Another Dead Plant

I love plants. I love lots of plants, but I was not blessed with a green thumb. I am pretty good at accidentally killing plants. I was looking at another blog post about hard to kill houseplants. I have killed at least two of the 14 plants on their list and I've only owned about five different types of houseplants. This is probably why I like native plants so much. I need a plant that can thrive on abuse and neglect. We have put 19 plants in our yard in the past three years, eight of them are now deceased. Some got under-watered because I am not good at dragging a hose. Some were eaten by deer. One got kicked out of the house and couldn't take the winter. And I'm still going to claim that one was depressed because our neighbor got rid of it and it just didn't like our yard. But plants are expensive and nobody wants to waist money on a plant that wont survive for even one year.  So here is my list of hard to kill plants, aka plants that even I haven't killed. 

Ornamental Grasses - We have owned Giant Miscanthus and Pony Tail Stipas among others. They settle in and grow fast, only need to be trimmed down once per year, and most don't take a lot of water. Some, like the Stipa will spread seeds and reproduce, so if you aren't into baby grasses everywhere you will either need to collect the seed plumes or put down a pre-emergent herbicide. Others, like the Feather Reed Grass will not self-propagate. Grasses offer a variety of colors, textures and sizes. They also provide year-round interest if you wait until early spring to cut them back.

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Fineline Buckthorn - I don't know why I haven't managed to kill these, but we have planted them at three different houses and they just keep surviving. They are hardy, low-maintenance and don't need a lot of water. They create a nice tall hedge, with a refined look and don't take up a lot of space.  The deer will nibble on them a little bit, but so far they are more likely to trample them than eat them. They can grow slowly, so patience is helpful.

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Creeping Thyme - We keep putting our Thyme is tough places and it just doesn't care. We used it in high traffic areas of our park strip and within a year it had filled in and was keeping the weeds back (and I didn't have to mow it). Now it sits at the base of our front steps in our stone addition to the sidewalk. It gets stepped on multiple times a day and doesn't get watered like it should. It doesn't much care. Thyme comes in a variety of colors and is considered evergreen. The Red Creeping Thyme has pink blooms in spring and turns red during the cold months, giving a nice pop of color in winter. Woolly Thyme has a lighter pink bloom and gray leaves. So you can mix the Thyme up and have a variety of interest anytime (any-Thyme) of year.

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Snowball Bush - Viburnum are actually really good plants. They come in a range of sizes and they aren't water hogs. I grew up with a large one that wanted to take over the world, but you can get them in a refined 3-4 foot size. We planted these as little tublings (twigs) and they were full bushes within two years. They can grow like weeds, so check to make sure it will fit in the space you have. They will take pruning, so you can trim them back if they get too big. Their bloom time is short, but it is quite the show. They are a tough plant that can take a fair amount of neglect.

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Shasta Daisy - A vigorous and unassuming perennial. They will bloom throughout the summer and only need to be cut back in fall. They don't even need to be dead-headed. We put a little one of these in our yard this year. Our neighbor pulled it out of her yard and left it on the street for dead. I put it in the ground the next day. It gets some water from the lawn sprinklers and anything that drips off of the roof. Still, it set root and was blooming again within a month. There are several to choose from with differing bloom sizes and plant sizes. 

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