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.

FlowersBirthday FlowersSympathy Flowersmy 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!
Reply: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!
Reply:What will grow well depends a lot upon where you live and whether your planting area is mostly in sun or shade. %26quot;Annuals%26quot; give lots of instant color, but in most places they don%26#039;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. %26quot;Perennials%26quot; come back every year, so if you plan on living there a while, those are a good choice. Some I%26#039;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 %26quot;go to seed%26quot; easily, so although the actual plant doesn%26#039;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 %26quot;6-packs%26quot; 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%26#039;s too late to grow them from bulbs this year, but you can buy them in pots.
Reply:You could buy a shaker of annual seeds and spread them around wherever you want flowers. That way you wouldn%26#039;t have to bother with a lot of soil prep or worry about year to year maintenance.





I%26#039;ve seen the shakers at KMart and in the big hardware chains.
Reply: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.
Reply: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.
Reply: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.
Reply:four o clocks
Reply: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%26#039;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...





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...





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 %26#039;Autumn Joy%26#039; (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%26#039;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!
Reply:well you can use just about any type of flowers.


unless you don%26#039;t want six foot tall flowers,then sun flowers are bright and colorful,johnny pop ups have a variety of colors too.you could use lillys,tulips,jasmines,morning glorries also.they all are at low prices.you could find them at any garden shop.
Reply:go to hgtv.com, bhg.com, marthastewart.com. They have loads of pics, videos %26amp; ideas for gardens %26amp; flowers. They also have plans you can use to figure out placement %26amp; size of your garden, the best plants to use %26amp; their care. Then go to wal mart, lowe%26#039;s or wherever you want to buy the plants you like from their suggestions.
Reply:Pansies are very nice and cheap.skin disease