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Most of us want to have a beautiful flourishing garden to wake up to every day. The thing is, some seasonal garden plants may not look their best all year.
If you’re looking to cultivate low maintenance plants that look great no matter the season, there are certain varieties you should consider propagating, including the ones on this list.
Low Maintenance Plants
What is the Lady Palm (Rhapis Excelsa)?
The lady palm is one of the best low maintenance garden plants that you can grow. It can grow up to about 2 metres in dense thickets, so you can use it as a living screen, just like bamboo.
Lady palm plants also make great low maintenance indoor plants that help remove formaldehyde and ammonia from the air, thereby improving indoor air quality.
How Long to Grow:
Lady palms cultivated in plant nurseries or commercial gardens grow at a rate of about 20 to 30 cm per year. Their growth can slow down if you keep them indoors or potted.
When to Plant:
The easy-to-grow lady palm can be planted at any time of the year.
Requirements and Care:
Lady palms can grow under full shade, but they favour partial shade or bright but indirect or filtered light. Depending on growth and weather conditions, lady palms should be watered regularly. Soak the roots and let the soil dry out slightly before watering them again. Drench the garden soil of potted lady palms once a year to remove impurities and excess salt in the soil.
What is the African Lily (Agapanthus Africanus)?
The African lily or agapanthus bears pretty blue, purple, or white flowers throughout the spring and summer. Aside from adding variety and colour to your space, the agapanthus is resistant to many diseases and can tolerate extreme weather conditions.
How Long to Grow:
When cultivated from seed, agapanthus can take as long as four years of growth before they start to flower.
When to Plant:
This hardy perennial can be planted from seed after the last frost or from bulb in the spring once the temperature reaches 13°C or 55°F.
Requirements and Care:
Keep under full sunlight for best results, or partial shade. Ensure good drainage by adding sand or rotted manure to moist soil. Agapanthus also require regular watering and fertilising once every fortnight. Deadheading is necessary to encourage longer blooming.
What is the Grass Tree (Genus Xanthorrhoea)?
Grass trees or genus xanthorrhoea (including xanthorrhoea australis, x. malacophylla, and x. preissii) are iconic low maintenance plants of Australia that grow in the bush. Commercially grown grass trees are expensive landscape plants and are well-known for their usually charcoal-coloured trunks and tall flower spikes.
How Long to Grow:
These slow-growing plants grow at a rate of around 1 cm per year, and a healthy specimen can take 3 to 5 years to develop. So, if you see a grass tree that’s a metre high, it may be about a century old!
When to Plant: You can buy grass tree seeds or harvest them. Seeds can be planted any time of the year, but the best time for planting is during spring and autumn when temperatures are less extreme.
Requirements and Care:
Grass trees require full sun and good soil drainage. To ‘feed’ your grass tree, add a cup of brown sugar to a pail of water. Use this mixture to water your grass tree once every month for two years. The sugar and water mixture feeds the mycorrhiza (the helpful microbes in their root systems) and supplies their energy needs so your grass tree will remain healthy and strong.
What is the Gymea Lily (Doryanthes Excelsa)?
The gymea lily, flame lily, giant lily, or doryanthes excelsa is another favourite among low maintenance Australian plants that grow in the bush. When the gymea lily blooms, it produces a towering green spike that grows up to 5 metres high and comes with a red flower head at the apex.
How Long to Grow:
Gymea lilies are easy to grow from seed, which should be planted in the freshest state possible using good-quality potting mix. Lightly cover and wait for the seeds to germinate in 1 to 2 months. Transplant into a larger pot after a few more months. After a year, you can transfer the plant to your garden.
When to Plant:
The best time for planting is during the cooler months. After transplanting, water regularly through the first summer, but don’t let the soil become soggy.
Requirements and Care:
Doryanthes are drought-tolerant and pest- and disease-resistant plants. They grow well in-ground and in large pots or containers. They also love deep water during the warmer months. They need fertilising with a slow-release, low-phosphate or a complete, soluble fertiliser.
What is the Liriope (Genus Liriope)?
Liriope is a landscaper’s dream plant and is most often cultivated as ground cover, although it can also be grown in pots. Liriope plant varieties are generally cheap and bear pretty royal purple, pink, or white flowers. They are drought- and frost-tolerant and come in a range of sizes and colours. They can be propagated easily and are suitable for both sunny and shady locations.
How Long to Grow:
Liriope grows to a maximum height of 20 to 45 centimetres in about two to three years.
When to Plant:
Liriope is best planted during spring until autumn from divisions or nursery transplants. After transplanting, water just enough to keep the soil lightly moist, particularly during its first year from the date of planting.
Requirements and Care:
Liriope can grow with heat and full sunshine but thrives best in partially shaded sections of a garden with moist, fertile soil that has good drainage. If growing liriope in a container, make sure it is large enough for the plant to grow and ensure there are drainage holes at the bottom.
Contact West Australia’s Garden Experts
For more advice on low maintenance plants, get in touch with us at Mulches and More. We supply a range of high-grade, competitively priced landscaping and gardening supplies for both commercial and residential projects.
If you would like more advice on what low maintenance plants would suit your garden, send us an enquiry, email daniel@mulchesandmore.com.au or call 0407 084 734!