Top 10 Plants to Lighten up Your Landscape This Year

Even if you’re not into gardening, having a few plants to accentuate your landscape could go a long way into transforming your home into the most amazing living space.

The following list was made in consultation with Total Grounds Management, Inc., a landscaping company based in Tacoma, Washington.

Here are 10 easy-to-grow plants for your landscape.

Columbine (Aquilegia spp.)

 Performing best in full sun to part shade, this plant also does well in well-drained soils with average moisture. The flowers are bell-shaped and attract bees and butterflies. Since it is widely adaptable, this plant is relatively easy to grow.

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii)

 Also called summer lilac, is a deciduous shrub in tropical and subtropical areas of the world.  Butterfly bush grows fast and requires low maintenance, deadheading and annual pruning to encourage flowering and maintain the compact shape. It is known for attracting butterflies due to its hairy leaves and clusters of different colours.

Siberian Bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla)

B.macrophylla is a herbaceous perennial, primarily grown in shady areas. They have large, heart-shaped basal leaves, with bright -blue coloured flowers, closely resembling forget-me-nots. Clumps spread by creeping rhizomes forming thick ground covers.

Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea and Hybrids)

This is one of the easiest of all herbaceous perennials to grow. They have brightly coloured blossoms with a long flowering season. These plants are simple to grow, thrive on neglect and are tolerant to almost everything. Coneflowers are loved by bees, butterflies and birds.

Four-O-Clock (Mirabilis jalapa)

Mirabilis are bushy blooming perennials. A single plant can have flowers of different colors. As the name implies, the flowers open up in the late afternoon, then close up again in the morning.The blooms have a trumpet shape with five petals. This plant is native to South America and is grown as an annual plant throughout the U.S.

Daylily (Hemerocallis spp.)

Ideally suited for new gardeners, daylilies are disease, deer, and insect resistant.They are drought tolerant, have heat stress immunity and require low maintenance. A single flower lasts no more than 24hours, thus the name daylily.

Lupines (Lupinus × Hybrida)

Lupines are known for blooming and creating colorful spikes in the garden. They are fast-growing flowers available both as annual and perennials. They are cross hybrids of various species bred to maximize the colour and vigor of the flowers. Parent species are native to North America.

Brown-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

This is a cheerful widespread plant renown for its striking golden, orange or  bicolour flowers. These are easy to grow and are largely untroubled. These plants are native to central North America and are short-lived perennials. Brown-Eyed Susan are perfect for vases and ideal for limited spaces.

Tulip (Tulipa Group)

Tulips are a group of spring-blooming perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes. They have bulbs that function as storage organs. The tulip group mostly have brightly colored, generally red, pink, yellow, or white, large and showy flowers.

Orange Jasmine (Murraya paniculata)

Nothing beats a landscape with the sweet smell of orange blossoms. The orange jasmine is a pleasant tropical plant whose flowers bloom all year round. This plant is native to South Asia, Southeast Asia and Australia. It thrives in full sun in the morning and dappled shade in the afternoon.