Plants dying or failing to bloom is a constant challenge new and experienced gardeners face. Gardening definitely has its fair share of difficulties, so every once in a while it’s nice to have plants that require little maintenance – even better – grow resilient flowers and plants that you can’t kill. Award-winning designer and BBC 1’s Garden Rescue presenter Lee Burkhill , has shared how to grow a set of “near-indestructible garden plants you can’t kill”, to boost your confidence and allow you to excel in becoming a successful gardener.
Of course, spraying these plants with weed killer would probably lead to their demise, but for the most part, these are hardy, maintenance-free picks that work well in UK gardens.
1. Geraniums
Hardy geraniums like cranesbill, pratense or rozanne are the troopers of the ground cover which require “pretty much no maintenance once established”.
In fact, they will soon bulk up and “spill out flowering for seemingly months at a time”, claimed the gardener.
This means that gardeners can then split them in years to come and propagate more of them for free.
2. Alchemical Mollis
Lee claimed that this particular plant is the “ultimate no-fuss plant that can’t be killed”. He said: “This wonder plant has limey green leaves, that bead water once it’s rained.
“They have acid-yellow flowers in summer and if left will self-seed everywhere. Great for poor soil, rockeries or unloved shady spots and slug -proof too.”
He added that slugs will “avoid” this plant, otherwise known as lady’s mantle, “like the plague”.
3. Crocosmia/monbretia
Crocosmia, sometimes referred to as monbretia is a “fabulous choice” for a beginner or time-poor gardener.
This is because they are “pretty much bulletproof” and add both foliage with their large leaves from May onwards in the garden before flowering from July to September.
They are a “great value plant” that quite happily brings some height without any real maintenance.
4. Sedum
Sedum is one of the “most tolerant plants of neglect” as they can survive extremes of temperature weather hot or cold.
As long as they don’t get waterlogged these evergreen ground cover plants “will survive with zero maintenance or pruning”.
In fact, once they flower gardeners will see them start to pop up everywhere and “slugs won’t touch it”.
