11 Costco Plants For Low-Maintenance Gardeners

As a hobby, gardening offers a variety of mental health benefits, including helping you relax and unwind after a long day of hustle and bustle. However, when you're dealing with advanced plants — those visually appealing but finicky species that seem to wilt with just a single wrong look — you may not be able to reap as many of those benefits as you'd wish. Fortunately, there are various low-maintenance plants that are easy to grow and require minimal care. And, you can find many of these options at Costco.

When you think of Costco, you may just think of bulk food purchases, those pantry essentials that you stock up on every now and then. However, it's also a popular stop for gardening needs, whether that's tools and supplies or new plants to add a splash of color to your garden. Costco's website also offers a variety of online exclusive bulbs and seeds, including options like caladiums, Texas sage, and oleander that grow into low-maintenance plants that elevate your garden without requiring an abundance of elbow grease on your end.

There are a few things to know about plant shopping at Costco. Local availability can vary, and it's important to check delivery dates if you're shopping online. Additionally, even low-maintenance plants need a little TLC on occasion, and even the hardiest options may not readily thrive in every climate. As a result, whether shopping at Costco or beyond, it's important to consider the exact needs of your chosen plant to ensure that it's truly low-maintenance for you.

Caladium species are generally considered to be low-maintenance garden plants, with resistance to deer and rabbit grazing and disease. Although they are perennials, the Longfield Gardens caladiums from Costco are listed as annuals; they only survive winter in USDA Hardiness Zones 9 to 11. In colder areas, you may choose to overwinter your caladiums, saving them indoors for the next season. There are four varieties to choose from at Costco: 'Red Flash', 'Carolyn Whorton', 'White Christmas', and 'White Queen'. They do have slightly different care requirements, with 'White Christmas' thriving in full shade while the others need more light.

Perennials can be easier than annuals in the long run, because you won't need to replant them every year. So, you may instead be interested in a plant with a wider hardiness range that can grow as a perennial in your climate. Costco currently offers a two-pack of 3-gallon hydrangea shrubs. Choose from two different varieties: Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' or Hydrangea macrophylla 'Penny Mac'. The 'Limelight' hydrangea is hardy in zones 3 through 9, while the latter is hardy in zones 5 through 9. Both require minimal supplemental care once established, but benefit from the occasional pruning for shaping.

Although its scientific name may be a mouthful, 'Miss Kim' lilacs (Syringa pubescens subsp. patula 'Miss Kim') offer eye-catching and fragrant flowers that hummingbirds adore while being resistant to insects, diseases, and even powdery mildew. They thrive in the garden as a foundation or border plant, and are hardy in zones 3 through 8. The Fisher Farms Syringa 'Miss Kim' lilacs at Costco come in a pack of three. While overall hardy and needing little hands-on care once established, they do benefit from fertilization at the time of planting, as well as in the spring each year.

There are three options when shopping the Longfield Gardens Astilbes and Hosta Shade Gardens collection at Costco: one with hostas alone, another with astilbes alone, or a combination of the two. The single plant options come with four different varieties, while you'll receive two different varieties from each genus when choosing the combination option. Also known as plantain lilies, hostas are shade-loving perennials hardy in zones 3 to 9. They are easy to grow and attract a range of pollinators. Astilbes are an equally low-maintenance genus, and they're generally hardy in the same zones.

The Longfield Garden Solution Collections has four different options, each focused on serving a specific purpose in your yard. You can choose from collections that are deer-resistant, pollinator-attracting, fragrant, or drought-tolerant. By choosing deer-resistant or waterwise options, you can enjoy a range of plants (including peonies, astilbes, ferns, and dahlias, depending on the collection) that elevate your garden's visual appeal while remaining low-maintenance. This is especially true for the drought-tolerant collection, which requires minimal water and can handle the occasional dry spell. However, because each collection includes several species, hardiness and care can vary.

Weigela (Weigela florida) is a top contender for the best low-maintenance shrub, sporting minimal care requirements aside from the occasional pruning. It's overall hardy, holding up well to clay soil, deer, and other common garden concerns. 'Red Prince' is a specific cultivar with vibrant red blooms that you can find online at Costco. The Longfield Gardens Spring Flowering Shrub 'Red Prince' comes in a three-pack, giving you plenty of these large flowering shrubs to add to your yard's landscaping. They're hardy in zones 4 through 8, and they bloom in the spring and summer with pollinator-friendly flowers.

If you want to grow mandevilla in your garden without a large time commitment, you're in luck — although the care does depend on which species you choose, it's overall a low-maintenance plant. The Costa Farms extra-large mandevilla plant comes in a nursery pot for a total height of approximately 46 inches. Keeping the soil moist helps this flower thrive, but when it comes to replanting and fertilization, it doesn't require much. While blooming, mandevilla showcases eye-catching (and pollinator-friendly) tropical flowers. Just keep in mind that it's only hardy in zones 9 through 11 and will require overwintering indoors in colder regions.

The Longfield Gardens Sun Loving Landscape Mix includes four different plants (with two varieties of each) for a total of 60 bulbs. This includes dahlias, lilies, canna lilies, and gladioli. Dahlias may not seem like a low-maintenance option, but they actually can thrive with lower levels of care, so long as you keep up with deadheading. Meanwhile, lilies, canna lilies, and gladioli are all as easy to grow, making this landscape mix the perfect blend for a gardener wanting a vibrant flower garden with minimal care.

While the exact species of this Costa Farms hibiscus two-pack isn't listed, it appears to be Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, a tropical and sun-loving hibiscus. Each plant comes in an 8.75-inch diameter nursery pot. Those eye-catching blooms may seem like they require a large amount of upkeep, but a well-established hibiscus plant is often relatively low-maintenance. They do best with regular watering, but don't require frequent pruning, fertilization, or repotting. Since you can propagate hibiscus plants from cuttings, these two can multiply into several more. Tropical hibiscus is typically only hardy in zones 9 to 11, but can be grown as an annual or indoors.

If you want a plant that's nearly hands-off, look no further than oleander (Nerium oleander). This flowering plant is highly resistant to drought, perfect for the gardener who occasionally forgets about watering. It can also handle poor soil while remaining resistant to common pests and diseases. In fact, it requires minimal care overall if you live within its hardiness range (zones 8 through 10). Costco offers an online-exclusive two-pack bundle of Costa Farms oleander bushes, which are shipped in 8.75-inch diameter pots. These plants typically flower in the spring and fall.

The Costa Farms Texas sage bundle can be a vibrant choice for gardeners who want to start a pollinator-friendly garden without a large workload. A nearly maintenance-free plant that attracts hummingbirds, Texas sage (Leucophyllum frutescens) is a perennial desert shrub, meaning it's no stranger to heat and drought. It's hardy in zones 8 through 11, and it blooms with showy flowers throughout the summer and fall. The best part of this plant? It requires no fertilization, and once it becomes established in your yard, it's relatively hands-off, giving you more time to enjoy the pollinators it attracts.