12 Best Plants for Black Thumbs

(Baptisia)

Native to the East and South, this flowering plant produces blue or white springtime blooms that resemble sweet peas, but on erect stems, not vines. Attractive long seedpods turn black when ripe and persist into winter; they work well in dried flower arrangements.

Blue false indigo (B. australis), the 2010 Perennial Plant of the Year™ grows 3-6 feet tall and 4 feet wide. White false indigo (B. alba) is more compact, at 2-3 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Needs full sun; moderate water, but is drought tolerant once established. Perennial in zones 3-9.