What plants or flowers are easiest to keep alive?
Saturday, February 13th, 2010 at
9:37 am
I am the world’s worst gardener. What sort of plants and flowers require little to no upkeep?
Filed under: Flowers
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When I had a boyfriend who was a botanist, and I exposed my black thumb, he said I should raise coleus. They are easy to grow and hard to kill. Just plant them, water them, give them sunlight, and enjoy them. The leaves are all sorts of lovely colors if they get enough sunlight, but they will be mostly green if the light is inadequate.
For outside, you need to know if you are in sun or shade.
For sunny locations, you can’t go wrong with daylilies (like Stella D’oro), or coneflowers.
In shady areas, hostas are low maintenance.
Cactus.
I water once a month, put out in full sun when the weather is fair, and keep inside during rain and at night. They actually tend to thrive better in neglect than with over caring, as the roots are fragile and will rot if over watered.
I purchased these cacti and aloe at my local Walmart. They are all doing well: http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i225/matt_serv777/Yahoo%20Answers/IMG_4453.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i225/matt_serv777/Yahoo%20Answers/IMG_4445.jpg
Good Luck, TC.
Cactus is a good one.
I too suffer from the "black-thumb" illness…I have ferns and an aloe plant and haven’t killed them yet…good luck
Try a Fern…
Chrysenthenums…they last forever!!! Not reallly but almost.
Artificial ones… or Cactus.
No, I’m the worst
the only plant I haven’t killed is Bamboo/Bambu
Honeysuckle is a very sweet smelling vine.
It grows quickly. Sometimes too quickly, it is like a
weed. Any part of the vine that lands on the ground
will take root. Now, I don’t take special care when
weed-whacking near them. They are hardy.
But they sure smell sweet!!
all kinds of lillies. they are the best. i always get complament and people ask what i give them, my asiatic lillies get over 6ft tall. i don’t do anything but water them. if your looking for a bush: burning bushes. Black eyes susans have flowers that last forever.
i would never do potted plants, i kill them all.
All plants and flowers require upkeep. But here are some that are easy to grow and look lovely.
* Marigolds-grow in any kind of soil (please water all plants)
*Cosmos- best as background flowers. Grow quite tall.beautiful (please water all plants)
* Nasturtiums – grow easily and are kind of viny and look so nice and have a GREAT frgrance! (please water plants)
Just follow instructions on seed pack but you can basically plant them as you wish as long as they have plenty of room and WATER them as often as you can. Nothing hard about growing these. Theyre cheap yet BEAUTIFUL!.oh!! ALso…
* Zenias- (giants are lovely but all are nice) grow easily and are SOOO colorful! most gow quite tall but use them as you wish because theyre so bright and prettty. (please water plants) Good Luck..PS-you dont have to follow instructions exactly. Depends on where you live and the climate. I just dug a space and raked it smooth and scattered in some Cosmos seeds with Nestertiums as a border . Nestertium seeds are about the size of cherry pits so plant them in a row . (please water plants as you can)
Flowers/shrubs/trees that grow locally are best to begin with. Take a visit to your nearest nursery and find out what the local flowers are.
Here is a tutorial that will be of help to you:
You are gonna love gardening, don’t try to do it all in one year. Get to know where the sun shines the most, and where the shaded areas are. Because you will need flowers for the sun areas, and flowers for the shaded areas.
Since you are a beginner, this year start your garden with plants that you get from a garden center or nursery. They are called bedding plants and come in a six pack. Look for a little tag sticking in the six pact showing directions on how to grow the plants. If the tag is not there, ask for one or buy something else. Directions are VERY important.
Seeds are not always easy to grow. And wildflowers are the hardest so don’t be disappointed if they don’t show up.
Two good things to do for yourself is to call your local County Extension Service and ask for all the information that they have about gardening in your area. They usually have a packet/kit of things for the home gardener.
And number two would be to pick up a couple of beginner books. You really do need to know about soil, compost, mulch and etc. My sweet hubby and I have always liked the Dummies series, but there are many, many good books to buy, or visit your local library.
