Creating a beautiful garden doesn’t have to mean hours of weeding, pruning, and watering. At Chessington Garden Centre, we know many of our customers want a garden that looks great with minimal upkeep. Whether you’re a busy professional, a new gardener, or just want to enjoy your outdoor space without the hassle, a low-maintenance garden is a fantastic choice.
The key? Choose the right plants. We’ve rounded up ten top-performing, fuss-free plants ideal for UK gardens. These varieties are reliable, hardy, and need very little attention once established.
What Makes a Plant Low-Maintenance?
A low-maintenance plant typically:
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Thrives in local conditions without much intervention
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Requires minimal pruning or deadheading
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Resists common pests and diseases
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Tolerates periods of drought or variable weather
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Doesn’t need regular feeding
By choosing plants with these characteristics, you’ll enjoy more time in your garden and less time working in it.
Our Top 10 Easy-Care Garden Plants
1. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
Perfect for: Sunny borders, pots, pollinator-friendly gardens
With its fragrant purple blooms and evergreen foliage, lavender brings beauty, scent, and structure to the garden. It thrives in poor, well-drained soils and rarely needs watering once established. Just give it a light prune after flowering to keep it compact.
Bonus: Loved by bees and butterflies.
2. Hardy Geraniums (Cranesbill)
Perfect for: Ground cover, cottage gardens, shaded spots
These resilient perennials offer clouds of pink, blue, or purple flowers throughout summer. They’ll fill gaps in borders quickly, smothering weeds in the process. Once flowering is done, a quick shear can encourage a second flush.
Top Tip: Look for ‘Rozanne’ – one of the longest-flowering varieties.
3. Sedum (Hylotelephium 'Autumn Joy')
Perfect for: Dry, sunny spots, wildlife gardens
Also known as stonecrop, sedum is drought-tolerant and thrives in poor soil. Its fleshy leaves are topped with clusters of pink flowers in late summer and autumn, attracting pollinators well into the season.
Low Effort: Simply cut back in spring when new shoots appear.
4. Box (Buxus sempervirens)
Perfect for: Formal gardens, topiary, low hedging
Box is a classic evergreen that adds year-round structure. Once shaped, it holds its form well with only one or two trims a year. It’s slow-growing and low fuss, though do keep an eye out for box blight and caterpillars in some regions.
Alternative: Consider Ilex crenata (Japanese holly) for a similar look without the risk of box blight.
5. Ferns (e.g. Dryopteris, Polystichum)
Perfect for: Shady corners, under trees, woodland borders
Ferns are a fantastic option for low-light areas. Most hardy UK varieties need very little attention and will quietly unfurl their fronds year after year. They love damp, humus-rich soil but are surprisingly drought-tolerant once mature.
No Flowers Needed: Their sculptural foliage adds year-round texture.
6. Heuchera (Coral Bells)
Perfect for: Containers, edging, year-round colour
Heucheras are small, hardy perennials known for their stunning foliage in shades from lime green to deep burgundy. They need little more than occasional tidying and are happy in sun or part shade.
Bonus: Their delicate flower spikes attract pollinators in summer.
7. Japanese Anemones (Anemone x hybrida)
Perfect for: Late-summer borders, semi-shaded areas
Once established, these perennials will return each year with graceful white or pink flowers. They spread slowly, tolerate neglect, and bloom well into autumn – just when many other plants are fading.
Low Maintenance: Cut back in late winter or early spring.
8. Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’
Perfect for: Statement borders, partial shade
‘Annabelle’ produces huge, white flower heads that brighten up any garden from mid to late summer. It’s tolerant of most soils and doesn’t mind shade – just keep the soil consistently moist.
Pruning Made Easy: Cut back hard in late winter to encourage fresh blooms.
9. Euphorbia (Spurge)
Perfect for: Modern gardens, dry borders, evergreen interest
With architectural form and vivid lime-green bracts in spring, Euphorbias bring drama with very little work. Once they’ve flowered, just trim the spent stems down to the base.
Caution: Wear gloves – the sap can irritate skin.
10. Skimmia japonica
Perfect for: Year-round interest, containers, shady spots
An evergreen shrub with glossy leaves, Skimmia provides seasonal interest with fragrant flowers in spring and vibrant berries in autumn. It prefers partial shade and will happily sit in a pot for years with minimal care.
Great for Front Gardens: It looks neat all year.
Creating a Truly Low-Maintenance Garden
Beyond plant choice, a few smart design tweaks can reduce upkeep even further:
Mulch is Your Best Friend
Add bark, gravel, or compost mulch to suppress weeds, retain moisture, and improve soil quality – all with one job.
Keep it Simple
Fewer plant varieties means less work. Group plants with similar needs together to simplify watering and care.
Use Perennials and Evergreens
These require far less effort than annuals and bedding plants – and they come back every year.
Opt for Raised Beds and Containers
Great for accessibility, and easier to control soil, water, and weeds.
Visit Chessington Garden Centre for Expert Advice
We stock all the plants mentioned in this guide – and our friendly team is always on hand to help you create a garden that suits your lifestyle. Whether you’re redesigning your whole garden or just looking to fill a few pots, we can help you choose the right plants for your space.
Pop in to explore our full range or browse online for inspiration.
