What can I grow?

HI Sandra - I would out in a few knock out roses. No care. They can get as tall as 5 foot tall. Very colorful all summer.

Daisies?

Hello Sandra, Can you please tell us your location, that might impact the suggestions we can offer. Some plants are annuals in certain climates but last in others.

Tiger lilies or some other variety of lilies.

I second the knock out roses, as they're easy to care for. Hydrangeas are also beautiful and low maintenance, but you'll want to check with your local nursery for the best varieties for your area. Good luck!

Part of the answer to your question is do you want a shrub or just a perennial flower. I love the Tall Phlox that I have planted in my front yard. It blooms profusely and if you want to prolong its bloom, you can take a shrub trimmer (just to make it easy) & just cut off all the old flowers and it will bloom again. It seeds and continually replenishes itself, but it is not noxious in it's spread. Seeds just drop. Another thing that I have truly enjoyed has been the Domestic Morning Glory. It too replenishes itself with seeds that drop and don't seem to spread far & wide as some things do. They don't seem to attract birds for food so the birds are not spreading them either. Unlike the virginia creeper. The birds like the berries from the virginia creeper & they are spread all over and can literally take over your yard. I have on on my fence row that the birds planted and I have been trying to get rid of it for many years because it is taking over everything! Now I am moving away from it & I hope that no one plants one close enough to me that the birds carry them to my yard again!

For a shrub, I do love roses, but even if they don't need a lot of care, they do need some and they have thorns that can become undesirable if you are having to trim it back. A climber that I have and have thoroughly enjoyed, is a clematis. It needs it's roots shaded and I found that rocks on top of the root ball, is perfect and it will climb and bloom beautifully. Some are more prolific than others. They do need something on which to climb. I also like the Daylily. They take very little care, don't require staking and they come back every year. Some now bloom twice, so that is an added benefit. I am also getting older and trying to make my yard beautiful without a lot of work that I am not able to do anymore. That is the reason that I have made choices like these.

If you have deer, they'll eat the day lilies, so keep that in mind. Also, I didn't see whether the area down by your shed is sunny or shady. Assuming sun, I'd plant perennials like Echinacea (coneflowers), tickseed (coreopsis), black eyed susans (rudbecka), and daisies, with a shrub or two like red twig dogwood, which looks awesome against winter's snow and perhaps some pussy willows and witch hazel for spring bloom. You could also plant forsythia, but that is very aggressive and would eventually push out your other plants unless you keep it cut back. Lilac is another lovely bush and some of the newer varieties bloom all summer. Hydrangea comes in several colors these days and bloom all summer. Plus you can cut blooms and bring them indoors to dry and keep inside all winter, which is a nice treat. Phlox is a good choice and, as one writer said, will self-seed nicely.

If your garden area will be in shade, please let us know and we can give you some other ideas.

This is very dependent upon your specific area. Deer in SW PA eat hydrangeas, daylilies, phlox, and red twig dogwood. There are smaller varieties of lilac, as well as the older, taller varieties that would need some occasional pruning. Cleome, once planted, usually reseeds itself.

Butterfly bush grows tall, if you have enough sun, and can be cut back in late winter. There are new, smaller varieties of forsythia that are much more controlled in growth than older varities.

You should contact your local county extension agent who will provide you with free information for your specific growing conditions and your desire to reduce constant maintenance.

If you are in area that stays above 0 degrees f. try crape myrtle (maybe a dwarf variety.)

Iris is a beautiful plant that spreads and minimal care. Hydrangeas would also work and bloom for a long time.