Lazy Girl Landscaping

I love to garden! I love throwing on my [amazon_textlink asin=’B071FRBJN8′ text=’gloves‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’96a1699e-5336-11e8-b6ec-f7b963a3e069′] and getting to work. I love planting, pulling [amazon_textlink asin=’B01JIRN6JW’ text=’weeds‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’835c6251-5332-11e8-84c5-41b76da96b6f’], and finding worms to put in my compost bin.

[ReviewDisclaimer]

I am not a big fan of planting over and over, especially if that work doesn’t produce something I can eat! I love my big vegetable garden, and every year I am happy to [amazon_textlink asin=’B00M11HJY6′ text=’plant‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’a6c94e6b-5336-11e8-81ee-b7fbe6f8ec63′] and work it but it has a pretty large ROI.

As beautiful as they are, you won’t catch me with pansies, petunias and geraniums. Why? Because these flowers/plants are annuals which means they complete their life cycle in one year. In short…they ain’t coming back! I’ll explain that later in the post.

To me, annual flowers mean spending a bunch of time planting, watering, weeding, and feeding all for only one year. You spend all of this time and money to enjoy them only for one or two seasons of blooming, and it’s just not worth it in my opinion.

I would rather put my money and time into planting [amazon_textlink asin=’B005RQKJAI’ text=’Perennials‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’e073820d-532d-11e8-ac99-4321a19559bd’]. Perennials bloom in the spring and summer and die off in the autumn and winter months, but come spring comes again they are back! Perennials tend to be more expensive but it’s worth it in the long run, since they will keep gracing you with their presence year after year. Most of my favorites are very low maintenance too, hence, Lazy Girl Landscaping. Here are a few landscaping tricks YOU should try.

1.) [amazon_textlink asin=’B01HEB57JQ’ text=’Dianthus‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’02fb6f62-5333-11e8-8fce-df44537f364d’].

They are, of course, Perennials. They come in a variety of styles and colors. I have two types and several different colors around my house. We have red, white, lavender, pink, and hot pink. These are super easy to grow too! Water until they are established, especially if you live somewhere hot as “you know where” in the summer.

2.) [amazon_textlink asin=’1604690607′ text=’Hosta‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’1dd277d2-5333-11e8-bfba-01a44fc9f79e’].

Love these! They get big and beautiful and usually produce a pretty purple flower. Hostas are shade lovers and do not do well in constant direct sunlight. A little sunlight is necessary for some varieties with lighter leaves. Once established, Hostas are so easy! Toss a little [amazon_textlink asin=’B001R4OJRS’ text=’fertilizer‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’6c3b40d4-5333-11e8-87ef-3d4a6606216e’] on them in the spring and you are good to go! They will keep on coming back and will eventually need to be divided, which is great because then you can transplant the ones you divide. Hosta…the plant that keeps on giving!

3.) Knock Out [amazon_textlink asin=’B07B81KH5H’ text=’Roses‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’6345acf8-5336-11e8-b543-6bd58f91b401′]. 

Basically you can plant them and forget about them. How easy is that? And they produce beautiful flowers pretty much all spring and summer. Here are mine:

4.) [amazon_textlink asin=’B01D1NF7HS’ text=’Daffodils‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’09889210-5334-11e8-be13-e990d0cbba96′].

These are easy to grow bulbs that come back every year! We have them in flower beds, between rows of trees, and around our mailbox. They like full sun or partial shade and can be divided and transplanted. If you want to feel good about your ability to garden, plant daffodils, you won’t be disappointed!

Now, hen it comes to “curb appeal” I have a rule: Anything in the front of my house must be evergreen. I don’t want dead/brown shrubs during the winter. These are my must haves: Gardenia, Azalea, Camelia.

5.) [amazon_textlink asin=’B003AR0BV8′ text=’Gardenia‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’1667e64f-5335-11e8-978d-156ca6153e9d’].

It isn’t blooming yet, but when it does, it blooms the most fragrant and beautiful white flowers. You will want to look for those in the summer months! Gardenias are perfect for around your front door.

6.) [amazon_textlink asin=’B06XHVW71N’ text=’Azaleas‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’824ae660-968a-11e8-b729-bb0eaae67966′].

They have “southern” written all over them. They come in a huge variety of colors, from white and soft colors to bright pinks and purples. They can also grow to 6 feet tall, and are very easily transplanted.

7.) [amazon_textlink asin=’B071K9XTG1′ text=’Camelia‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’9bc740ee-968a-11e8-8794-a9491f64fef5′]

The Camelia plant has rich dark green leafs and pink flowers when it blooms from fall to spring.  

All three flowering shrubs are easy to maintain once they have been established. They will look pleasing in the winter showing off their green leaves, and bursting with blooms in spring, summer, and fall.

8.) Ok, you can try *a few* annuals.

Now, I did mention having some luck with annuals, and here they are…[amazon_textlink asin=’B01K39FL5Q’ text=’Snapdragons‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’a3e3af6f-5335-11e8-9a10-6350b95bd468′].

Don’t underestimate the garden clearance section of your local Lowe’s Hardware; which is where I purchased these babies. Last spring I needed something to fill a flower bed that was tall, colorful, and cheap, and these Snapdragons came to my rescue at $0.75/tray. They looked awful and are technically annuals (which we know I’m not a fan of), but with a little [amazon_textlink asin=’1929709064′ text=’TLC‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’d9e2a022-5335-11e8-a6bb-41eb2f12f202′]

I thought I could bring them back to life…and I did!

As my luck would have it, they all came back this year! They look more beautiful than ever.  I don’t believe they will stay around for another season, but for now I am happy and grateful that I get to enjoy them again!

Stay Tuned for my vegetable garden post! I’ll be sharing all of my favorite veggies to plant, and will give some tips and tricks for making it easier!

I hope this helps those of you who are starting to explore gardening. Do you have a favorite flower/plant? I’d love to know!