Are you a timid gardener? Do you want to have flowerbeds but don’t know what to put where? I’ve got four plants for you that are low-maintenance, come back each year, require little water once established and, I promise, anyone can grow.

When we began our exterior home renovation five years ago, we removed the overgrown plants and started from scratch. Each year, I add a few more perennials to slowly fill the flowerbed. To help the bed feel fuller in the meantime, I added ground cover to fill in the blank spaces. It takes me years to fill my flowerbeds because “plants ain’t cheap, ya’ll”. My front beds are full sun to part shade and I’m in Missouri which is zone 6.

I initially started with a mix of creeping jenny (also known as moneywart) and ajuga (also known as buggleweed). That first year the combination was beautiful with the yellow of the creeping jenny and the dark green foliage and purple flowers on the ajuga. However, the next year the creeping jenny lived up to its name and crept over my ajuga, choking it out. Lesson learned. I still have random patches of ajuga and I love the look of the mixture. While I would recommend either as ground cover, it might be best to plant one or the other, not both.

Ajuga grows in sun or shade and is a perennial meaning it will come back year after year. It has deep green foliage and pretty purple flowers that bloom in early summer that attract butterflies and other pollinators. It is deer resistant and can be walked on without harming it.

Creeping jenny grows in sun to part-shade. The more sun it gets the more the leaves turn from green to yellow. It has tiny yellow blooms in late spring that only last a few days. It is deer resistant and tolerates light foot traffic. Because it trails, it’s also good for use in flower pots. Keep in mind, it does quickly spread (which is why I liked it for my large flowerbed).

My next tried and true perennial is liriope (otherwise known as lilyturf). It comes in solid green and variegated varieties. I have all variegated at this house and had the solid green at our old house. Once established, you can basically ignore it and it will grow just fine. It’s purple flower stalks bloom from August to September. The only maintenance is to cut the foliage back to the ground anytime from January to April to allow for the new season’s growth. Liriope are deer resistant and will grow in full shade to full sun.

I have liriope lining the front sidewalk, spread throughout the front and side flowerbeds and in the new flowerbeds around our barn. I love it.

My fourth favorite perennial is variegated vinca vine. I like to use it as filler in my flower beds. It does spread and can easily be dug up and used as a trailing plant in flower pots, as well. It is known as an invasive plant which is why I only use it in my contained flowerbeds. It grows in full to part-sun and blooms purple flowers in late spring to early summer.

Perennial plants can be low maintenance and easy to grow. Don’t be afraid to give them a try. Watching things you planted with your own two hands grow is almost like birthing your own child only with much less pain. The pride you have watching them grow is unmatched. And plants don’t talk back.