While gardening is always a labor of love, some plants need more care than others. Mixing in some hard-to-kill plants will help reduce the amount of time you need to spend keeping your garden thriving. Whether they're facing drought, hungry deer, or a vacation with no garden maintenance, these tough plants come through just fine. A relief for new and experienced gardeners alike! 

Try these seven easy to grow perennials if you're looking for some worry-free plants that still brighten up your garden.

1. Heuchera Plum Pudding

Heuchera Plum Pudding is one of the most popular varieties of Coral Bells. This plant is a U.S. native with brilliant purple foliage that can be semi-evergreen to evergreen, depending on where you live. The plants are cold hardy to Zone 4 and heat hardy to Zone 9, giving them a huge range. They are deer resistant and require little to no maintenance once they're in the ground. (Dividing the plants is recommended every few years, though.)

In the summer, they send up flower stalks with white flowers. These make great cut flowers, and removing them keeps the focus on the plant's striking purple leaves.

2. Orange Butterfly Weed - Asclepias tuberosa

Orange Butterfly Weed is a type of milkweed, which is the plant Monarch butterflies need throughout their life cycles. This hardy U.S. native perennial has bright orange blooms in the summer and into fall with regular deadheading. Seed pods provide visual interest in the winter.

This plant does best in the Eastern and Southern regions, planted in full sun to lightly filtered shade. It is adaptable to most soil types.

3. Gaillardia Arizona Sun

Arizona Sun is a variety of Gaillardia with large red and yellow flowers that bloom from summer into fall with regular deadheading. It grows best in soil that is fertile and well-drained, but it can also tolerate sandy soils. It requires little water once it's established and is drought-tolerant.

This Gaillardia attracts butterflies but is both deer and rabbit resistant. A low-growing plant, Arizona Sun makes a great edging plant for lawns.

4. Blackeyed Susan - Rudbeckia Goldstrum

Another native U.S. perennial, Blackeyed Susans feature large, bright gold flowers starting in mid-summer and lasting to mid-fall. Both deer and rabbit resistant, these plants also attract butterflies and other pollinators. They look great in mass plantings and paired with ornamental grasses. As a native plant, once established they need very little maintenance, but plant in full sun or partial shade for best results.

5. Dark Blue Moody Blues Veronica

Dark Blue Moody Blues Veronica blooms through the entire growing season with spikes of deep blue flowers. This popular Veronica variety does best in well-drained, fertile soil and full sun, but it can adapt to a wide range of conditions. Another plant that does well in masses, the Dark Blue Moody Blues can survive winters up to Zone 4 and has a medium growth rate. Deadheading will promote continued growth, but maintenance is minimal otherwise. This perennial is also deer and rabbit resistant.

6. Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' Goldenrod

This Goldenrod cultivar blooms in late summer to early fall, with long spikes of bright yellow flowers. The flowers look a little like golden fireworks, which is where the variety got its name. While Goldenrod does best in well-drained, moist soils, it can also tolerate wetter or drier conditions. Deer resistant and drought tolerant, this perennial is a perfect choice for meadows and other open areas.

7. Yucca Color Guard

An excellent plant for tough spots in the garden, the Yucca Color Guard is one of our favorite evergreen garden plants. The variegated leaves of this Yucca are narrow and long, green on the outside and yellow in the center. In summer the Color Guard will bloom with a large white flowerhead.

This perennial is native to the Southeastern U.S. coastal regions and can adapt to almost any soil type, but it needs full sun for the best results. It's drought tolerant and both deer and rabbit resistant.

Whether you're a new or experienced gardener, these seven hardy perennials will look great in your garden – and give you a little leeway in caring for them!