For Labor Day, here is a list of easy-care plants that produce great rewards but require little labor. All are suitable for planting now throughout South Carolina, except as noted.
Small trees
- Crepe myrtle
- Chaste tree (vitex)
- Japanese maple
Small trees are underappreciated and not used enough in home landscapes. On any drive around Charleston you can find live oaks planted in spots that will be too small for the trees in 20 years. According to “The New Southern Living Garden Book” (Oxmoor House, 2015), small trees are those that grow up to reach 3 feet tall and wide.
Crepe myrtle and chaste tree need full sun to bloom well, but they will bloom in partial sun, that is, in spots that receive more sun than shade.
It is often recommended that crepe myrtles should be purchased when they are blooming so the buyer can pick the shade of pink or lavender they want. Another reason to purchase blooming plants is to make sure that the flowers on all trunks are the same color. Multiple-trunked crepe myrtles are actually several individual trees in the same pot. My three-trunk white crepe myrtle had one lavender trunk, which I removed.
Japanese maples are happiest in partly sunnny to partly shady spots without direct afternoon sun. In my experience, Japanese maples are hardier than their reputation implies. Both of my trees established easily and have had no problems in the past 20 years.
Perennials for moist areas
- Red ginger ‘Disney’ (Hedychium coccineum) (Midlands and Lowcountry)
- Crinum ‘Ellen Bosanquet’ or hardy crinum (C. bulbispermum)
- Bog sage
Homeowners with drainage easements at the back of their lots have a perfect spot for moisture-loving perennials. Although the drainage easement must not be obstructed, these perennials can be planted at the back of the yard in front of the easement. These perennials tolerate up to 24 hours of flooding after downpours or hurricanes.
Among the many gingers and crinums available, these cultivars are hardy and widely available. ‘Ellen Bosanquet’ and C. bulbispermum are among the most reliably blooming crinums I have. Red ginger and bog sage feed hummingbirds.
Bulbs
- Daffodil
- Hardy amaryllis (St. Joseph’s lily)
- Spanish bluebell ‘Excelsior’
Bulbs are the ultimate minimalist gardening plants. Plant the right ones once, and they will bloom for years if not decades.
The best daffodils for poorly drained Lowcountry soils are ‘Ice Follies’ and ‘Ceylon’ large-flowered daffodils, ‘Tete-a-Tete’ miniature daffodil, and ‘Geranium’ narcissus, which has smaller, white petals with a shorter cup than a daffodil.
Hardy amaryllis and Spanish bluebell bloom a bit later than most daffodils.
Shrubs for partial shade
- Mahonia ‘Soft Caress’
- Dwarf southern yew
- Nandina ‘Harbor Belle’
Shrubs are often planted near trees or along the house as a foundation planting. Both spots likely have more shade than sun. Several small shrubs, less than 3 feet tall, prefer part shady spots.
‘Soft Caress’ has bright yellow flowers in the fall. ‘Harbor Belle’ has typical nandina flowers and fruit.
Ferns
- Holly fern (Cyrtomium falcatum)
- Autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora)
- Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)
Ferns are an easy choice for a shady, moist spot that needs something green that’s not grass. Holly and Christmas ferns are evergreen, at least in the lower half of the state, but autumn fern is deciduous.
Christmas fern is native. All three ferns are somewhat drought-tolerant if planted in soil that holds some moisture.
Pots: Tender perennials
- Geranium
- Dwarf mandevilla
- Chinese hibiscus
Plants in outdoor pots may not qualify as low effort, because watering them during the summer can be a demanding task. Tropical plants, like hibiscus and mandevilla, must be carted indoors on cold nights during the winter. However, they richly reward these efforts by blooming regularly.
These three perennials are my favorite potted plants. I was happy to see my geraniums blooming again last week after their summer rest, although I’m surprised they decided it was cool enough already to resume flowering.
Mandevilla needs full sun to bloom. Hibiscus will bloom in partial sun or even partial shade but not as prolifically as in sun.
Geraniums need shelter from afternoon summer sun.
Although no plants are “carefree,” plants like the ones listed provide much satisfaction with minimal labor.
