Many homeowners simply don’t have the time or desire to invest a lot of hours in keeping up with an extensive landscaping regimen. For those people who want to spend less time away from the tedious chore of maintaining their properties, a low maintenance landscape is an ideal solution. With the correct plan in place and a bit of preparation ahead of time, you can have a beautifully landscaped yard without the hours of upkeep. You can get back to doing the things that you truly enjoy in life instead of spending countless hours tending your yard.

The biggest mistake many homeowners make is that they piece their yard together sporadically and without much thought given to how it needs to ultimately come together. Unfortunately, this type of practice typically creates a landscape that requires more time and money to maintain. Obviously, the best way to get around this problem is to hire a professional landscape designer or architect like Evergreen Landscapes to help you plan out your gardens with reduced maintenance in mind. If hiring a designer is more than your budget can manage, there are some simple rules that you can follow to achieve a beautiful low maintenance yard that you will be proud to call your own.

Start with a Plan

Before you can begin to dream about a yard with minimal care, you need to have a plan set in place to achieve this envisioning goal. You can start by taking photos of the various parts of your yard during the different times of the day. Pictures will help you identify the assets and problem areas of the property. You can then draw a rough sketch of your yard, including any features that are particularly troublesome like an overgrowing and fully blooming garden bed. This preparation will help you to establish an overall view of the yard and help you with the problem solving details to resolve them.

Simplicity of Design

Any landscape expert will tell you that simplicity of design is the key factor in having a low maintenance landscape. According to Christopher Starbuck, an Associate Professor of the Division of Plant Sciences at the University of Missouri Extension says, “Simplicity is characteristic both of good design and low-maintenance landscapes. Eliminate frills such as statues and water features or design them for easy care and maintenance.” If you do decide to go with a landscaping company, inform them up-front that a simple, low-maintenance landscape is what you are after so they can plan their design accordingly.

Proper Plantings

A good low-maintenance landscape should have the correct size of plants in the most suitable locations. When you have the proper plant size for the various locations in the yard, you will substantially reduce the amount of pruning required to keep everything in check. Another trick to low-maintenance plantings is to plant in mass groups because they are easier to care for in groupings and easier to mow around. For best results, you should also select mass plants with similar light and water requirements. You should also plant plenty of perennials and sparingly plant annuals because it won’t only save you money over the long run, it will cut down on the time required for planting each season.

Mulch

One of the most beneficial substances that you can use for low-maintenance landscaping is the generous use of mulch as a way to reduce landscape maintenance needs. The benefits of an abundance of mulch on the property are many, such as:

  • Acts as a weed barrier
  • Holds in moisture, which reduces the amount of watering required.
  • Helps to release nutrients into the soil
  • Improves the appearance of garden beds

Having a low-maintenance property can be easily achieved if you have a plan and carry out that plan with thoughtful diligence.

If you feel that this might be a job for a professional to do or still have questions regarding this topic, contact our team of experts today and we’ll be ready to help.