Great-looking, low-maintenance landscaping doesn't have to be a lot of work. When you pick the right outdoor plants, you can enjoy a practically carefree yard filled with color from spring to fall. We've pulled together a group of easy maintenance perennials for Colorado and the other states of the Mountain West region. These perennials are old-fashioned favorites—you may see them continue to thrive in yards where no one's cared for them in years. So grow them for the most beautiful yard in your neighborhood.
Rocky Mountain Columbine
Late spring to midsummer means Rocky Mountain columbine time in the garden! These wildflowers add a graceful touch of blue to the landscape and require almost no maintenance. They're also deer-resistant and a cut flower that's great for containers.
Plant Name:Aquilegia caerulea
Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 2 feet tall and wide
Grow It With: Try the slender flowers of dainty shade lover lily-of-the-valley for a pretty pairing in your no-maintenance garden
Zones: 4-7
Liatris
The spikes of liatris tower above most other plants, but their vertical growth adds unique summer beauty for garden growth and cuttings. Also called blazing star, these plants are deer resistant, low maintenance, drought tolerant, and attract birds and butterflies to your garden.
Plant Name:Liatris spicata
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 5 feet tall and 2 feet wide
Grow It With: Butterflies and bees love liatris and coneflower; pair the two for a stunning combo
Zones: 4-9
Purple Coneflower
These low-maintenance perennials are as charming as they are tough. You can plant purple coneflower in virtually any sunny spot, and it'll bloom all summer and fall. Plus, purple coneflower's daisy-shape blooms look great in any design style, especially cottage gardens.
Plant Name:Echinacea purpurea
Growing Conditions: Rich soil, full sun, will tolerate some shade
Size: To 4 feet tall and wide
Grow It With: Add contrasting color with yellow yarrow
Zones: 3-9
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Sedum
Sedums are super versatile plants: They offer several colors and textures. Almost all are tough garden plants that take heat and drought well. Try mixing them together; tall 'Matrona' looks excellent over a carpet of 'Dragon's Blood,' for example. This combo's rich purple foliage will create oohs and aahs from garden guests all summer.
Plant Name:Sedum selections
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 2 feet tall and wide
Grow It With: Use hens and chicks for foliage that adds even more texture
Zones: 3-8
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Russian Sage
The leaves and blooms of Russian sage look delicate, but this vigorous grower adds fragrance and pretty late-summer to early-autumn flowers. We love the soft shades of silver and lavender in late summer from this plant when the garden is usually awash in shades of gold and red.
Plant Name:Perovskia atriplicifolia
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 4 feet tall and wide
Grow It With: Try the tiny pink flowers of a plant such as mallow in contrast to the tall, loose sage flowers
Zones: 5-9
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Shasta Daisy
Add cheer and charm to your landscape with shasta daisy. These fast-spreading plants bloom in late spring and early summer and are perfect for holding down a sunny slope or cutting and using a simple vase. This drought-tolerant plant attracts birds to your garden with almost no maintenance.
Plant Name:Leucanthemum_ x _superbum
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide
Grow It With: Try a casual plant, such as meadow buttercup, for casual appeal in your garden
Zones: 3-8
Fireweed
Create drama and excitement in your landscape with fireweed's spikes of glowing pink flowers from midsummer to early fall. Give this perennial room to roam, though: It's a fast spreader. Because it grows fast, you'll have plenty of blooms to enjoy in the garden and to cut and use in the house.
Plant Name:Epilobium angustifolium
Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 5 feet tall and 1 foot wide
Grow It With: Consider a shrubby plant such as burning bush for structure and contrast to add to your low-maintenance garden
Zones: 3-7
Rocky Mountain Penstemon
Every summer, these rugged, low-maintenance perennials bring on the butterflies and hummingbirds with their spires of purple-blue blooms that can continue to appear for more than a month. These slow spreaders eventually form impressive clumps—so it's extra easy to divide and share Rocky Mountain penstemon with gardening friends.
Plant Name:Penstemon strictus
Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide
Grow It With: Match with another vigorous grower, such as the sprawling flowers of poppy mallow
Zones: 3-8
Dianthus
There are hundreds of types of dianthus available. While they vary in color, texture, and size, you can count on them all to add great scents to your garden with little to no maintenance. Plant a handful of different varieties, and you can enjoy their charming flowers all spring and summer!
Plant Name:Dianthus chinensis
Growing Conditions: Full sun, well-drained, neutral soil
Size: To 2 feet tall and wide
Grow It With: Give dianthus height with the spiky blooms of liatris
Zones: 9-11
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Poppy Mallow
Hot, dry conditions don't bother poppy mallow. These perennials create a cushion of color all spring and into summer. The charming flowers look like miniature hibiscus in glowing pink, purple, and white shades. They are a distinctive groundcover to grace those spots in the landscape where most outdoor plants fail.
Plant Name:Callirhoe involucrata
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 1 foot tall and 2 feet wide
Grow It With: Try the long, contrasting foliage and bloom shape of plants such as daylilies
Zones: 4-6
