5 Low-Maintenance Plants That Keep On Blooming Without Deadheading

A glorious garden can take a lot of work: weeding, primping and pruning.

While the likes of dahlias, roses, zinnias and gardenias may require a lot of effort when it comes to deadheading, there are other varieties to opt for that require none at all.

Here's what to grow if you're after no-fuss flowers that keep on blooming – no deadheading required...

Torenia

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This compact, tender, bushy annual has toothed, pale green foliage

Favoured for their long flowering period from summer to autumn, this wishbone flower is considered 'self-cleaning' so doesn't require deadheading: spent flowers fall on their own.

Although it loves a sunny spot, torenia will grow in partial shade, too. A great option for hanging baskets, window boxes, shady patio pots, edging the front of borders or filling gaps under taller container plants.

Begonias

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Begonias are popular perennial loved for their lush foliage and vibrant, continuous blooms from late spring to the first frosts

This perennial may not be popular with Monty Don, but it's a great option for fuss-free flowers from late spring until the first frosts of the year. Begonias – which come in shades of pink, red, orange, yellow and white – are especially useful in pots, hanging baskets, window boxes and shady corners.

They like moist but free-draining compost and most prefer part shade rather than harsh, hot sun. Feed container-grown begonias every couple of weeks in summer to keep them blooming well. A quick tidy-up now and then is fine, but they are a brilliant choice if you want colour without constant deadheading.

Shrub roses

close up of pink roses blooming in ornamental garden

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Shrub roses are a low-maintenance alternative to formal roses

Who doesn't love an iconic rose? Well, this variety is low-maintenance, disease-resistant and repeat-blooming: perfect for hedging, ground cover, or mixed borders, offering continuous colour from summer to autumn with minimal care.

Great for a cottage-garden feel, this old-fashioned type is ideal in a wild garden or towards the back of a large border, planted in isolation, or as informal hedging.

Plant them in sunny, open spots with fertile, free-draining soil. Water well while they establish, mulch in spring, and prune lightly in late winter or early spring to keep them healthy and shapely.

Geum

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This pretty buttercup lookalike flowers from spring through summer

Geums are cheerful, easy-going perennials that bring a lovely cottage-garden feel to borders (they are also everywhere at Chelsea Flower Show this year). They flower from late spring into summer, often in warm shades of orange, apricot, yellow, red and soft pink, with airy blooms held on wiry stems above neat clumps of foliage.

They’re a good low-maintenance choice because many varieties will keep producing flowers over a long period without needing constant deadheading. Removing spent stems can make them look tidier and may encourage extra blooms, but it isn’t essential in the same way it can be with fussier bedding plants.

Angelonia

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This tall spired flower is also known as a summer snapdragon

Get more bang for your back with angelonia, also known as summer snapdragon, which flowers from spring through to autumn: a slightly more unusual choice that gives lots of flower without much fuss. It produces upright spires of small, snapdragon-like blooms in shades of purple, mauve, pink, white and blue, and looks lovely in containers, sunny borders and mixed summer displays.

Angelonia likes a sunny, sheltered spot and free-draining compost or soil. It is also more tolerant of heat and short dry spells than many softer bedding plants, so it is useful for pots and patios in warm summers.