Wish you could indulge your lazy home gardening brown thumb while your garden thrived? Well…
So there is really no such thing as NO maintenance; Technically – no. However, there are a number of hardy shrubs and perennials annuals (that aren’t ‘weeds’) that thrive when left totally ALONE, that can make your garden the most laziest and vibrant space on the street! There are plenty more than the ten I am listing (so many more), but I have a lazy streak too…Actually, I am currently stretched in all directions at the moment, but I still want to encourage you to garden! These plant profiles I give you will start you off easy, making even the smallest of spaces full in flower, presentation, and pollination:
Eastern Prickly Pear (Opuntia humifusa): Prickly Pear is one of our hardy cacti up north with a hardy zone of 3! That would be an environment equivalent to Ottawa! Stays green all year round…These little beauties can handle drought, salt, heavy snow, and extreme heat. Prickly pear puts out little edible fruit. Eating them takes a bit of work, but can be worth it. These are slow growers, but if you’re bent on not lifting a finger in your garden, don’t worry, they’ll be along in no time.
Arctic Kiwi Vine (Actinidia arguta ‘issai’) This is the arctic kiwi vine; one of my very favourite fruit bearing vines. It is a woody vine that can handle frigid temperatures, down to -20 degrees! (Zone 2). There is the other A. kolomikta, whos male species have splendid pink and white variegated leaves. This variety requires both males and females to bear fruit. If you are tight for space, it’s A. arguta (pictured right) that makes a more sensible choice since it is self pollinating. Hmmm… Self pollinating, takes a beating with climates, no management or pruning required…. What are you waiting for?! At least trellis them… please. Then you can walk away.
Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) is a native species to Canada and Ontario. There are so many cultivars, but I like to stick to the OG mother species for several reasons: hardiness, self seeding perennial, easy to control, and most compatible with native pollinators. Echinacea are drought tolerant; they like it hot, and they can handle the frost; they can continue flowering if you keep deadheading from mid July right into late September. Don’t forget its medicinal qualities! I’ve looked it up a couple of times; but truly too distracted to give it a try. If anyone has had any success, let me know!
Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) is a naturalized species in Canada. It thrives in slightly acidic soil, drought tolerant and really tolerant and resistant to almost anything due to the amount of oxalates in the leaves! This will take no time to establish, and will produce stalks from June to September. Leave it alone for the first year, so it can establish its roots; picking in the first year can stress it out and kill it. Every subsequent year, the stalks will grow thicker, and you will find offshoots too!
Alpine Strawberries (Fragaria vesca ‘Ruegen’) This is a European heirloom that tastes just like tart cotton candy. Seeds are the best way to plant. Throw them down in the late fall and leave them on the soil. It is important not to bury them. They will start to come up early april/late March, when you will have forgotten all about them, so make note and leave a tag in the ground. These are tolerant to everything, they don’t care about the water, or nutrient value of the soil. Best of all, they are ever-bearing, meaning these will put out berries all summer long while maintaining their growth to a clump!
Common Sage (Salvia officinalis) Sage is a classic for any kitchen garden herb bed, with its silvery sheen and stucco-like texture. An iconic companion for cabbage family, its been used in traditional medicine and to flavour meats and sausages. Does best in blistering heat and minimal watering. Sage is incredibly winter hardy. In the spring, cut some of the old growth back or leave it alone and you will have quite a full garden specimen. Some can grow to 4ft in girth! Neglect this baby, and you will not regret the beautiful violet summer blooms!
Common Sage (Salvia officinalis) Sage is a classic for any kitchen garden herb bed, with its silvery sheen and stucco-like texture. An iconic companion for cabbage family, its been used in traditional medicine and to flavour meats and sausages. Does best in blistering heat and minimal watering. Sage is incredibly winter hardy. In the spring, cut some of the old growth back or leave it alone and you will have quite a full garden specimen. Some can grow to 4ft in girth! Neglect this baby, and you will not regret the beautiful violet summer blooms! Pssst: does very well in balcony containers. Make sure you give it a light soil for drainage.
Cosmos (Cosmos bipinatus) Cosmos is one of those classic cottage flowers that line the wall of the buildings while its long stemmed blooms dance in the breeze. It’s a wonder they don’t fall over from the blooms. But that’s their speciality; its blooms are like miniature weights pinned to the top of a thin wire that sway from side to side. Big-time pollinators magnet for bees and butterflies, these are also a favourite food source for finches as the season winds down. Cosmos are not fussy where they grow. They don’t care about soil type, prefer not to be watered, and in ideal conditions, such as I have mentioned, these can tower up to 4.5ft tall! One thing to know about them is that these are prolific and heavy self-seeders, so you will be guiltless and ruthless in the spring to control them. Do not eat these!
Raspberries (Ribes sp.) When I was a child, nothing could stop me from picking raspberries, and believe it was my gateway plant to my foraging obsession. (name a gardener who doesn’t have one). Raspberries grow wild everywhere, and they don’t care about soil, about light conditions, or what direction they’re facing – NOTHING! Now, all plants have ideal conditions, but if you got nothing for them, they still bear fruit. In the spring, you cut your canes down to 12″ while staggering others down to 2ft. This will keep them from getting gnarly ensuring a harvest isn’t a hassle.
Native Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa) This native bee balm won my heart years ago when I learned that this makes an excellent substitute for OREGANO! What?? YES – yes it does! Flowers, and leaves are edible, smell heavenly of oregano, and bees LOVE them! Favourite place to live: full sun, mediocre soil, and your lack of motivation! Well… OK.. these have a habit of getting moldy in the fall when it gets cold and does nothing but rain, but during the summer, not a problem. These will grow in clumps and expand every season by an inch or two. Suddenly got too much? In the spring, you will divide to reduce the clump and control it. Throw away your ends, or gift it to a friend!
Well that is it for my list. I hope this list will give you some encouragement to enjoy your greenspace a little more. So you still have to be in your garden – but these will minimize your workload, I promise!
-Lindsay