Low Maintenance Landscaping Ideas for Your Yard
If you want a beautiful yard without a lot of fuss, here are six low maintenance landscaping tips that will keep your yard looking great with minimal effort.
Use Drought Tolerant Plants
Watering restrictions are a reality in many areas, and it makes sense to reduce watering chores whenever possible. Choose plants, trees and shrubs that require less water to thrive. There are many beautiful options that will work in a variety of soils and climates.
Replace some of your turf with ground covers
A lot of people love their lawns, but frankly a good looking lawn requires a lot of care. If you replace some of your grass with an appropriate ground cover plant, you will slash your chore time without sacrificing a lovely yard.
Consider replacing the turf in problem spots such as shady, hot or rocky areas with a ground cover that thrives under those conditions. Check with your local extension service for a list of appropriate plants, such as ground cover succulents. You might also plant clover which is a great cover as well as pollinator.
Select carefree shrubs and trees
Plant low maintenance shrubs and trees that won’t require a lot of your attention as they grow. There are many new plants specifically bred for their smaller stature as well as disease and pest resistance. Dwarf conifers, smaller shrubs and yard trees that reach 10 to 15 feet at maturity mean reduced pruning chores and less chance that you will need to remove them when they outgrow their sites or become diseased.
A dwarf globe spruce, upright juniper, and smaller blooming ninebark play nicely together each year with minimal pruning.
Hardscape with permeable materials
Inexpensive patio pavers set in a grid and surrounded by trap rock make an elegant, simple and environmentally friendly courtyard.
Patios, walkways, courtyards and other hardscape elements add a bit of magic to any yard and reduce landscapaing chores. Choose materials and designs that allow rainwater to permeate the soil to irrigate plantings, minimize erosion and prevent runoff. These include organic mulches, gravel, stone and permeable pavers.
Mulch heavily, turn soil rarely and plant densely to minimize weeding
Keep weeding chores to a minimum by mulching heavily with compost and shredded bark. Plant things close together to shade out weeds, and avoid turning the soil, which exposes dormant weed seeds to sunlight. Instead, let the earthworms from your compost do the cultivating for you.
People love roses, but most require a lot of water and fertilizer to look their best. That’s not to say you should give up everything you love, but choose your plantings carefully. If the majority of your landscape is relatively carefree, you will have more time to keep your finicky plants looking their best.