What are some attractive, low maintenance flowers to put in our front yard?

Question

My sister and I are redoing our front yard and we want some low maintenance flowers. We want them to be pretty and colorful. We live in Ohio, so it's not super warm or super cold. We're also on a budget so is you could keep money in mind, that'd be great. Thanks!

Answer 1

You have to check in your area but peonies are beautiful plants that are almost indistructable, they are good spaced apart for a beautiful border between you an neighbours. They grow like small bushes with several big flowers on each, can be a dozen plus. Above an average persons knee and a little higher. They last a lifetime. They should be pruned down some in winter but no matter what you do to them they last. People have even run over them with lawn mowers and they survived and grew up the next year. You should water them but they have even survived with just rain. The only thing is they attract ants which are needed to open up their flowers, so this is why away from the house and as a border is good. Shake ants out when you pick them and leave on table outside for a little while for ants to crawl out. They make beautiful bouquets and have long stems. You can alternate colours red, pink , white bushes. Planted spring or fall. Leave three or four feet between plants.

Roses both climbing and bush variety are good along wall in front of house, also last forever, need a littled more care. Helps the plant to cut the flowers and old flowers off. So again lots of bouquets. Cut back some in fall. Cold climate needs straw to cover plants but do manage to survive without this where winters aren't severe. Tulips, daffodils etc are also perenials that look nice in front yards. Tulips come in a lot of colours so you can get a mixed bag of bulbs for nice flower arrangements, or decide on which colour matches your house best. Daffodils go nice in a bouquet with tulips and are mostly yellow and white. These two are planted in fall however so if you plant other perrenials by seed this summer remember to leave space for them in your garden.

You can go to your local supermarket now and purchase seed packages cheap of either perenials or annuals. Planting some of each is always good in a garden. Your stores will have the proper seeds for your area. For both types on the packages it shows what the flower looks like, tells how to plant the seed and where in sunlight shade or part of day both. It tells how high the plant grows also. You can buy packages that are all seeds of one flower or mixed seeds of different plants and heights that say tradional garden or wildflower garden or garden that wil attract wild birds or butterflies. Not all seeds will grow so you might decide to go to a garden centre and buy plants already starded and plant them. This is more expensive but then you aren't heartbroken if seeds don't grow. Amount of watering and care are also mentioned on packages and at garden centre on sticks in the soil with the plants and pictures of the plants also and the employees at the centre can help you. Most of these flowers will need constant watering however, You might go for the wildflower look but these can spread themselves into your grass and neighbours and be more of a problem later on. All require treating soil with some peatmoss, manure, fresh soil etc. digging weeding watering to some extent. Most hardy perennials would be what you are looking for.Good Luck.

Answer 2

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 3

Geraniums (correct name is pelagonium - not sure why the difference) are easy to maintain and grow from cuttings. They come in many colours and there is even one with lemon scented leaves!

If you see others in the area, then hibiscus are fairly low maintenance - just cut them back 1/3 once a year after frost, or early spring if you don't get frost.

Also keep in mind that there are some nice grasses which do for edgings. I don't know if you can get it there (I live in Australia), however I like black dwarf mondo grass for edgings.

Nasturtiums are nice flowers and grow well. You can also use the flowers in salads, as you can with blue borage, pineapple sage, marigolds, and many more.

You can get things such as creeping thyme for ground cover, too.

I like herbs as you get flowers, scents, AND garnishes!

We can buy 'tube stock' which is much cheaper than more established plants, and they adapt better to your garden. Not sure if you call them something else in the US though.

Happy gardening!

Blessings, Gypsy Queen

Answer 4

If you're on a budget, then wait until your local paper advertises a "perennial exchange" - where people with too many perennials go to exchange with others - you can go empty handed (later in the day) and people will give you stuff - it's better than having it die. The good news is you'll know that it grows in Ohio, because it came out of other people's gardens - Hostas are really great, there are lots of different flower colors from white to purple, and they fill in quickly.

Answer 5

For the most color and impact purchase some cheap annuals which come in too many varieties to mention but a couple of the cooler climate favorites are petunias, pansies and begonias. Lots of color and you can start them from seed which is even cheaper. Check with your favorite garden center and ask for annuals. Just bear in mind they won't come back and you will have to replant most of them every year so in the long run perennials are the cheapest if you are going to live there for a long time. You have to look at it like a long term investment.

Answer 6

I have a huge flower bed100'x15'. It is a labor of love. I plant both annual and perennials. I purchase annual seeds from the dollar store 10 for $1.00 to fill in till the perennial flowers fill the bed. I purchase perennials from home improvement stores/nurseries,and even the grocery store,when they get reduced for quick sale because they have already bloomed. They will not look good till the following year,but they are worth the wait. I have daylillies, irises, tulips,daffodils,mums,and the annuals i plant are bachelor buttons,marigold,cosmos,sunflowers,

Answer 7

There are some questions you need to ask yourself like Do you want perenials so the will come back each year, or annuals so you can change them each year. Do you want something that spreads like a ground cover? And remember that some bloom in the spring and early summer and some in the fall so if you place them right you will have something blooming all year. Go to your garden center and look on the info on the container. It will tell you where to plant and when it will bloom.

Answer 8

I'm not sure about Ohio...here in Texas spring is starting, and of course we anticipate a really hot summer. So...I'm going with rose moss......its beautiful, hearty, produce lots of color, and can take heat. They are very inexpensive plants, I just picked some up last night. After the blooms start to fade, you pick off the withered ones, and two to three more blooms seem to pop up out of know where. They seem to stay beautiful all the time, as long as you pick off the old blooms.
Good Luck, hope this helps, and happy spring.

Answer 9

most bang for the buck at this Hoosier's house comes from "Wave"petunias in the sun and impatiens in the shade. Use mulch to reduce weeding. As you mentioned "sisters" I assumed perhaps wrongly you would not be talking perennials. Iris and Peonies , Daffodils,and grape hyacinths, are always dependable and all the above seem to do fine with only your admiration

Answer 10

Daylilies are the best flowers to grow. Try to get double bloomers. They require very little care and are drought tolerant and they come in a wide variety of colors and heights and grow in any type of soil.