Low-maintenance plants that will look great all year round

Gardening may not be your thing, and that’s okay. But coming home to a beautiful garden is something we can all agree on.

The good news is you can choose plants that require minimal maintenance – once established – and will look great all year with little effort from you.

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Low maintenance, not no maintenance

While these plants are low maintenance, getting them established in the garden is key to ensuring their survival. Don’t just plant, water and walk away! Improve the soil prior to planting by digging in compost or well-aged manures. Once planted, water in well with diluted seaweed and mulch well around the base to conserve moisture and suppress weeds.

Water regularly until well established. It can take a few months for plants to establish – new shoots or growth are good signs! After this time, you can ease off on the watering. However, when conditions are exceptionally hot and dry, give them a drink, especially if you see they’re wilting or shrivelled.

Agapanthus (Agapanthus spp.)

This handsome, strappy-leaved perennial produces wonderful sprays of blue, purple or white trumpet-shaped flowers throughout summer. It’s tough, drought-hardy and makes an impressive flower border or container plant. It is available in a range of heights and flower sizes. Some species can be quite weedy, so purchase cultivars from nurseries and garden centres as they are sterile or considered low-risk varieties.

Westringia (Westringia fruticosa)

A native shrub with slender grey-green leaves and clusters of white, pink or lilac flowers at various times of the year. Most cultivars grow into a neat, compact shrub that can be used as a topiary, trimmed into a neat hedge or left loose. You’ll also find varieties, like Mundi or Low Horizon, that form a dense groundcover.

Jade plant (Crassula ovata)

A popular succulent with fleshy jade-green leaves and star-shaped white or pink flowers that bloom in winter, it grows into a compact bushy shrub perfect for a medium-to-large pot. Use it as an accent plant in garden beds or combine it with other succulents for a striking, drought-tolerant display.

Lomandra (Lomandra spp.)

This native grass is as tough as old boots. It forms a handsome tuft of strappy green leaves and is happy in both garden beds and pots. It is adaptable to most soil types and aspects and is tolerant of heat, frost, drought and coastal conditions. Perfect for mass planting borders, group plantings or as an informal hedge or barrier.

Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis indica)

This evergreen shrub has attractive glossy green leaves and clusters of white or pink flowers in spring. It’s a popular choice for roadside plantings as it’s tolerant of drought, heat and coastal sprays. It naturally forms a neat, rounded habit but responds well to pruning and makes for a wonderful hedge, border or topiary specimen. Look for cultivars like Oriental Pearl or Snow Maiden, as the species is regarded as an environmental weed in some states.

Creeping boobialla (Myoporum parvifolium)

Forms a dense carpet of bright green leaves up to two metres wide and only 30 centimetres tall. It’s covered with masses of white or pink star-shaped flowers during summer but occasionally spot flowers throughout the year. Use it as a groundcover in garden beds, rockeries or as a living mulch under trees and shrubs.

More hard-to-kill plants

• Philodendron ‘Xanadu’
• Society garlic (Tulbaghia violacea)
• Dianella (Dianella caerulea)
• Pigface (Carpobrotus rossii)
• Olive (Olea europaea)
• Blue chalksticks (Curio serpens)
• Callistemon (Callistemon viminalis)
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

Tammy Huynh is a horticulturist, presenter on Gardening Australia and the owner of Leaf an Impression.