Easiest Plants to Grow for Canadian Gardeners

If you're new to gardening, it's important to consider which plants are best suited for Canadian climates. In this article, discover fifteen plants that are not only beautiful, but also fun and easy to grow, even for a beginner.

1. Flowering shrubs

Potentilla: This hardy shrub loves the sun, but also tolerates harsh Canadian winters like a champ. The potentilla produces an abundance of colourful flowers every spring that rise above its fine lace-like leaves. It is available in a wide range of colours, including yellow, pink, white and orange-red, often with a contrasting centre. 

We like: the Red Robin potentilla, which is covered in red flowers almost all summer.

Hydrangea: Hydrangea produces large, round or conical flowers from mid-summer until the first frost. The Invincible series, which comes in shades of pink, ruby, mauve, white and lime, is especially suited to Canadian climates. Place your plant in full sun.

We like: the Pinky Winky hydrangea, with its light pink to dark pink flower clusters that can reach a length of 40 cm and which practically blooms from July to November. 

Serviceberry: Today it is more often admired as a small tree. However, grown as a shrub, the serviceberry instantly becomes the star of the landscaping. We appreciate its early spring flowers that form like a cloud of white stars, its purplish fruits in summer (which can be savoured provided the birds have left some) and its flamboyant autumn colouring.

We like: the serviceberry X grandiflora Ballerina for its spectacular flowering.

Spirea: Spirea was named shrub of the year in 2023 and it should come as no surprise. Fast-growing, it resists cold well and does wonders alone, in hedges and in thickets, surrounded by trees, shrubs or perennials. Depending on the variety, it is covered with white or pink flowers in spring or summer, without requiring any care.

We like: the Bridal Wreath spirea (Spirea x Vanhouttei) for its arching branches covered with a multitude of white flowers in spring, whether grown in the sun or in partial shade. 

Lilac: Common lilac, Japanese lilac, Korean lilac, hyacinth-flowered or lacy-leaved lilac… There are 12 species of lilac and more than 1,000 different cultivars. Their flowering can be in shades of purple, blue, white, magenta or light pink. By planting various cultivars, you can appreciate their flowers from May to July, and sometimes even until September.

We like: Syringa x Josée, which blooms from the end of May to the end of September, and Sensation with its two-toned flowers.

2. Perennials 

Peonies: Both hardy and beautiful, peonies have long been favourites of North American gardeners. They invariably return every spring, even after a harsh winter. They can remain in the same place and bloom there for a hundred years. Peonies are beautiful in full sun or partial shade. Their flowers, usually pink, red, coral, fuchsia, burgundy, white and sometimes two-toned, are single or double. The advantage of single flowers is that the plant does not need a stake to help support the weight of its large flowers. Finally, the bush varieties offer astonishing colours such as yellow or mauve.

We like: the Raspberry Sorbet peony, with its large flowers which can reach 20 cm in size and whose delicate pale pink shade is punctuated with creamy yellow and white.

Columbine: Native to North America, columbine produces beautiful, delicate flowers in spring and early summer. Its beautifully cut foliage, grey-green in colour, remains decorative all season long. Its elaborate flower is exceptionally beautiful and often features more than one bright colour. Columbine likes partial shade. Loved by pollinators, it attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. It reseeds itself to beautify flower beds, without ever becoming invasive. The colour of new plants is always a pleasant surprise since there is no guarantee that it will be identical to that of the mother plant.

Daylilies: It's virtually impossible to go wrong with daylilies. Easy to grow, new cultivars now offer endless shades, including lilac, purple and black. Some flowers are bicolour or tricolour. Garden centres even produce multicoloured plants! They are planted in the sun, although some varieties flower well in partial shade. 

We like: the Stella series, which blooms more than once during the season.

Rudbeckia: Like echinacea, rudbeckia is easy to grow. We love its bright colouring and the fact that it tolerates both harsh winters and hot, dry summers. Although it is sometimes called yellow daisy, there are also orange, bronze or red-coloured cultivars. Some have two, three or even four different colours on the same flower.

We like: the Cherry Brandy rudbeckia with its wine red flowers from July to October.

Astilbe: Astilbe has decorative foliage like that of a fern. However, it is its flowers that attract all the attention. Looking like pretty fluffy feathers, they can be white, pink, fuchsia or red. Its flowering easily lasts a month and, as a cut flower, astilbe lifts up all bouquets. Easy to maintain, it lives very well in the shade provided that the soil is slightly moist.

3. Annuals

Verbena: Verbena is a versatile plant which, depending on its variety, can be planted in a border, in a container or in a hanging basket. It comes in a wide range of heights, shapes and colours. It can be burgundy, mauve, pink, blue, purple, red or white, and sometimes even two-toned. Plant your verbena in a sunny location and it will delight butterflies from early summer to late fall.

Pansies: Because they are cool weather flowers, pansies can be planted in early spring when temperatures are still too cool for most annuals. Pansies produce an abundance of smiling-faced flowers until warm weather arrives, or until fall when summer is cool.

Calibrachoa: Powered by the Million Bells series, calibrachoa is now a star in the garden. It produces a multitude of small flowers reminiscent of those of the petunia, and in a rainbow of bright colours. This plant is drought and disease-resistant and is ideal in a hanging basket or a container placed in full sun.

Begonia: The begonia is a classic in the garden. Some varieties live in the shade, others in the sun, which makes them a versatile plant when you want to bloom every corner of the garden. Its flowers have an assortment of colours and its foliage is decorative.

Geranium: If you want to add a nice splash of colour to your garden, look no further! Geranium – or pelargonium – is the plant for you. A long-time favourite of horticultural enthusiasts, geranium is a safe choice, available in a wide range of colours. It will bloom all summer with minimal care.

To learn more about geraniums, read our article: Magnificent flowering geraniums in 3 steps