Complete Beginner’s Guide To Gardening! Easy Plans & Plants
Starting your first garden can be exciting, but choosing the right plants is key to your success. The best plants for beginners are low-maintenance, resilient, and thrive with minimal care. Some of the easiest options include colorful perennials, hardy shrubs, and small trees that come back year after year. By selecting the right plants and following a few basic care tips, you'll set yourself up for a thriving garden in no time.
In this guide, Nature Hills will introduce you to beginner-friendly plants, shrubs, and trees and share simple care tips from the ground up to help you build a healthy, beautiful garden with confidence.
Take Baby Steps: Rome Wasn't Built in a Day
Gardening is a journey, not a race. You don't have to transform your entire yard overnight. It's okay to start small and build your garden one step at a time.
In fact, taking a gradual approach often leads to better results and a less overwhelming experience!
How To Start Small and Grow Over Time
Here's a step-by-step guide to help you gradually create the garden of your dreams:
- Start with a Plan
- Measure and sketch out your space. Decide where you want to add flowers, shrubs, or trees.
- Consider sunlight and soil conditions in each area to determine what plants will thrive.
- Find your Growing Zone – this will help narrow down what plants can grow in your garden.
- Prioritize one section at a time – focus on a small bed or corner of your yard first.
- Remember to consider the mature height and width of your plant selections when planning!
- Talk with green-thumb friends, family, neighbors, and your local County Extension Office for help!
- Get ahold of your local Diggers Hotline to know if you can plant safely!
- Pick a Few Beginner Plants
- Choose 3-5 easy-care perennials, a couple of shrubs, or a small tree.
- For a low-maintenance start, try plants like Black-Eyed Susan, Catmint, Hydrangea, or Redbud trees.
- Avoid overly complicated or high-maintenance plants at the beginning.
- Prepare the Soil
- Remove weeds and loosen the soil in your planting area.
- Mix in compost or organic matter to improve drainage and add nutrients.
- Plant and Mulch
- Follow planting instructions for each plant.
- Add a 3-4 inch layer of mulch around your plants, spread out evenly over the soil surface to conserve moisture and reduce weeds.
- Water and Watch
- Check daily and water your new plants regularly until they establish roots.
- Check on your garden weekly, pulling weeds and keeping an eye out for pests or signs of stress.
- Keep Up With The Weeds
- Keep weeds in check by regular pulling and weed control.
- Mulch is your best friend and cover crops help control weeds large scale.
- Have The Right Tools
- Using the right tool for the job saves you time and money.
- Keep your tools sharp and clean to make them last longer
- Sterilize your tools to prevent spreading disease and fungus from plant to plant
- Expand Slowly
- Once your first section is thriving, add more plants, shrubs, or another garden bed.
- Incorporate containers, vines on a trellis, or raised beds to extend your garden space.
- Experiment with new varieties and seasonal color as you grow more confident.
The Easiest Plants to Grow for First-Time Gardeners
Annuals and seeds are often the first introduction many have when growing plants! And that is because they are so easy and forgiving to grow. Here are some other longer-lasting plants you can try after you’ve had success with Petunias and Sunflower seeds!
If you've mastered growing Herbs on your windowsill, try taking your success outside!
Perennials (Long-Blooming and Low-Maintenance)
These perennials are hardy, drought-tolerant, and reliable bloomers – returning year after year:
- Black-Eyed Susan – Bright yellow flowers; drought-tolerant and attracts pollinators.
- Coneflower – Purple or pink blooms. It attracts butterflies and bees!
- Coreopsis – Cheerful yellow or red flowers that thrive in full sun and poor soil.
- Sedum (Stonecrop) – Succulent leaves with late-season flowers; great for dry soil.
- Daylilies – Nearly indestructible with colorful flowers that rebloom throughout the summer.
- Hostas – Shade-loving with large, attractive leaves and delicate flowers.
- Catmint – Lavender-blue flowers with fragrant foliage; loved by pollinators.
Shrubs (Easy to Maintain and Year-Round Interest)
These shrubs are perfect for adding structure to your garden while remaining easy to care for:
- Hydrangea – Big blooms in pink, blue, or white; thrives in partial shade.
- Spirea – Compact, spring-blooming shrub with clusters of pink or white flowers.
- Ninebark – Colorful foliage and interesting bark for multi-season interest.
- Butterfly Bush – Fast-growing with fragrant flowers that attract pollinators.
- Boxwood – A classic evergreen shrub with year-round greenery.
- Lilac – Fragrant spring blooms; hardy and easy to grow.
- Winterberry Holly – Bright red berries in winter; great for seasonal interest.
Fruiting Plants (Low-Maintenance and Productive)
Want to grow your own food? These fruiting plants are easy to establish and produce delicious fruit with minimal care:
- Blueberries – Hardy shrubs that thrive in acidic soil and offer fruit and fall color.
