Low Maintenance Plants

One of the easiest ways to maintain an appealing landscape is to plant low maintenance plants. As all Minnesotans know, weather here can be challenging and extreme, and choosing the right plant can make a huge difference for your yard and garden. Here is a list of tried and true plants for landscapers in the Twin Cities.

Deciduous Trees


Crabapple, Spring Snow

A fruitless variety. Heat tolerant. The pink buds open to fragrant white flowers in spring. Shiny bright green leaves turn yellow in fall.

Size: 25-30′ x 15-18Full sun

Dogwood, Pagoda

Fragrant, pale yellow flowers in May are followed by blue-black fruit. Green leaves turn a beautiful maroon red in the fall. Native.

Size: 15-20′ x 20-25′Part shade

Elm, Princeton

Dark green leaves turn a rich golden yellow in the fall. It is very hardy and extremely adaptable. Fast growing and disease resistant.

Size: 60′ x 40′Location: Sun

Ginkgo, Autumn Gold

Fan shaped leaves are medium green to yellow green and taper into stems. Bright golden yellow fall color. Slow growing and long living. Fruitless.

Size: 50′ x 30′Sun

Hydrangea Trees

Easy to grow and adapt well to various conditions. Feature a multi-branched canopy of foliage, producing large, showy flower clusters.

Size: 8′ x 6′Sun to part shade

Lilac, Dwarf Korean

A compact, round globe grafted onto a standard. Very fragrant, pale violet flowers are abundant from late May into June with dark green foliage.

Size: 6-8′ x 5-6′Sun

Lilac, Ivory Silk

Large, fragrant, creamy white flower clusters bloom in mid-June to mid-July. Dark green foliage & cherry-like bark for seasons of interest.

Size: 25′ x 15′Sun

Oak, Prairie Stature

A hybrid cross of English and Bur oak with a pyramidal growth habit. A dense crown of glossy green foliage that has a reddish fall color.

Size: 40′ x 30-35′Sun

Evergreen Trees


Arborvitae, Hetz Mini

Low, compact globe with dense, rich green needles that are arranged in flat layered sprays. Very adaptable, tough and durable.

Size: 2-3′ x 2-3′Sun to part shade

Arborvitae, North Pole

Tight, columnar growth habit with dark green foliage that is resistant to winter burn. Cold hardy and low maintenance.

Size: 12′ x 5′Sun to part shade

Juniper, Gray Owl

Feathery textured foliage is a smoky blue-gray and holds its color well in winter. Produces an abundance of silvery berries.

Size: 2′ x 4′Sun

Pine, Norway (Red)

Red colored bark. Sharply pointed needles are yellow-green to dark-green, bundles of two, and brittle. Native; state tree of MN.

Size: 60-70′ x 30-40′Sun to part shade

Pine, Tannenbaum

It maintains its lower branches and retains its attractive dark green color all year long. Very cold hardy.

Size: 10-12′ x 4-6′Sun

Spruce, Norway

Needles are deep green and four sided. Established trees are drought tolerant and deer resistant.

Size: 60′ x 25-30′Sun

Spruce, Weeping Norway

The shape varies from tree to tree. Dark green needles year round. Drought tolerant.

Size: 5-12′ x 4-6′Sun

Deciduous Shrubs


Barberry, Crimson Pygmy

Dwarf, compact mound with reddish-purple foliage that turns orange-scarlet in the fall. Small yellow flowers are followed by red berries.

Size: 2′ x 2-3′Sun

Chokeberry, Lowscape Mound

Low growing mound with white flower clusters in spring followed by purple black fruit in summer. Dark glossy green foliage turns red in the fall.

Size: 1-2′ x 2′Sun to part shade

Clethra, Ruby Spice

Bright rose-pink flowers on 4” spikes bloom for weeks in the summer on an upright, mounded form. Blue-green leaves turn yellow in the fall.

Size: 3-5′ x 3-4′Sun to part shade

Hydrangea, Bobo

Dwarf, rounded habit with green foliage. Sturdy stems hold large white blooms in July, turning blush pink in fall. Adaptable to many soils.

Size: 3′ x 3-4′Sun to part shade

Hydrangea, Little Quickfire

More compact form with flowers that emerge bright white & darken from pink & then to red as they age. Earlier, longer bloom time (June-fall).

Size: 3-5′ x 3-5′Sun to part shade

Ninebark, Little Devil

White-pink flowers in June adorn the upright spreading branches & dark foliage. Stems glow red, leaves turn green on the interior of the plant.

Size: 3-4′ x 3-4′Sun

Sorbaria, Sem

Compact mound of pinkish-red, fern-like spring foliage that unfurls along deep pink stems. In summer blooms large, creamy white flower plumes.

Size: 4′ x 4′Sun to part shade

Spirea, Double Play Candy Corn

Low mound with bright red new growth that turns gold & yellow with orange highlights as it matures. Red-violet flowers in spring & summer.

Size: 2′ x 2′Sun to part shade

Viburnum, Compact American

White, flat-topped flower clusters bloom in June and are followed by bright red berries. Fiery red fall color.

Size: 5-6′ x 5-6′Sun to part shade

Perennials


Aquilegia (Columbine)

Graceful, elegant clump or mound. Green, lacy foliage. Flowers from May to June. Flowers are highly attractive to hummingbirds.

Size: 14-16″ x 12-18″Part sun to shade

Astilbe

Flowers are feathery panicles of various sizes and bloom early to late summer. Most are held well above dark green compound leaves.

Size: 18-24″ x 18-24″Part sun to shade

Calamagrostis, Karl Foerster

Pink flowers mature to golden-brown seed heads from June through fall. Upright, arching clumps of green foliage turns golden yellow in the fall.

Size: 36″ x 18″Sun to part shade

Echinacea, Magnus

Large, deep rose, daisy-like flowers bloom from June through August. Rough, green foliage
has upright habit. Very cold hardy.

Size: 36″ x 18-24″Sun to part shade

Hemerocallis (daylily)

Trumpet-shaped flowers on strong stalks are borne above narrow, green foliage growing in clumps in summer to fall, many reblooming.

Size: 18-24″ x 18-24″Sun to part shade

Hosta

Long-lived plant grown primarily for its foliage. Bell-shaped flowers bloom in summer on long stalks are held above the foliage.

Size: 12-36″ x 12-48″Part sun to shade

Nepeta, Walkers Low

Lavender-blue flower spikes bloom from June through September. Mint-scented, gray-green foliage has an upright, mounded growth habit.

Size: 18-24″ x 24″Sun to part shade

Phlox Subulata (Creeping Phlox)

Creeping, mat-forming growth. Small, star-shaped flowers bloom in spring, cover mats of needle-like evergreen foliage.

Size: 4-6″ x 12-18″Sun

Phlox Paniculata (Garden Phlox)

Star-shaped flowers bloom in late summer to fall and grow in large clusters above green lanceolate leaves.

Size: 12-18″ x 12-18″Sun to part shade

Rudbeckia, Goldsturm

Green, rough textured foliage has an upright habit & is topped with golden yellow, daisy-like flowers with a black cone from July through Sept.

Size: 24″ x 18-24″Sun to part shade

Sedum, Autumn Joy

Pink flowers bloom from August through Sept. and turn a rusty bronze color as they age. Gray-green succulent foliage has an upright habit.

Size: 18″ x 18″Sun to part shade