14 low maintenance perennials that actually require almost no work

The most reliably low-maintenance perennials are ornamental grasses (switchgrass, blue oat grass), native prairie plants (coneflower, black-eyed Susan, catmint), and structural perennials (sedum, baptisia, hellebore). These plants don't need babysitting. The actual work is instal

"Low maintenance" is one of the most abused phrases in gardening writing. It gets attached to plants that still need annual deadheading, require division every other year, are prone to mildew, or simply die out after three seasons and need replacement.

This list applies stricter criteria: to be included, a plant must require no routine deadheading, need division no more than every 4—5 years, tolerate at least a moderate dry spell once established, and have a multi-year track record in zone 5—8 gardens. Most are native to North America. Many are deer-resistant.

1. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)

Zones 4—9. Native to eastern North America. Full sun; tolerates wet soil, drought, clay, and sandy soil. 3—6 feet tall. Cut to 4—6 inches in late winter; that's essentially the only maintenance required.

I grow switchgrass along the back of one of my Long Island borders. Per Penn State Extension, this is one of the toughest native ornamental plants available for the eastern US — it's adapted to the full range of mid-Atlantic soil conditions and requires no fertilizer, no irrigation after establishment, and no division for decades. The feathery plumes appear in late summer and persist through winter. 'Shenandoah' turns vivid red-burgundy in fall; 'Heavy Metal' stays stiffly upright (important in exposed sites).