rye (Zones 3-8)
Miscanthus sinensis Eulalia Grass (Zones 4-9)
Panicum virgatum Switch Grass (Zones 5-9)
Pennisetum (various) Fountain Grass (Zones 6-9)
Sorghastrum nutans Indian Grass, Wood Grass (Zones 5-8)
Spartina pectinata Prairie Cord Grass (Zones 4-7)

Your plant zone is probably a 7.

Good luck!

Answer 8

You could buy a shaker of annual seeds and spread them around wherever you want flowers. That way you wouldn't have to bother with a lot of soil prep or worry about year to year maintenance.

I've seen the shakers at KMart and in the big hardware chains.

Answer 9

I reccommend native perrenials (last more than 1 year) Dogwood has nice red branches and the leaves can be striped. As well, they get little flowers.....about $15 cdn a plant.

Also, perrenial flowers are good...depends where you live, but coneflowers are easy and cheap. Daisies are nice too.

Answer 10

If I were you, I would go with a bunch of plastic ones for this year. Your neighbours will think you have 10 green thumbs and it will give you an idea of what colour goes well in all light levels. Walmart has a huge selection, the watering is nil, and the effect is just amazing!

Good Luck!