Summer is on the way, and with it comes the chance to plant some flowers to improve your garden’s look. But it’s not about what looks the most pleasing - home gardeners need to be aware of the need to choose a place for their plants that suits their needs, and gives them the best chance of thriving.

For example, hostas will burn under the afternoon sun, so a full-sun garden bed needs to be avoided, while hydrangeas do not work well in rain gardens. But never fear, because the following seven flowers will grow just about anywhere you plant them, from under a tree or in clay soil, they will almost grow by themselves.

1. Zinnia

A hardy annual, zinnias (Zinnia) can thrive in all types of soil and conditions, but do work best in full sun and won’t perform as well in shady areas.

Expect daisy-shaped, multicoloured flowers in all shades, which can be any colour from bright yellow to pink. It will grow six to 48 inches tall and 12 to 18 inches wide and prefers well-drained soils.

2. Purple coneflower

A resilient flower, purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) can handle a drought, clay soil, heat, humidity, and even light shade conditions, and is an excellent pollinator plant for bees, butterflies and other insects. It is a perennial.

While birds will eat the seed heads in winter, according to marthastewart.com. The only conditions purple coneflower will not tolerate are deep shade and soggy soil.

They will grow 24 to 36 inches tall to 18 to 24 inches wide and will work in anything from full sun to partial shade and most well-drained soils. 

3. Whorled tickseed

Despite having delicate and smaller blooms, whorled tickseed (Coreopsis verticillate) is resilient. Its masses of daisy-shaped flowers beam gold and yellow, and it can tolerate heart and poor soils, and a little bit of light shade.

But you do need to avoid deep shade, as well as soggy soils, as it can suffer from rotting roots. It will grow 12 to 18 inches tall and 12 inches wide and works well in full sun and average, dry soils.

4. French marigolds

Another flower that works well in various soil conditions and full sun or partial shade, French marigolds (Tagetes patula) can be planted almost anywhere.

They tolerate wind and drought and go well with vegetable gardens as they control certain pests, like nematodes. They will grow six to 12 inches tall to six to 10 inches wide.

5. Blazing star

This perennial never needs deadheading and boasts spiking purple flowers and upright leafy stalks.

Blazing star (Liatris spicata) can tolerate poor soil and heat, and humidity and is easy to maintain.

It has no serious problems with disease or pests. It will grow to two to four feet tall and one to two feet wide.

6. Blanket flower

With blooms that look similar to daisies, the native blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata) will cheer up gardens with red and yellow.

It is a perennial that blooms for a long time and works well in heat and drought, and can tolerate poor soils, like sandy soils. But you do need to avoid humid places and wet clay.

It will grow eight to 12 inches to 12 to 18 inches long and works in full sun and average soil.

7. Cosmos

Saucer-shaped disk flower cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) is defined by its charming, saucer-shaped disk flowers that grow well in various conditions, preferring average soil. They rarely suffer from diseases or insects.

It can grow one to four feet tall to two to three feet wide and will work in full sun to partial shade.