is there anything that will work in pots without much watering?

[PetuliaBlavatsky]

We inherited gazillions of pots when we moved into our house. A few years later and they are now largely full of weeds, with a few exceptions (blueberry bushes, a pear tree, a tree peony, an amazing azalea).
I have a chronic illness (hence neglecting the pots) but it is a bit more under control these days and I would love to get some of the pots planted up. Is there anything that would work with minimal watering required? We have at least 35 vacant pots, largest about 30" diameter, smallest 18" diameter. Some I will have to rehome anyway I think, there's no way I'd keep on top of so many.

Rosemary, lavendar and mint are pretty indestructible. I have them in pots on the balcony.

Bulbs like daffodils that come up every spring.

Nasturtium,cornflower,Nigella, poached egg plant. Best way is to block up the drainage holes with a saucer, then put in a sponge or water retaining gel. Once they are established , they do better kept dry. Lavender, and thyme also don’t mind being drier.

Oh mint of course! I should definitely have thought of that. We have one rosemary bush already but lavender's a great idea. I was planning a bed of lavender but have changed that to dahlias now.
We have lots and lots of naturalised daffs in the lawn - could do tulips though

Geraniums are really easy. They flower all summer, survive forgetting to water them and just need a clip back of the dead/leggy bits every winter. Also cheap as chips for a pack of six from the garden centre.

Also, I find lavender gets really ragged after a year or two. I've probably been doing it wrong, mind.

How do you keep potted lavender alive? Ive killed every single one ive ever bought and i don't know why

Succulents.

Hebe? Also I find that hydrangeas don’t need as much water as ou night think. But yes definitely lavender and rosemary.

What about any shrubs? The bigger pots definitely need something with some height in there. I should get another azalea really, the one we have is so spectacular when it flowers

Euonymus don’t mind being dry. I find my mint dies without water.

@SpaSushi, The trick to keeping lavender alive is this.
At the end of the season, before it has died completely. take it from the pot. Cut it back to just above the first pair of leaves. Trim the roots and repot in fairly shallow pot. Just deep enough for the roots. Put somewhere sheltered, under a bench, in the protection of bigger pots or in a green house. Once the new leaves start to appear in April, pot it on.

Thank you @florentina1 - unfortunately i cant even keep them alive for one season in pots - no idea why- over water? Under water?

I struggled for years, but now I put gravel in with the compost. Sometimes I think it is just bad luck, no matter what you do. I find more success with little plants rather than the more established ones. The roots of the bigger plants seem to get root bound and can’t be teased out. That is why I cut the roots as well as the tops. Down at Hyde Hall in Essex they leave theirs on dry gravel gardens and they thrive. I am so envious.

I also have gravel in with lavender - I do think this helps. I do very little in the way of cutting back thought

You can also get self watering devices or make them from bottles.

Pelargoniums are great for pots. They don’t mind being dry and will over winter in a sheltered spot or greenhouse if you aren’t too far north. You need to prune them back to shoots near the base in the spring. I’ve had some outside all winter in the NW of England (coastal) and they flowered right into December. The ones in the greenhouse have flowered throughout!

I also have some Lewisia in pots - fabulous late spring flowers and practically indestructible.