To keep from over watering or not watering enough, buy a water analyzer from a nursery or garden center. Be sure to read the directions. This will be one of your best tools.
Send for some free gardening catalogs and get use to the different types of plants, colors, and when to plant. They are filled with good informtion and pictures. And they will keep you company during the long winter months. Here is a list of just a very few. There are hundreds more. You do not have to buy from them:
http://www.waysidegardens.com
http://www.dutchbulbs.com
http://www.jacksonandperkins.com (Roses)
http://www.parkseed.com
http://www.burpee.com
Other catalogs:
http://www.leevalley.com
http://www.gardeners.com
http://www.GardensAlive.com
http://www.deerbusters.com (all types of animal control)
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Container/pots/window boxes needs:
All need holes in the bottem for water drainage,
Potting soil that comes in bags,
Slow release fertilizer for flowers (not for green plants), OR liquid fertilizer that will need to be used more often-read directions,
Water crystals to be mixed into the soil for holding water,
Bedding plants or full grown plants.
Here is an excellent link to check out for color combinations and plants that look good together:
http://www.fernlea.com/awesomeaccents/recipes.html
^Snake plants need some sun and very little water, they are also called mother-in-laws tongue because they never die.
Pansy’s and Roses require little work for outside. Inside: an aloe plant, a cactus, an airplane plant, a fern, violets………..OR PLASTIC!!!
Daylillies are great! Sedums, which there are hundreds of types are so easy. The low growing spreading types can literally be thrown on the ground! I have them growing in the corners of my concrete steps. Others you do have to dig a hole but they love sun, tolerate drought and spread. Rose of Sharon bushes are easy too. Forsythias bushes are great too. Cleomes or spider flowers, touch-me-nots and four-o-clocks all self seed and will grow like weeds! The four-o- clocks are night blooming. I have hundreds of flowers and the easiest way to get started is to admire peoples gardens that you like, many will share starts or seeds. Happy gardening, if I could I would share my plants with you.
Ones that are natural to the area, for example, cacti in the SW, black eyede susans and echenasia in the midwest, etc.would be the easiest to grow since they are ideally suited to the climate, soil and water. Go to your local nursery or just check online as to what grows in your area.
The great thing is- you can grow them and not have to do much but weed! They are also eco friendly!
I have a kind of flower called a four o’clock (scientific name mirabilis jalapa) in my front yard. The reason I stick to them is because they are hard to kill and do good with just watering it maybe twice a week if that.
The reason that the flower is called a four o’clock is because the head part of the tubular base doesn’t open til 4:00 in the afternoon.
To keep it from spreading to other parts of your yard make sure to pick off the seeds so that you can give to friends or family.
There is also a special project going on in relation to getting four o’clocks spread all over the world for cancer awareness. You can find out more about the project at: http://www.symbolofhope.com/English_Home.htm
If you are the worst, I am the second worst.
I think that common ordinary plants that need no work at all for them to survive, but need work by us to make our yard look nice … like GRASS and WEEDS.
About the only thing that will kill GRASS is not enough water.
I think only human action with weed killer gets rid of weeds.
Some plants that some people think are weeds, I think are quite nice, like dandelions and daisies.
Some trees & shrubs seem to me to be very hardy, but I not an expert on the various kinds.
Once again, they can grow, like vines, getting where we really do not want branches overhanging, messing up phone lines etc., so the duty of the gardner is not to feed the plants, but to trim them back.
ivy plants are one of the easiest plants to have. you really can’t over water them. they will root in a cup of water then you can plant in soil.
wandering jew is another plant that is very hardy, this plant also speads and reproduces even though it’s not a blub plant.
Thistle! It will only die if you pull it up by its roots. You can mow over them and the same plant will still grow.
All flowers and plants need upkeep. Perennials may be better since you plant them once and they grow back each year. They may need some trimming in the spring or fall. Some easy to grow perennials are Shasta daisies, many herbs, cone flowers and dianthus. There are also many annuals that will self seed. You can plant them in a flower bed and they will drop their seeds and the seeds will sprout and grow the next spring. Portulaca, sweet alyssum, sunflowers and cosmos are a few examples. Give yourself a challenge … try at least one different plant each year.. just for fun!
