Best Plants for Gardening Beginners

Published On: Apr 11, 2022
Updated On: Sep 24, 2026
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Gardening is a wonderful way to get outside, take advantage of the beautiful weather and stay active. Seeing the fruits of your labor grow into colorful flowers and foods is enough to turn anyone into a gardener for life.

Gardening, though rewarding and fun, is in no way simple. Whether it’s finding plants that thrive in your soil type or determining the best placement and watering needs for each plant, there’s always work to be done to plan out and care for your dream garden.

For you beginner gardeners, it can be difficult to even know where to begin! To help out, the Garden Goods Direct team has compiled a list of what we believe are the best garden plants for beginners.

You don’t have to be an expert to grow gorgeous flowers and delicious produce. By following a few simple guidelines and selecting hardy, low-maintenance plants, you’ll have a green thumb and a garden to be proud of in no time.

What Are the Benefits of Gardening?

Before we dive into our favorite easy-care, beginner-friendly garden shrubs and perennials, we want to briefly discuss why you may even want to start a garden in the first place! There are so many benefits to growing and tending to a garden that you may have never realized!

From bettering your mental health to improving your physical well-being, all the way down to protecting and contributing to your local ecosystem, gardening is way more than just a hobby. It is a lifestyle.

Best of all, you don’t have to be an expert to reap the benefits. Gardening isn’t a matter of expertise— it’s a matter of getting outside and working with the earth. While gardeners who have been doing this for a while also experience long-term positive effects, brand new gardeners will be able to appreciate the wonderful benefits of gardening just the same.

How to Determine a Good Beginner Plant

You've got your garden plot, the soil is set, and you're ready to start planting. But what plants are good for beginners? What if you get a plant that's difficult, time-consuming, and stressful?

Once again, some preliminary research will help you in your goals of having a garden with beginner-friendly plants. Luckily, many beautiful flowers and delicious vegetables are easy to care for and not too labor-intensive.

You don’t need to be an expert to grow and enjoy a flourishing outdoor oasis of color, lush foliage, and abundant blooms. There are plenty of beginner perennials and yard shrubs available to new gardeners so they can grow a successful and rewarding garden with little prep or prior plant knowledge.

• Sunlight requirements: Choose plants that aren’t too specific about how much sunlight and shade they should get. Depending on where your garden is located, you’ll need to determine a plant’s light requirements and decide whether the space is sufficient.
  Luckily, many plants are readily adaptable to less-than-ideal circumstances; even if you don’t have the perfect lighting, your landscape plants will likely be able to adapt and survive.
• Water requirements: Look for plants that don’t need constant attention and don't require regular watering. For most, regular rainfall, paired with occasional help from the watering can, will be enough once they are established.
  Avoid growing plants that require a strict watering schedule, as they may wilt and die if you go on vacation for a few days. A plant with strong drought tolerance will easily help you gain confidence as a beginner gardener.
• Maintenance: While some garden plants are happy in a range of climates and soils, others have specific care instructions to keep them alive and blooming. Fill your garden with less demanding plants that won't take up all your time and effort.

Shrubs For Beginners

Non-flowering shrubs are a great way to add seasonal color to your garden without waiting for a plant's bloom cycle. Whether it's ideal conditions of moderate rain and warm temperatures in early spring, or it's frigid and harsh in the dreaded months of winter, these hardy evergreen shrubs can withstand the elements and keep your yard looking alive and beautiful year-round.

Boxwood and Holly shrubs work great in commercial spaces and residential zones alike, since you can essentially paint the area in low-maintenance color. As evergreen shrubs, these easy garden plants will stay green and happy year-round with little to no maintenance.

Additionally, some great low-maintenance, evergreen shrubs that make for a great backdrop to your flowering garden include Skip Cherry Laurel bushes and Euonymus shrubs. The Silver King Euonymus shrub is a great option for those looking to add a little flair and stray from plain green yard shrubs.

Spice up a boring landscape by adding these easy-care evergreen shrubs. The shrubs also look great in mixed borders and as backdrops to your colorful yard plants.

In addition to these hardy non-flowering shrub options for beginners, there are some magnificent and flourishing flowering shrubs to consider adding to your garden this spring!

If you want a little more flair without all the work, some great and easy-to-grow flowering shrubs include Winter Heather, Viburnum, Forsythia, and Butterfly Bushes!

For a bolder statement, go with the bright Pink Winter Heather or the warm tones of the Lynwood Gold Forsythia. If you're looking for more subtle beauty, opt for Viburnum and Itea.

These shrubs will all bring color and beauty to a landscape, but won’t have you constantly stressing over their care needs, watering schedules, and light requirements. These shrubs are easily adaptable, fairly drought-tolerant, and hardy to the elements.

Perennials For Beginners

Flowers that are perfect for beginners are low-maintenance and can thrive in either sunny or partially shaded spots that many others cannot. Additionally, hardy perennials can handle a wide range of soil types and are usually drought-tolerant.

In other words, flowers that are nearly impossible to kill are our favorite choices for those just entering the garden world. There is a wide variety of low-maintenance, high-reward perennials that will easily bring beauty, fragrance, and life to your yard.

Some of our favorite easy-care, sun-loving perennials for beginners include Lirope, Daylilies, Coneflowers (Echinacea), and Coreopsis. These stunning perennials bring bold color, fragrance, and beauty to a garden and can tolerate conditions of full sun. They work on a wide variety of sunny garden projects, including container gardens, mixed perennial plantings, and flowerbeds.

When choosing an easy-care perennial for your yard, our number one tip is to choose plants native to your area! Ultimately, native plants are the easiest to care for and best equipped to survive in your specific climate.

Many times, those with shaded yards may feel their gardening opportunities are limited because the sun often seems like a necessity for gardening. However, when it comes to easy-to-grow shade-loving perennials we recommend for beginners, there are still so many beautiful blooming plants to choose from!

Our favorite low-maintenance, shade-loving perennials include Hosta, Lobelia, Hellebores, and Dicentra. Each of these shade perennial plants brings a unique and beautiful element to a garden while also boasting extremely easy care!

A fan favorite and a perfect choice for beginners in the garden is the exotic and mystical Bleeding Heart Dicentra! Boasting the most unique heart-shaped blooms and a laidback care regimen, your garden will surely be the talk of the town.

Plant some of these shade-tolerant plants in your yard this season and watch as your landscape transforms into a flowering oasis of life and color!

Shop Garden Goods Direct

Whether you are just looking for a few yard staples to incorporate into your yard this year or you’re looking to become a full-fledged garden design professional, the GGD team is here to help! Gardening planning just got that much easier.

As a one-stop shop for all your gardening needs, we’re ready to help you get started on growing the garden you want. Whether it’s shrubs, perennials, trees, or garden supplies, we’ve got it and can have it conveniently delivered to your door!

Still intimidated? That’s okay! Know that we have your back and are ready to help you grow the garden of your dreams. Feel free to contact us regarding any questions or concerns regarding your garden needs!