9 Beautiful Easy-care Plants

Sunset Magazine

Up the serenity in your own garden room with these easy-care, low-water plants.


Everything is magic
Everything is magic


Magical outdoor room

"Everything about this garden is magical," says designer Vera Gates of Liz and Chris Dressel's hillside hideaway in Woodside, California. "The light is magical. So are the plantings around the native oak." Thoughts of yard work won't break the spell here: These plants are all low-water and easy-care. A decomposed-granite patio means no lawn to mow. And the chairs around the portable firepit? Bewitching. "Guests just want to recline in them and enjoy the view. No one ever wants to leave. Design: Vera Gates and Scott Yarnell, Arterra Landscape Architects, San Francisco (arterrallp.com).
More on creating outdoor rooms

Read on to get info on the 9 beautiful plants on display, and then plant your own magical outdoor sanctuary.


A great border accent
A great border accent


Santa Barbara daisy

(Erigeron karvinskianus)
The tiny white and pink flowers make a great border accent when planted in the forefront of tall grasses.


Adds lightness and motion
Adds lightness and motion


Mexican feather grass

(Stipa tenuissima)
These clump-forming grasses produce large, open, airy inflorescences that can add lightness and motion to the garden.


An aromatic variety
An aromatic variety


French lavender

(Lavandula dentata)
This aromatic variety of lavender is lovely when used as informal hedge or edging.
More sweet-smelling garden favorites


Lots of trumpet-shaped blooms
Lots of trumpet-shaped blooms


Beard tongue

(Penstemon)
This bushy plant is fairly short lived, but to make up for it, it produces lots of trumpet-shaped blooms over a long period. Deep purple 'Midnight' is a standout for its vivid hue.


Small, fragrant blossoms
Small, fragrant blossoms


Butterfly bush

(Buddleja davidii)
These small, fragrant blossoms grow in spikelike clusters and attract butterflies to your garden.
Bringing pollinators to your garden


Makes a good garden focal point
Makes a good garden focal point


New Zealand flax

(Phormium)
This dramatic plant with fanning evergreen leaves makes a good garden focal point. It provides year-round color, which intensifies in cool weather.


Great for a low-water garden
Great for a low-water garden


Hedge lavender

(Lavandula x intermedia 'Grosso')
Like other varieties of lavender, this will succeed in cool coastal or mountain climates or inland valleys and deserts--essentially a great pick for a low-water garden.
More drought-tolerant plants


Grow for foliage effect
Grow for foliage effect


Carex divulsa

(Sold as Carex tumulicola)
This ornamental grass is a lovely choice to grow for foliage effect.


Small, pungent leaves
Small, pungent leaves


Common thyme

(Thymus vulgaris)
The herb's small, pungent leaves grow on stems up to 1 foot tall, yielding white to lilac flowers, making it a good choice for low edging.

Not sure what to plant? Consult our Plant Finder to see if a crop will grow well in your climate zone. And if you're not sure of your climate zone, look it up here.