I usually have the worst luck keeping any plant alive. However one time I was given a hugh African Violet plant. So I read up on how to take care of them. The plant I was given was in a hugh pot and in reading the nature of the plant I learned they should always be kept in a four inch pot. So I broke the plant apart, giving me eight plants that I replanted in four inch pots. Next step was to always water them from the saucers they should be set in. Never water from the top because if you get the leaves wet they will spot and die. Well low and behold I had the most beautiful window full of flowering African Violets.
So first always keep them in four inch pots of soil especially for African Violets. Water them from the bottom. Use plant food especially for African Violets. Always keep them in a northern exposure. Follow this simple routine and I promise you will have the most beautiful plants that will give you enjoyment for years to come. What is wonderful about them is each year because they grow so during the year that you can break each plant apart and from each plant wind up with two per. Hope this makes sense. Enjoy!
P. Allen Smith recommends sedums, marigolds, and sunflowers:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19174814/
http://www.sedumphotos.net/main.php
http://www.gardenguides.com/plants/info/flowers/annuals/marigold.asp
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=HEAN3
I’d recommend cactus and various herbs:
http://www.cactusmuseum.com/info.asp
http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/hortcult/herbs/ne208hrb.htm
WEEDS!!!HA-HA!! IT IS TRUE!!???
Cactus
You might try getting catuses, or rubber trees if u don’t have pets!
Contact your local Artist-Blacksmith and ask about acquiring a black iron rose. They should be able to survive a nuclear winter, as long as temperature do not rise above 1200 degrees Fahrenheit. The national organization is located at ABANA.com
It depends on the climate in your area. Wherever you are, you are best off using native plants – ones that weren’t introduced from other parts of the world. They are the best adapted for your area and need the least care. I use only natives in my landscape, and I have a thriving garden for almost no work. I never water except in extreme drought, and I don’t need to add fertilizer or do alot of pruning or cutting back or that kind of thing either. Of course, not all natives are hardy, and they still need to be matched to your soil and sun, but starting with native plants is a big boost. And they are better for the environment since they often provide the best food and shelter for native animals, and they won’t spread into the surrounding area and compete with other natives like non-natives often do.
get yourself a cactus, lots of sun, and not alot of water
Aloe is wonderful. Water it a ton, then wait a few weeks until it looks like it’s about to croak, and then water it a ton again. Not only does the plant respond well to this, but you can get some very nice ointment for sun burns out of it (and make your skin nice and supple!)
I agree… Aloe is excellent for what you’re looking for… Also, "Spider plants" are extremely hardy and grow off of each other!… Another one is the "Mother in law tongue"… it looks just like it’s "supposed to" sound: like long tongues. No flowers tho… if that’s what you’re looking for lol… sorry. Ferns and fauna are exceptionally hardy as well… You might also try cactus…
Good luck!
I’m terrible at gardening, too. I have found that in flowers Daylilies are hard to kill, and Crepe Murtles for shrubs are nearly impossible to kill – and they flower all summer in the midwest USA.
May I HIGHLY recommend a golden pothos…..I have had the same plant since 1987…..
it has endured…..
moving 4 times
frost bite
neglect
a cat digging it up – 3 times
over watering
under watering
frost bite again
too little sun
too much sun
too big of a pot
too little of a pot
being dropped upside down
a college roommate who truly had a black thumb….and she has a cutting off of this plant still growing like wild in her kitchen.
I have had to cut this plant back to next to nothing….and in a few months is taking over the coffee table again. Here it is 2007….and I’m looking for more pots for this thing! When the vines get too long….whack them off….stick them in a glass of water….let them grow roots for a couple of months….and them put them back in the same pot. I am convinced in an atomic explosion….there would be cockroaches, my mother in law…and this plant!
