# What can I plant that's easy, colorful, and inexpensive **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 22, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032 "2010-04-22T21:18:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032/1 "2010-04-22T21:18:05Z")
I need to put down some flowers in front of my house. The previous owner put out dull plants and bushes that are not helped by being in front of a brown, brick ranch. The trouble is, I grew up in New York City and know NOTHING about plants and gardening. I haven’t killed the lawn yet in the 3 1/2 years we’ve been here, but I’m working on it. But this is for the dirt areas by the walkway and front of the house. So, what I would like is some suggestions for flowers I can put in that are: 1. Easy to plant 2. Inexpensive 3. Colorful 4. In bloom for a relatively long season (this is the Cincinnati area, so consider that) I know it’s a lot to ask, but I’m so poorly-educated on the subject that I hope there’s an obvious plant/flower out there that I just don’t know about. Thanks, from your brown-thumbed INRS! ---
**Author:** ![Rafe\_Hollister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Rafe\_Hollister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rafe_Hollister)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032/2 "2010-04-22T21:24:02Z")
Salvia, marigolds, pansies are all very easy to maintain, have lots of color all season long. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032/3 "2010-04-22T21:32:04Z")
The petunias in my garden have been flowering for something stupid like 6 months now. Pretty, too. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032/4 "2010-04-22T21:37:22Z")
1. Easy to plant 2. Inexpensive 3. Colorful 4. In bloom for a relatively long season (this is the Cincinnati area, so consider that) Dandelions You don’t say anything about you lighting. Sunny Partial Sun (morning or afternoon) Shade ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032/5 "2010-04-22T22:11:46Z")
A general rule of thumb is that if you go to one of the big-box home improvement stores, the gardening centers there will mostly be populated with cheap and easy-to-grow stuff, particularly the flats of annuals in little square pots. Wander around, see what colors appeal to you. Pansies and snapdragons come in a zillion colors and are cheap and relatively undemanding. Marigolds come in orange/yellow shades and are cheap and relatively undemanding. All 3 bloom best in full/partial sun and not very well in deep shade. Salvia, cosmos and zinnias all do great in hot summer weather - they need full sun, though. Kitchen herbs such as chives and oregano are easy to grow and smell nice - ditto the full sun thing, though. If you have shade, hostas have big, colorful leaves and are pretty tough. One more thought: look around and see what your neighbors are growing. Drive through a slightly ritzier area than yours and see what they’ve got in their front yards. Odds are, it’ll do OK in your yard, too. ---
**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032/6 "2010-04-22T22:20:35Z")
I’m a huge fan of perennials over annuals. It’s cool to see them come back each spring (and is easy to care since you’re not planting every spring). Downside is they seem to be less enthusiastic about flowering over being green. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032/7 "2010-04-22T22:22:33Z")
Impatience fit your criteria. They grow low to the ground, come in bright colors and bloom all Summer. They are suitable for partial shade. ---
**Author:** ![Perciful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032/8 "2010-04-22T23:03:27Z")
It depends on your sun. Does the front of the house get a lot of sun? I’d rip the bushes out. That look is over. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032/9 "2010-04-22T23:07:16Z")
It’s _Impatiens_, but I was going to say the same thing. As long as you have full sun at least part of the day, they are impossible to kill and flower prettily. They won’t grow in shade though. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032/10 "2010-04-22T23:08:52Z")
Yes, these will be in partial shade, except for a few I plant under a Japanese maple. Those will be in some shade 100% of the time. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032/11 "2010-04-22T23:11:55Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > It’s _Impatiens_, Oopsie. Thanks for the reminder. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032/12 "2010-04-22T23:46:49Z")
I planted a whole flower bed last year with zinnias (they do like the sun, though) and they bloomed all summer in in a riot of colors. This year I got more zinnia seeds, went out to look at the bed just a couple days ago, and it is covered with baby zinnia plants. They self-seeded, I don’t know if there’s room to plant more!.. Yeah, go to a garden center, they have everything laid out for you with signs for what likes shade, sun, how tall, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032/13 "2010-04-23T00:59:54Z")
I use marigolds for the purpose the OP describes. In the fall I save the seeds produced by the plants and replant in spring. Haven’t had to buy seeds for marigold for, oh, about 12 years now. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032/14 "2010-04-23T01:01:37Z")
I would put in perennials for the bulk of the area, and highlight it with spots of annuals that bloom so prettily for so long (the usual suspects have been named - your pansies and impatiens and geraniums). Nasturtiums are also good candidates for annuals. You extend the bloom time of your flowers by deadheading, too - pinching off spent blooms. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032/15 "2010-04-23T01:28:05Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Nasturtiums are also good candidates for annuals. You extend the bloom time of your flowers by deadheading, too - pinching off spent blooms. I got a packet of nasturtium seeds from the dollar store last year and they made for a fantabulous garden! Also, I learned that the flowers are edible (and kind of yummy). ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032/16 "2010-04-23T01:31:55Z")
Those instant mixed wildflower, mat impregnated rolls, and seed packs are pretty nice. Especially if you want something more naturalistic. Just sprinkle the se seeds or cut out the mat and water heavily, sit back, and wait. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032/17 "2010-04-23T01:36:48Z")
I’d probably go for the impatiens, maybe in a mix of colors. They’re not finicky about watering levels or much of anything else, they bloom all summer, and you can get a 6-pack at pretty much any place that sells plants for about $2. And (for me) best of all, you never have to deadhead them. Petunias are pretty, but you have to pinch off the faded blooms _constantly_–if you leave them a day or two longer than you should, they get slimy and then dry up into a brown scaly wad. It’s icky. Though if you truly want to make things easier on yourself in the long haul, you’ll mix in a few perennials. They cost more than annuals like impatiens, more in the $10-$20/plant range, but you only have to buy and plant them the once, and many types will propogate themselves. If you buy a couple a year, after a while you’ll never have to plant again. Columbines would work with your light situation, and they’re incredibly low-maintenance and spread pretty readily. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032/18 "2010-04-23T01:51:31Z")
Pansies are not going to bloom all season long in Cincinnati. They poop out when the weather gets hot. They’ll come back when the weather turns cool again. In your zone, in fact, you can probably plant them in the fall and get very early bloom. But that doesn’t help you for this year, now, does it? The “Wave” variety of petunias don’t need deadheading and bloom like crazy. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032/19 "2010-04-23T02:09:37Z")
If you have a problem with Japanese beetles, you can plant some Four O’Clocks away from your main garden as a “trap crop”, Japanese beetles _LOVE_ to eat Fours, and as an added side-benefit, they are _toxic_ to the beetles, so they land, have a snack, and fly off to die Fours look vaguely Nasturtium-esque, kind of a mix between Nasturtiums and Morning Glories (Nast. foliage, Morning Glory-esque trumpetlike flowers) ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032/20 "2010-04-23T02:14:02Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > It’s _Impatiens_, but I was going to say the same thing. As long as you have full sun at least part of the day, they are impossible to kill and flower prettily. > > They won’t grow in shade though. I thought impatiens was recommended for shady areas. I planted some on the north side of the garage – they got very little sun and they bloomed well into fall. So another recommendation for impatiens – the double variety looks like little roses. I don’t even “plant” them. I get a hanging basket (about $25 for a big basket) and sit the basket in a barrel planter. The planter has dirt in it up to the bottom of the basket, so it looks like the planter is planted, but it’s not. Me so lazy. The cool thing about impatiens is that they tell you when they want water – they’ll start to droop. Water 'em and they’ll perk right up. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-i-plant-thats-easy-colorful-and-inexpensive/537032.md?page=2)