Starting a garden can sound overwhelming, but with so many people now gardening, there are plenty of resources to help you get started. Here are 10 easy outdoor plants to take care of for beginners.
With the coronavirus keeping so many people at home, you might start getting restless, especially if you have more free time than you usually do.
Gardening is a healthy way to pass the time. Taking care of outdoor plants also gets you outside and moving, which makes it a healthy hobby to have. Plus, you get to enjoy growing some beautiful plants!
Best Outdoor Plants for Beginners
What is great about the plants below, is that most of them can be started from seed, or you can purchase them as a small plant. When I began gardening, I started with small plants.
I still purchase small plants that will grow into the containers I plant them in, but I’m loving starting plants from seed lately.
It can be challenging at first, but with patience and perseverance, starting plants from seed has been very rewarding. You will learn plenty about plant care for beginners with these flowers and plants.
All you need is a plastic egg crate, seed starting soil, seeds, and some water. If you want to start with a plant, make sure you have a container and potting soil, or a space in your garden if you plan on growing your new plant in the ground.
There are so many ways to enjoy these plants! Make sure that whatever you choose, works for your garden space and budget.
Below are the 10 best outdoor plants for beginners to grow!
Zinnias
Zinnias are one of many outdoor plants easy to maintain. They come in an array of colors and make great cut flowers. They also come in different height varieties and are great as border flowers or in pots to decorate a porch.
Start them as seeds indoors, directly in the ground, or purchase small zinnias when they are in season.
Popular varieties of zinnias include:
- California Giants
- Double Scarlet Flame
- Giant Cactus Mix
- Lilliput Mixed Colors
- State Fair Giant Mixed Colors
Sunflowers
Sunflowers are hardy plants that grow big, yellow blooms on large stalks. You can start these from seed indoors or directly in the ground. I’ve grown sunflowers both ways and they turned out great!
There are plenty of varieties of sunflowers that come in yellow, as well as orange and red. Children and adults alike enjoy growing sunflowers!
Here are some varieties of sunflowers you can grow:
- Organic Mammoth sunflowers
- Sunflower Skyscraper
- American Giant
- Evening Sun Mix
- Skyscraper
- Sunspot Dwarf
- Torch Mexican Sunflowers
- Autumn Beauty Variety
Morning Glories
I just added several varieties of morning glories to my garden, and I love them! I have one in a hanging pot, another in a pot on my patio, and the last of the morning glories in the ground, slowly climbing a trellis.
The most well known color is blue, but morning glories also bloom purple, red, pink, white, and other colored flowers. Popular types of morning glories include the following:
Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas are easy flowering bushes that make great beginner plants. They grow well in pots and in garden borders. These plants grow colorful blooms and love partial shade.
Below are some varieties to consider:
- Limelight Hydrangeas
- Incrediball® Hydrangea
- Strawberry Sundae® Hydrangea
- Cityline™ Venice Big Leaf Hydrangea
- Cherry Explosion Hydrangea
- Edgy® Hearts Hydrangea
Marigolds
Marigolds are commonly used in vegetable gardens to attract pollinators. They are also easy plants to grow outside. Marigolds come in several types and bloom orange, yellow, and cream colored flowers.
Check out these varieties of Marigolds:
Cosmos
Cosmos look similar to daisies and bloom throughout the summer. They require little care and besides being watered from time to time, don’t need much maintenance once they mature.
Some popular cosmos include the following:
Fuchsias
Fuchsias are another flowering plant that are easy outside plants to take care of. I have a hanging fuchsia on our front porch and love the pink and purple flowers that bloom downward.
These easy outside plants love full and partial shade, and grow well in hanging pots and as shrubs. There are many gardening centers that offer these unique flowering shade plants for sale.
Lavender
Lavender is a popular herb that is easy to grow outside. It loves dry soil, so is perfect for dry areas. Due to this, lavender does not need to be watered much to grow well. They also smell great and can be used to make homemade beauty products!
Below are some popular types of lavender:
Herbs
Herbs are great plants to start with if you are a beginner gardener. These plants are what helped me begin my love of gardening. Herbs can grow in the ground and are easy to maintain in containers.
Water them regularly and use them in recipes too! Here are some popular herbs you can start with:
Succulents
Succulents are a huge variety of desert plants that don’t need much care. If you are a beginner gardener, these are perfect for you. Make sure your succulents have plenty of sun and water about once a week. That’s it!
Below are some popular succulents for you to enjoy in your new garden:
Honorable Mentions
There are plenty of other easy outdoor plants to take care of. These include begonias, daffodils, geraniums, nasturtium, impatiens, petunias, daylillies, pansies, and snapdragons. Don’t be afraid to experiment and see what different plants you can grow in your new garden!
Easy Outdoor Plants to Take Care of
Taking care of outdoor plants can be tough at first, but give yourself plenty of time to learn. If you try to grow some of these and they die, try again. I still do not have success with all the plants I try to grow.
These are 10 easy outdoor plants to take care of for beginners. Do you have ones that should be on the list? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Aimsy says
I love it when plants are easier to grow…my favourites have to be geraniums, especially the hardier variety.
We have just sent off for more bedding plants, so hopefully, they will be easy enough to maintain in the garden!
Thanks for sharing!
Aimsy xoxo
Ann says
I don’t have any geraniums in my garden right now, but they would fit perfectly in my container garden area! Enjoy growing more plants in your garden beds! Thank you for stopping by!
Sarah - Insecure Housewife says
I always appreciate plants that are easy to grow. That being said, I also love a challenge, those plants that need more attention, constant maintenance, and that makes me want to pull out my hair in frustration at one moment and then do a happy dance in the next when they thrive. I grow a few of these already, but since I’m trying to add a bit more variety to my garden, especially when it comes to flowers that I can just plant and ignore, I will see about adding some others into the mix this year.
Ann says
I like a mix of both easy and challenging plants as well. I try to grow at least one new plant in my garden each year, either by seed or a young plant. Right now I have quite a variety. Enjoy adding more flowers to your garden and seeing what new ones you can grow this year!
Grandma's House DIY says
I’ll be featuring you on Instagram, my blog and on Facebook next week when the next To Grandma’s house we go party starts. Thanks so much for sharing with us – hope you have a great weekend!
Ann says
That is awesome! Thank you so much! I can’t wait for next week’s party! You have a great weekend too!