Honestly I’d say a yucca basically you can’t kill it…or get rid of it. It gets pretty white flowers on it and is very very hardy…I guess it is made up of 40-50 different species of plants which explains the part of the reason you can’t actually kill it without poison. because it has a tuber as its root…when you try and dig it out if you don’t get every last piece of it another will sprout up in it’s place. My best answer for how to get one is ask your neighbors to dig out a piece for you (I’m sure more than one have heard of it and have it in their yard they’ll be more than welcome to spread the yucca wealth) I’d say plant it in the fall and wait for it to come up in the spring it’s decently fast growing and usually blooms every year. It may not bloom the first year because it’s still getting used to it’s new home of sorts. After that just sit back and relax and you’ll have a monster in no time…it usually blooms at the beginning of July maybe early June depending on where you live…I think of all the plants I’ve planted this one you don’t have to worry about.
I’m sure I’m as bad as you are with plants and flowers, but I had really great luck growing a Spider Plant that someone had given me a shoot from. I put it in a good sized pot, watered it once a week, put it in a mostly shady room where it got indirect sunlight, and before long the thing had grown so large I was clipping shoots for friends and family. I’ve repotted it three times, because it’s grown so large, shoots growing all over the place, and each time it has taken very well to the new pot. It’s also a very pretty two or three shade of green plant. And looks nice in a plant basket, though make sure it’s not too warm, or the heat as it rises can hurt it. I have in on it’s own plant stand that it just over waist high.
Good luck finding your plant!
I think silk ones do the job!
One or both of two words: plastic, origami.
It’s not that I don’t trust humans to care for living things; well, except I don’t lol … I just want to make sure that you never feel "forced" to care for whatever plant you choose, and I’d rather that the plant chose you (i.e. you were attracted to the results of taking-care, so much so that you were COMPELLED to study its particular care-method).
Hello, Mike!!
as to your question, from my experience, I can say that Aloe and Cactus is not demanding so much special care in comparison with other flowers. Have a nice gardening!
Nara
Bamboo all the way! : )
Do not know where you live but there are (2) plants that are impossible to kill, but BOTH must survive in areas where there is little moisture and temperature extremes of 130 degrees farenheit to MINUS 40 BELOW ZERO.
FIRST is the CHINESE RED WILLOW which must survive in
on the most northern plains of China that are well
within the ARCTIC CIRCLE. Believe it or not, it must
survive where there is little or NO rainfall for extended
periods of time in Temperatures exceeding the 40
BELOW ZERO.
If you want it for an OUTSIDE planting, I believe there
virtually no place in the U.S. that is not below the
treelines of U.S. Mountains where it would not
Survive.
If you want it for an INSIDE Potted Plant. You can
limit it’s size by choosing the size of the potting vessel
according to either space available or your choice of
the size of the indoor growth size you want to display.
You could forget to water for a very long time without
killing it.
SECOND is the MESQUITE tree (actually a bush). The
same qualities exist for the MESQUITE as the
CHINESE RED WILLOW, but is even better as a
House Plant because it can only multiply if the bean
it produces passes through the digestive track of a
ruminent. (I am assuming that you do not keep Cows
or the like in the house). Outside I hope your outdoor
planting is fenced because of its unique quality of
absorbing ALL the moisture that is around it in a ball.
The more moisture the bigger the storage ball beneath
it. Ranchers HATE MESQUITES Because where there
are Bovines The Parent tree keeps growing & absorbing
all the moisture around it & the beans eaten & passed
through a ruminent sprout & start the process all over
again. Soon the ranches or pastures are so filled with
MESQUITES that you cannot find your cattle because
of the density of the MESQUITES. Since the tree absorbs
all the moisture around them it will not allow growth of
edible plants on the ground for their cattle, the cattle must
eat the beans to absorb what sustenance they can from the
thousands of bean husks produced by each tree, then the
kernals of each bean is expelled to sprout another tree.
THEY ARE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO KILL and are
VERY EXPENSIVE TO ERADICATE. It gets harder every
day for farms & ranches to make a profit & stay in
business, so eradication costs are becoming less
possible every day except for the wealthiest & largest of
ranches such as the famous WAGGENOR RANCH in
TEXAS which is so VAST that there even areas where
even as wealthy as it is cannot possibly do all necessary
eradication.
AS I LIVE VERY CLOSE TO THE RANCH, I HAVE SEEN
THIS VERY SAD SITUATION AT ONE OF OUR CITY
LAKES WHICH IS LOCATED ON WAGGONER LAND.
