Gardening Garden Plans Easiest Gardens 15 No-Fuss Garden Plans Filled with Plants That Thrive in Full Sun By Viveka Neveln Viveka Neveln Instagram Viveka Neveln is the digital garden editor at Better Homes & Gardens. Before moving to Des Moines, Iowa, for this position in 2019, she spent 14 years serving as an editor for The American Gardener magazine, published by the American Horticultural Society in Virginia. She holds a B.S. in horticulture from Iowa State University and an M.P.S. in plant pathology from Cornell. Viveka loves getting people excited about the botanical world and feels happiest with dirt under her nails. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on May 17, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Illustration by Gary Palmer Yes, your sunny garden can look beautiful without requiring a lot of maintenance. Just use one of these no-fuss garden plans that you can download for free—after a one-time registration. Each one relies on easy-care, sun-loving plants that will provide color and texture throughout the growing season. 01 of 15 Water-Wise Garden DOWNLOAD THIS PLAN Illustration by Mavis Augustine Torke You won't have to worry about dragging the hose around to water this garden during the summer. It's filled with heat- and drought-tolerant plants such as sedum, feather reed grass, and euphorbia that can withstand extended dry spells. This layered design works well as a foundation planting or in front of a fence. 02 of 15 Beautiful Heat-Tolerant Garden DOWNLOAD THIS PLAN Illustration by Mavis Augustine Torke Keep your yard looking fantastic even through heat waves with this high-impact, low-care garden plan. It features a variety of summer-blooming favorites such as salvias, irises, and zinnias. Fill a corner of your yard with this design for a big display of brightly colored flowers and foliage. 03 of 15 Colorful Curbside Garden DOWNLOAD THIS PLAN Illustration by Mavis Augustine Torke Turn the space between the street and your sidewalk into an oasis of color with fuss-free native perennials and ornamental grasses. Plants such as purple coneflower, baptisia, goldenrod, and aster will boost your yard's curb appeal with hardly any effort on your part. 04 of 15 Tough-as-Nails Perennial Garden DOWNLOAD THIS PLAN Illustration by Mavis Augustine Torke Russian sage, lavender, and catmint are sure bets for an easy-care garden. These tough plants mix with perennials to produce beautiful bursts of pink, yellow, and purple all summer long. The variety of heights makes this garden perfect for flower beds against fences. 05 of 15 Heat-Loving Flower Garden DOWNLOAD THIS PLAN Illustration by Mavis Augustine Torke Some plants shut down in hot weather. But the varieties in this design continue to shine in the baking sun, so you can enjoy a brilliant patchwork of color no matter what the weather's like. Dahlias and lilies are the backbone of this garden, offering bold blooms—they're perfect for cutting!—throughout the summer. 06 of 15 Front Yard Corner Garden DOWNLOAD THIS PLAN Illustration by Mavis Augustine Torke Banish front-yard blahs by installing this corner-fence garden of fast-growing flowers. Packed with sun-loving selections, the design features a mix of colorful annuals punctuated with just a few perennials. Cheery black-eyed Susan complements easy-care cosmos, penstemon, butterfly bush, and more in this long-blooming garden plan. 07 of 15 Small-Space, Easy-Care Sunny Garden DOWNLOAD THIS PLAN Illustration by Mavis Augustine Torke Enjoy loads of beautiful color all season long with this simple garden plan. It features no-fuss favorites such as coreopsis and purple coneflowers. This garden will thrive and bloom through even the warmest summer weather. 08 of 15 Beat-The-Heat Summer Garden DOWNLOAD THIS PLAN Illustration by Gary Palmer Even as the mercury climbs, this ultra-easy garden plan will shine all summer long. This design includes a variety of flowering perennials that don't need much care from you. Just find a sunny spot that needs some cheery color and start digging. 09 of 15 No-Fail Annual Garden DOWNLOAD THIS PLAN Illustration by Mavis Augustine Torke Annual gardens are a fun way to add brilliant color that lasts from spring to frost. In this design, a blue morning glory on a trellis or similar plant support structure in the center of the bed serves as a focal point. The rich color of its blooms are complemented and contrasted by the surrounding annual flowers. 10 of 15 Easy-Care Perennial Garden DOWNLOAD THIS PLAN Illustration by Gary Palmer Nonstop color is what this garden plan is all about, thanks to the drought-tolerant perennials in it. You'll enjoy their palette of pink, purple, yellow, and white flowers from spring to fall because when one variety finishes flowering, another takes its place. 11 of 15 Clay Soil Garden DOWNLOAD THIS PLAN Illustration by Mavis Augustine Torke Gardening in clay soil can be challenging because this type of earth drains poorly after a rain, then dries to a concrete-like surface. But this garden plan for clay soil will make it possible for you to enjoy a colorful, thriving garden, all the same. 12 of 15 Carefree Late-Summer Garden DOWNLOAD THIS PLAN Illustration by Mavis Augustine Torke Sun-loving, summer-blooming perennials keep the color coming on strong all the way through the end of the growing season in this no-fuss garden plan. Their seed heads also add some winter interest, while providing a source of food for birds that don't fly away to warmer climates. 13 of 15 Beginner Perennial Garden DOWNLOAD THIS PLAN Illustration by Mavis Augustine Torke Specially designed for beginning or time-constrained gardeners, this easy garden plan features some of the best low-care perennials you can grow. These reliable plants will come back every year and don't require a whole lot of care other than an occasional deadheading. 14 of 15 Low-Care Fall Garden DOWNLOAD THIS PLAN Illustration by Mavis Augustine Torke End your growing season with a bang with this simple garden plan. It features colorful mums, asters, and other easy-care fall favorites that start heating up as the weather cools off. Along with the beautiful flowers adding color to the landscape, this design also relies on foliage like the silvery gray of lamb's ears and the cool hues of blue fescue to brighten up the autumn scene. 15 of 15 Easy Slope Garden Plan DOWNLOAD THIS PLAN Illustration by Mavis Augustine Torke Solve a tough-to-mow slope with this easy-care garden plan. It combines colorful annuals and perennials into a gorgeous display that will bloom from spring to fall. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit