15 Plants That Give You More Bang for Your Buck

When you're planning a garden, there are a lot of factors to consider. What's your soil like? How does it drain? What kind of sun do your beds get? That will affect whether you need full-sun perennials or shade-loving plants and flowers. Do you want to attract pollinators? Then you should consider planting some bee-friendly plants as well as some plants that attract butterflies.Y You should also try to add lots of variety to a garden to keep it interesting—mixing in plants and flowers in number of different heights, colors, and textures.

And then there's the little matter of money. Sure, it's great to experiment, but for the most part, you want a plant things that have a good chance of thriving. It helps to know where your location falls on the USDA Hardiness scale and always read plant labels so you have an idea as to what ideal conditions are. "A bargain doesn't need lots of attention, isn't prone to disease or insect problems, and spreads on its own," says Lexington, Kentucky-based landscape designer Jon Carloftis. And while there's no question that annual flowers deliver the most bang for the buck in a single season, perennials, shrubs, and trees provide long-lasting structure and color to the landscape.