HERE’S A HUMAN TOUCH FOR ALL OF US CAR BUFF’S.
The ranch is so wealthy & influential that the wife of Mr. Waggoner whose name was ELECTRA WAGGONER, was so influential before her death, that General Motors named one of it’s BUICK’S, the "ELECTRA".
hastas are the way to go..they like sun or shade and are pretty hardy. i haven’t killed my three yet. i let nature take care of the watering. been two months and still growing. oh, they will grow and grow. they take over. good luck.
mine are a green plant with white edging..very subtle and pretty.
Cosmos when the flower dies off the seeds blow to where ever mother natures takes it and you will have flowers in the most unique places. Allys won’t die ask my husband he can’t kill it I rather like it. Cosmos really don’t like alot of water just as bulbs do not . I never dig up and divide my bulbs I just let them die off and come up where ever they fell like it the next year. Oh yes don’t forget the Sunflower mighty strong and happy without a lot TLC just lots of sun .Cottage Gardens is what I enjoy and admire. I say just put it in the garden where ever you like and if its happy you ll know within hours. Oh yes Carnations are rather easy oh try the sunflower first. PS some Gardner’s don’t plant their new plants out of the container, they just cut a hole around the bottom and stick it in the ground and cover with soil so not to mess with the roots. I have never done it but many a friends have beautiful gardens without the mess I so love. Throw up all around the yard wildflower seed, lightly water, they will find a home one that will require little of your love. Always check flowers before bringing home for bugs!!! Small nursery’s is where I like to buy for best quality maybe just a little bit more money, but they won’t send bugs home with you can’t afford to stay in business that way.
Well, make up your mind, do you want flowers or just any old plant?
I’ve kept a few house plants in my day, and I’m a pretty bad gardener too (all I ever did usually was to water the plants, and I’m sure I watered some of the too much). Succulent plants such as cactuses and certain other desert plants can go for some time without watering, and cactuses have thorns which will also protect them from any household pets that might otherwise damage a succulent plant. Alternatively, I think ivy is quite resilient (I once grew a piece of ivy from a cutting, without even starting with any roots), and if all else fails, you can try just growing weeds and then selecting the ones you like as house plants.
I would suggest artificial ones! having said that as you cannot poosible be worse than myself the plants that have grown best for me are cordylines, just plant them and let them be. Mine started off two years ago at about 6 inches and are now easily 3 and a half feet tall!
Wandering Jews tend to do well even through neglect!
They thrive pretty awesomely, they have purple leaves,
and small white or usually pink flowers! They are nice and
will help you develop into growing other plants, and flowers!
~..Lane’~
By.The.Way
I suggest trying to keep a plant alive, an indoor would probably be
the best, before you start trying to do flowers again, just a suggestion.
Marigolds—-Gerainiums—- Hostas—–Petunias—- Black Eyed Susans—–Purple Cone Flowers—-Live Forevers—–Yucca,s—- To name a few, are all hardy, and require little care, except a little water.
Go native!
Growing native would be best because they are already accustom to the climate. You don’t have to labor over them. Many people say cactus, but in fact they are quite easy to kill if you over water them.
Try geraniums, they come in a wide range of shapes and colours, and they are resistant to carelessness in most areas (but they need a shelter in cold winter areas, at least a plastic sheet cover).
You break a growing shoot from a plant you like (with the owner’s permission!), take off the bottom leaves, replant in a half-shaded open spot and water 3-4 times the first 10 days then once a week, if you don’t forget.
Tip: all my used tea bags and tea leaves are in the geranium pots.
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If you leave in a tropical or sub-tropical area, Bougainvillea, after a couple of years, seem to be living on thin air. Of course, you need more space. They form excellent fences. Mixing colours can be spectacular.
Have fun!
succulents. lowest maint. plants on earth. and they come in a large and attractive variety, to boot! honestly, you could be the most negligent s.o.b. in the world and still manage to keep these puppies alive, unless you live in a zone which freezes in winter, that is. you don’t say your zone. update your info and i might have a different suggestion.