Zinnias are a hardy plant (Image: Getty)
Summer is on the way, and with it comes the chance to plant some flowers to improve your garden’s look. But it’s not about what looks the most pleasing – home gardeners need to be aware of the need to choose a place for their plants that suits their needs, and gives them the best chance of thriving.
For example, hostas will burn under the afternoon sun, so a full-sun garden bed needs to be avoided, while hydrangeas do not work well in rain gardens. But never fear, because the following 17 flowers will grow just about anywhere you plant them, from under a tree or in clay soil, they will almost grow by themselves.
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A butterfly lands on a purple coneflower (Image: Getty)
Zinnia
A hardy annual, zinnias (Zinnia) can thrive in all types of soil and conditions, but do work best in full sun and won’t perform as well in shady areas.
Expect daisy-shaped, multicoloured flowers in all shades, which can be any colour from bright yellow to pink. It will grow six to 48 inches tall and 12 to 18 inches wide and prefers well-drained soils.
Purple coneflower
A resilient flower, purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) can handle a drought, clay soil, heat, humidity, and even light shade conditions, and is an excellent pollinator plant for bees, butterflies and other insects. It is a perennial.
While birds will eat the seed heads in winter, according to marthastewart.com. The only conditions purple coneflower will not tolerate are deep shade and soggy soil.
They will grow 24 to 36 inches tall to 18 to 24 inches wide and will work in anything from full sun to partial shade and most well-drained soils.
Whorled tickseed beams gold and yellow (Image: Getty)
Walker’s low catmint (Image: Getty)
Yarrow in bloom (Image: Getty)
Whorled tickseed
Despite having delicate and smaller blooms, whorled tickseed (Coreopsis verticillate) is resilient. Its masses of daisy-shaped flowers beam gold and yellow, and it can tolerate heart and poor soils, and a little bit of light shade.
But you do need to avoid deep shade, as well as soggy soils, as it can suffer from rotting roots. It will grow 12 to 18 inches tall and 12 inches wide and works well in full sun and average, dry soils.
Walker’s low catmint
Experts say Walker’s Low catmint (Nepeta faassenii Walker’s Low) can be all but forgotten about after planting. It is a perennial and will thrive in several conditions, from hot sun to dry and clay soil. It is resistant to deer and rabbits due to aromatic leaves, and bees love it.
You do need to be careful when planting it in full shade, as this can reduce its flowering of long lavender-blue flowers that can bloom for weeks. They will grow two to three feet tall to two to three feet wide and will work in full sun and most well-drained soils.
Bee balm produces vibrant pink and purple flowers (Image: Getty)
Yarrow
Yarrow can grow in less-than-ideal conditions, including poor soil, drought and heat, due to having a strong taproot.
Achillea millefolium can tolerate salt, is resistant to deer and thrives in dry spots where other plants can struggle, such as rock gardens and borders.
It does not like soggy clay and deep shade. It can grow 18 to 30 inches tall to 24 inches wide and will work in full sun and dry and rocky soil.
Bee balm
Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to the pollinator that is bee balm (Monarda). A perennial, it is more tolerant of clay soil and soil that is not that well-drained than other plants, and can work in full sun to part shade conditions.
But it prefers rich, moist soil, so it can be planted in rain gardens or damp places.
It does require good air flow to avoid mildew, but it is generally tough and spreads well. It will grow 24 to 48 inches tall and 24 to 36 inches wide and works with average to moist-but-well-drained soils.
Double red and yellow flowers of French marigolds are seen in August (Image: Getty)
Cosmos boats saucer-shaped disk flowers (Image: Getty)
French marigolds
Another flower that works well in various soil conditions and full sun or partial shade, French marigolds (Tagetes patula) can be planted almost anywhere.
They tolerate wind and drought and go well with vegetable gardens as they control certain pests, like nematodes. They will grow six to 12 inches tall to six to 10 inches wide.
Cosmos
Saucer-shaped disk flower cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) is defined by its charming, saucer-shaped disk flowers that grow well in various conditions, preferring average soil. They rarely suffer from diseases or insects.
It can grow one to four feet tall to two to three feet wide and will work in full sun to partial shade.
Blanket flower
With blooms that look similar to daisies, the native blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata) will cheer up gardens with red and yellow.
It is a perennial that blooms for a long time and works well in heat and drought, and can tolerate poor soils, like sandy soils. But you do need to avoid humid places and wet clay.
It will grow eight to 12 inches to 12 to 18 inches long and works in full sun and average soil.
Blanket flowers will cheer up gardens with red and yellow (Image: Getty)
The bearded iris is one of the most adaptable plants for home gardens (Image: Getty)
Bearded iris
You can achieve large and fragrant blooms with sword-shaped leaves with the bearded iris (Iris germanica).
It is a perennial and one of the most adaptable plants for home gardens, and it works well in various soils.
It will grow two to four feet wide and tall to two feet wide and works in full sun and average soils.
Cranesbill geranium
A beautiful flower said to be jewel-toned, it forms clumps when it blooms in May and turns red in autumn. It is very easy to grow and works in anything from full sun to partial shade and average soil to moist, well-drained soil.
This perennial will grow nine to 12 inches tall and 25 inches wide.
Geranium cranesbill is very easy to grow (Image: Getty)
Evening primrose
This perennial plant has a deep taproot and works well in rocky, dry and sandy soils. Oenothera speciosa is tough in handling heat and drought, as well as poor soils. It boasts pink, cup-like blooms that open at night. It will grow 12 to 24 inches tall and 12 to 24 inches wide.
Columbine
Another one that will attract butterflies, bees and hummingbirds, columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) is generally resistant to deer and rabbits, meaning it survives well in woodland gardens. It will be happy in average soils, but also in rocky and clay soils and dry conditions. It will work in moist conditions too, but only if the soil is drained.
It produces red or yellow blossoms, or red and yellow blossoms. It will grow 12 to 36 inches tall and 12 to 36 inches wide and will work in anything from full sun to partial shade.
Evening primrose (Image: Getty)
Columbine is a beautiful flower (Image: Getty)
Blazing star has upright leafy stalks (Image: Getty)
Blazing star
This perennial never needs deadheading and boasts spiking purple flowers and upright leafy stalks.
Blazing star (Liatris spicata) can tolerate poor soil and heat, and humidity and is easy to maintain.
It has no serious problems with disease or pests. It will grow to two to four feet tall and one to two feet wide.
Lily leek
With star-shaped flowers, loosely clustered on leafless stalks, this ornamental flowering onion can be planted in any garden area.
A low-maintenance plant, Allium moly has no issues with disease or pests and tolerates a variety of soil conditions.
It will grow 10 to 18 inches tall and 10 to 12 inches wide and work anywhere from full sun to partial shade and in average soils.
Lily leek is an ornamental flowering onion (Image: Getty)
Black-eyed Susan (Image: Getty)
Bugleweed is a mat-forming ground cover (Image: Getty)
Black-eyed Susan
This native perennial plant, black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) grows daisy-shaped flowers that have a dark brown centre surrounded by yellow and orange yellow, long and thin petals.
It will work in pretty much any soil type and survives well in heat and with drought. It will grow to two to three feet tall and one to two feet wide and will work in anything from full sun to partial shade and average soils.
Bugleweed
This resilient plant can grow well if planted pretty much anywhere, and will produce small flowers in whorls, which are blue to violet in colour.
It is a mat-forming ground cover with dark green leaves. It can work in anything from moist to average soils, but the soil does need to be drained. It will grow 12 to nine inches tall to six to 12 inches wide, and it works in anything from full sun to partial shade.