Low Maintenance Plants For Tennessee: Perfect Choices For Your Garden
Tennessee enjoys humid subtropical and temperate climates from west to east, providing extensive opportunities for plant gardeners. If you want your garden to thrive without constant upkeep, choosing low maintenance plants for Tennessee is essential—whether you are an experienced gardener or have recently decided to grow a green garden. Opportunity Landscapes and Nursery makes the landscape more beautiful with less time and energy and stunning results.
In this blog, we will highlight some of Tennessee’s best low-maintenance garden plants. From colorful flowers to thorny shrubs and groundcovers, we will match you with the best plants for your needs and gardening conditions.
The Benefits Of Low-Maintenance Plants
Before getting into specific plants, it helps to know why low-maintenance plants an excellent option for Tennessee gardeners are. Most of these plants need:
Minimal Watering
Low maintenance plants are hardy and drought tolerant once established, thus making them a perfect choice for an area with variable rain and hot summers.
Disease And Pest Resistance
Numerous low-maintenance plants are vulnerable to common garden pests and diseases, minimising the necessity for pesticides and interventions.
Adaptability
The plants are not picky about the soil type or environment; they will grow perfectly fine in any local climate.
Less Pruning
Although all plants require some maintenance, low-maintenance plants need less frequent pruning and deadheading than high-maintenance varieties.
Selecting appropriate plants to mitigate such problems can prevent your garden from becoming a war on weeds with minimal ongoing effort.
Most Low-Maintenance Plants for Tennessee
Low-maintenance plants are an excellent way to give a greener look to your surroundings without too much struggle. Some of the best low-maintenance plant picks for Tennessee gardens are as follows:
Coneflower (Echinacea)
Coneflowers are among the beloved, low-maintenance perennials in Tennessee gardens. These plants feature the same explosion of daisy-like flowers in purple, pink and white, but thrive in a full sun position. Once established, coneflowers are drought-tolerant and attract pollinators like bees and butterflies.
Growing Tips
Plant in well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. These plants are hardy in USDA Zones 3-9 and do particularly well in Tennessee’s diverse climate.
Maintenance
Coneflowers are low-maintenance once they are established. Deadhead spent blooms to stimulate additional flowers (but they can also go to seed, which birds will enjoy).
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Black-eyed Susans are another easy-care favorite for Tennessee gardeners. These perennials effortlessly bring life to any garden with their sunny yellow petals and dark centers. They are particularly productive in Tennessee’s hot summers and will do well in many soil types.
Growing Tips
Site them in full sun to partial shade in well-drained soil. They like somewhat dry to moderate moisture conditions, so they’re a good choice for drier areas.
Maintenance
Black-eyed Susans are low-maintenance, but you can prolong blooming with deadheading. They’re also self-seeding, so you might find them popping up in your garden.
Daylilies (Hemerocallis)
Daylilies are an old standby for low-maintenance landscaping. These exceptionally tough plants flower throughout summer, yielding stunning, colorful, large blooms. Daylilies are forgiving of various growing conditions, such as dry or wet soil.
Growing Tips
Daylilies prefer full sun but will also grow in light shade. They do well in many soil types but prefer slightly acidic and neutral soils.
Maintenance
Once established, daylilies require little maintenance. They must be divided every 3–4 years to remain healthy, but other than that, they’re carefree.
Lavender (Lavandula)
Once established, lavender is a fragrant and beautiful plant that requires little care. Its fragrant purple flowers make it a popular choice for gardens, and its drought tolerance makes it well-suited for Tennessee’s hot summers. Lavender is also a nectar plant for bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects, increasing its value as a component of wildlife-friendly gardens.
Growing tips
Lavender loves full sun and well-drained soil. It also likes slightly alkaline soil, so if it is acidic, add some lime to raise the pH.
Maintenance
When established, lavender needs little water. Prune back the plant after blooming to help keep the shape and promote good foliage growth for next year.
Hostas
Hostas are extraordinary for garden areas that receive little to no sunlight. These low-maintenance, shade-loving plants yield lush foliage in various colors and textures. They’re also hardy and will deal with multiple soil situations.
Growing Tips
Preferring partial to full shade, these plants grow best when the soil is moist but well-drained.
Maintenance
Hostas require little maintenance. Remove any yellowed or damaged leaves to encourage growth and divide the plants every two years.
Japanese Maple
Japanese Maples are beautiful ornamental trees with delicate leaves and colors in the fall. These trees thrive in Tennessee’s climate and need little maintenance after becoming established. The tiny dwarf variety or the more enormous tree of Japanese Maples infuses any landscape with elegance.
Growing Tips
Grow in a part shade location (critical in hot summer climates). Drought-tolerant and ideal for Bonsai, Japanese Maples thrive in cool, moist, well-drained, acidic soils.
Maintenance
Aside from the occasional pruning, these trees require little care. If there are dry spells, moisten the soil by watering them.
Autumn Blaze Maple
Another low-maintenance tree for Tennessee gardeners is Autumn Blaze Maple. Prepare to get fall for the hybrid tree that has brilliant red and orange foliage; it has become a staple for autumn scenery. It also grows quickly, offering immediate shade and privacy.
Growing tips
Beech prefers full sun to partial shade and likes well-drained, slightly acidic soil.
Maintenance
Once established, the Autumn Blaze Maple requires minimal maintenance. It is pest-resistant and requires occasional pruning to keep its shape.
Sedum (Stonecrop)
Sedums are hardy succulents commonly used in challenging environments. They thrive in Tennessee’s hot summers and drought-prone areas. Their fleshy, water-storing leaves help them survive long periods without rainfall, making them perfect for low-maintenance gardens.
Growing tips
Sedums do best in full sun and well-drained, rocky soil. They don’t need humid conditions and are ideal for xeriscaping.
Maintenance
Sedums are low maintenance but can be cut back in early spring to promote healthy growth. Some varieties can spread quickly, so you may have to divide them occasionally.
Shasta Daisy
Shasta Daisies are a favored perennial that can tolerate the variable Tennessee climate. Their bright white petals with yellow hearts lighten any garden and bloom abundantly during the summer. These plants are incredibly hardy and need minimal care to grow.
Growing Tips
Shasta Daisies prefer full sun, though they can survive in partial shade. Once established, they like well-drained soil and can withstand dry conditions.
Maintenance
After blooming, cut old flowers to promote new plant material. With proper care, Shasta Daisies will bloom all summer long.
Thymus Serpyllum
Creeping Thyme is an excellent ground cover plant for a low-maintenance garden. In summer, it bears small purple or pink flowers that attract pollinators. Its dense foliage helps curb weeds in garden beds or between stepping stones.
Growing Tips
It grows best in well-drained, sandy soil. It’s ideal for planting in places with lousy soil or poor other growth might falter.
Maintenance
Creeping Thyme is very low-maintenance, though it must be cut back now and then to keep its shape and prevent it from spreading too much.
Conclusion
From drought-tolerant ground covers to hardy shrub borders to low-maintenance flower beds, the options for Tennessee gardens are practically endless for plants that require little care. From the sunny excitement of Black-eyed Susans to the floral decadence of lavender, these plants thrive in Tennessee’s climate while freeing you up to spend less time and effort working in your garden. We believe a beautiful garden doesn’t have to be a high-maintenance one here at Opportunity Landscapes and Nursery. Selecting plants that thrive in each season can give you a gorgeous, low-maintenance garden year-round.
If you’re considering starting your planting, stop in today and let our staff guide you through the best, low-maintenance garden flora. We’re here to help you plant your dream landscape with ease!