17 Low-Maintenance Edging Plants For Your Garden

Create a lush, low-growing border with European ginger.

Its glossy, heart-shaped leaves form a dense, evergreen carpet that stays vibrant year-round.

This perennial is a well-behaved ground cover that thrives in shaded spots and needs only minimal pruning.

If you want a low-maintenance border plant that brings early spring color and stays interesting for months, Lungwort is worth trying.

Its pink and blue flowers bloom in spring, and its spotted or silver-dappled foliage adds visual appeal even when it’s not flowering.

This edging plant is also resistant to deer and rabbits, making it a reliable choice for shaded areas.

With its dense, spreading habit and evergreen foliage, creeping phlox makes a lovely border plant for sunny spots.

Its colorful flowers bloom in early to mid spring, adding a splash of pink, lavender, or reddish-purple.

This low maintenance perennial is not invasive and looks especially pretty spilling over edging or filling in rocky areas.

I love to use Southern maidenhair fern as a border plant because of its delicate, lacy leaves that spill over the edge of a walkway.

Its bright green to yellow fronds add a soft, tropical feel to shady spots.

And it’s low maintenance and deer resistant, making it a smart choice for shaded garden edges.

When you want a border plant that adds color and texture all season, try Heuchera for its vibrant, long-lasting foliage and summer blooms.

Its bell-shaped flowers attract pollinators like bees and hummingbirds, while the colorful leaves make a statement even when it’s not flowering.

It’s a versatile low-growing perennial that works well in sun or shade, and is deer and rabbit resistant.

For a border that stays lush and interesting in the shade, try Japanese forest grass.

Its arching leaves bring a soft, flowing look that’s so pretty cascading over a pathway.

This perennial is low maintenance, deer resistant, and thrives in moist, well-drained soil, making it a reliable choice for woodland or shaded garden edges.

Monkey Grass is a low-maintenance, evergreen ground cover that stays attractive year-round.

Its dark green or variegated leaves form dense clumps that work well in shade or woodland settings.

However, this plant is invasive in some areas, so check with your local nursery before buying.

Try using Black Mondo Grass along borders for its dark, glossy foliage that creates a dramatic contrast.

Its slow growth and pest resistance make it a low-maintenance choice.

It thrives in part shade with moist, well-drained soil, making it a versatile addition to shaded garden edges.

Or if black plants aren’t your thing, try the variegated variety instead.

Lemon Coral Sedum creates a lively border with its bright chartreuse foliage that stays colorful all season.

Its leaves form a mound that adds texture and color to landscape edging.

It is also easy to grow, drought tolerant, and deer resistant, making it a reliable perennial choice for warmer zones. (Or it can be used as annual in colder zones.)

This border plant offers a long season of lavender-blue, pink, violet, or white flowers that bloom from late spring to summer.

Its aromatic, fuzzy leaves add a pleasing scent, and it attracts bees, butterflies, and pollinators.

With its low-maintenance nature and resistance to deer and rabbits, Catmint is a good choice for sunny or lightly shaded garden beds.

To add a fragrant, long-blooming element to your borders, try English lavender.

Its purple to pink or white flowers attract bees and butterflies, and its drought tolerance makes it easy to care for.

This edging plant is a resilient choice that resists deer and rabbits, thriving in full sun with well-drained soil.

When you want a border plant that blooms early and lasts for months, hellebores are a great choice.

Their evergreen leaves stay lush year-round, and their late winter to late spring flowers bring color when many other plants are still dormant.

With minimal care and resistance to deer and rabbits, they’re a reliable addition to shaded gardens.

If you want a border plant that thrives in shade, Hostas are a great choice for their lush foliage and low maintenance.

Their diverse sizes, colors, and textures make them versatile for many garden styles.

However, they are a favorite plant of slugs and deer, so may not be the best edging choice if you have a lot of those pests in your area.

Create a vibrant border with hardy geraniums known for their long-lasting blooms that extend from late spring to fall.

Their dense, carpet-forming foliage adds a lush ground cover, while attracting bees, butterflies, and pollinators.

They are low maintenance, pest resistant, and thrive in a variety of garden settings, making them a versatile choice for many landscapes.

This ground cover adds vibrant, evergreen foliage to shaded borders with its colorful leaves that stay attractive year-round.

Its slow spreading growth and low maintenance habit make it a good choice for shaded gardens.

Plus both the color and the foliage texture provide a nice contrast in landscape settings where grass doesn’t thrive.

For a quick and simple way to fill in shady or partly sunny spots, try planting lamium along the border.

Its silvery leaves look nice even when it’s not blooming, and it’s super easy to grow.

Just keep in mind, it can spread aggressively in some areas.

To keep a lush, low-maintenance border, try pachysandra for its dense mats of evergreen, blue-green foliage.

It spreads via rhizomes and stolons, so it quickly fills in shady spots with little effort.

However, it can be aggressive. So it’s best in areas where you can manage its spread (such as mowing over it) and make sure to pair it with plants that it can’t take over.