- Raspberries – Low-maintenance brambles that produce sweet berries year after year.
- Strawberries – Easy to grow in the ground or containers; great for small spaces.
- Rhubarb – Perennial vegetable with edible stalks – great for pies and jams.
- Fig Trees – Low-maintenance fruit trees in warmer climates (Zones 5-10).
- Grapes – Perfect for arbors and trellises; produce sweet fruit for eating or making juice.
Trees (Hardy and Low-Care Options For Shade and Beauty)
Planting a tree is a long-term investment, and these varieties are easy to grow and provide beauty and shade:
- Redbud – Early spring blooms in pink or purple; small and manageable size.
- Dogwood – Gorgeous spring blooms and red fall foliage.
- Serviceberry – Spring flowers, edible berries, and stunning fall color.
- Crabapple – Compact tree with beautiful spring blooms and small fruit for birds.
- Maple – Cooling shade, great fall color, and many are ideal for smaller yards.
- Oaks – Tough and adaptable trees that are long-lasting legacy specimens.
Beginner-Friendly Flowering Vines
If you're new to gardening and want to add a touch of vertical beauty to your space, flowering vines are an excellent choice. These easy-to-grow vines require minimal care and reward you with vibrant blooms that can cover fences, trellises, or arbors. Perfect for adding color and texture, they thrive with just a little attention.
Here are some great beginner-friendly options:
- Clematis – Easy to grow with a variety of colors and blooming seasons; just give them partial sun and good drainage.
- Black-Eyed Susan Vine – Cheerful orange and yellow flowers that thrive in full sun.
- Trumpet Vine – Vigorous climber with stunning orange-red trumpet-shaped flowers that attract hummingbirds.
These vines are not only beautiful but will help you create a lush garden with little effort.
Care Tips and Tricks For First-Time Gardeners
Knowing your growing zone, proper site selection and picking the right plant for that site is fundamental for success!
Once your plants are in the ground, consistent care is key! Here are some important tips to keep your garden thriving:
1. Water Deeply and Consistently
New plant roots are working hard to get established. Do not let them go dry! We recommend the Finger Test daily (sometimes twice daily in the hottest days of the year) to ensure your plants are perfectly hydrated at the roots.
- Water at the base of your plants to encourage deep root growth.
- Avoid watering leaves, as this can promote fungal diseases.
- Newly planted trees and shrubs need regular watering for the first 1-2 years. Perennials need attention for at least their first year in the ground.
2. Mulch To Reduce Weeds and Retain Moisture
Mulch can be one of the single most important things you can include when starting any garden!
- Spread 3-4 inches of arborist mulch, bark chips, or other mulch around your plants, leaving space around the trunk or base. No mulch volcanoes, please!
- Mulch helps prevent weeds, keeps the soil insulated from heat and chill, and reduces moisture evaporation. It also adds a finishing touch to the look!
3. Prune Regularly
- Pruning keeps your shrubs and trees healthy and looking their best. Once a year is usually all that is needed. Check out our comprehensive Pruning Guide Here!
- Remove dead, damaged, or crossing branches at any time. Prune flowering shrubs after they bloom.
4. Feed Lightly
- Use a balanced, slow-release fertilizer for most perennials, shrubs, and trees in early spring.
- Avoid over-fertilizing, which can cause weak growth.
- Avoid using high-nitrogen fertilizers around flowering plants and shrubs as this will cause excess leaf growth and block flower production.
- If a plant is under stress - don't reach for the fertilizer! You'll only add more stress to a plant that is struggling. Finding why your plant is stressed and fixing that is of the utmost importance.
5. Be Patient!
Gardening takes time! Don't get discouraged if things don't go perfectly right away. Plants need time to establish and grow, so give them a chance to get settled into their new homes.
Besides, young plants and perennials are easily transplanted into new locations if you don't get them right the first time!
- Keep Records!
Record your plans, purchases, and receipts, and log your day-to-day actions in a Garden Journal! This way, you'll be able to look back on successes and Gardening hiccups, record weather, and observations, and your own tips and tricks you discover along the way!
- Look To Nature Hills For Help!
Nature Hills has extensive #ProPlantTips and Garden Blogs for you to read and learn the specifics of gardening, as well as inspire your future plans! Plus we have an expansive Customer Support Site to help you with your questions, and concerns, and where you can share your success with us!
Build Your Garden – At Your Own Pace!
Gardening is a rewarding experience, and it's okay to take it slow. Start small, enjoy the process, and learn as you go. Every plant you grow is a step toward creating the garden of your dreams.
Remember: Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a garden! Take baby steps, and over time, you'll have a space full of color, life, and beauty.
Ready to get started? Pick a few beginner plants at NatureHills.com, prepare your space, and start building your garden today!
Happy Planting!
