12 Best Plants for Black Thumbs

(H. macrophylla)

This is a classic-looking mophead hydrangea with billowy clusters of blue flowers if the soil is acidic or pink flowers if it's alkaline. But it's a lot less fussy than most mopheads because it blooms on new or old wood. This means you don't have to worry about early or late freezes killing the flower buds, or even whether the plant dies back to the ground every year; you'll still get blooms on the new growth. Also, you can clip spent flowers or harvest fresh ones for bouquets and get repeat blooms into fall.

Grows 3-5 feet tall and wide. Does best in partial shade, with regular water. Perennial in zones 4-9.