Keeping your garden looking lush and colourful is a hard job to maintain, so creating a balance with plants that are easy to keep alive can help.
While there are many houseplants you can keep indoors which don't need much TLC, some people might think more externally to their patio space.
You ideally want to find unfussy, drought-resistant plants that thrive in a range of conditions.
To help you out, home and garden experts at Nth Degree have detailed a number of hard-to-kill plants that would work for your patio.
Top 10 hard-to-kill plants for your patio
Sedum (stonecrop)
Sedums are a collection of small and colourful flowers that are very attractive to bees and other pollinators.
They’re drought-tolerant, so they don’t need much watering as a result.
Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums are colourful flowers that grow well in poor soil and can add a bit of brightness to your patio space.
These are a good option as they self-seed, so they should be able to pop up again a year later without much work.
Rosemary
Rosemary is an ideal plant for your patio as it smells amazing, looks great and bees love it.
Once you’ve potted it in a sunny location, rosemary needs minimal watering once established.
Thyme
Like rosemary, thyme is another hardy plant that smells amazing and is great for accentuating your patio borders.
You won't need to do much for it, as popping it in some dry soil and giving it plenty of sun will do the trick.
Ivy
Ivy's sprawling design can add depth and feeling to your patio space.
Nth Degree adds: "Just make sure you have solid brick walls that are in good nick and note that you’ll have to monitor your ivy’s growth to stop it growing out of control."
Boxwood
Great for topiaries, boxwood sits perfectly in a planter and thrives in partial shade, making it an ideal addition to a patio.
Lemon balm
Leom balm is resilient, adaptable and is perfect for use in teas, baking and more due to its calming effects.
Miscanthus
Tall and airy, miscanthus (or ‘elephant grass’) is a reliable ornamental grass that provides fountains of foliage, climbing as high as six feet tall.
Miscanthus grows well in containers and is really tough to kill once it has taken root, so it could be a great choice.
Lavender
Lavender is quite versatile in where it grows, doing well in pots or containers as well as in herb gardens adjoined to your patio.
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Nth Degree adds: "Beautiful colour, beautiful smell and a haven for bees – it’s a perfect choice, provided you place it somewhere with full sun coverage and don’t overwater."
Hellebores
Hellebores are a winter-blooming flower that will come alive later in the year after the spring and summer plants have settled down.
They can withstand ice, wind and rain with ease, and do well in shady conditions too.
