Creating a Low Maintenance Landscape

By B.E. Conrad

When it comes to designing the perfect landscape, it is important to consider the need for ongoing maintenance. That great new landscape will not stay looking its best without some work on your part, and it is a good idea to minimize those maintenance issues as you design your new landscape. There are a number of ways homeowners and landscape designers can minimize the need for ongoing maintenance, and those methods are the focus of this article.

One way to reduce the need for mowing and other maintenance on a new lawn is to choose varieties of grasses that are naturally slow growing. It is of course important that the grasses you choose be well suited for your particular climate as well. These slow growing grasses can help reduce mowing time, and they are often more drought resistant during the summer months as well.

When it comes to planting flowers for your landscape, it is important to remember that annuals will need to be replanted year after year, while perennials and bulbs will be able to bloom again season after season with just a single planting. Planting annuals is fine, but remember that annuals will need more maintenance and more work than other types of flowers.

For most gardeners concerned about maintenance issues, perennials offer a good choice. Perennials can be a particularly good choice for those parts of the landscape that are difficult to reach, or difficult to work in. The beauty of the perennial, of course, is that they can be planted just once, but they can provide years of fragrant blooms with little ongoing maintenance.

For a great way to reduce the need for weeding, it is a good idea to consider landscaping fabric, also called landscaping carpet. While it can be cumbersome and time consuming to put this fabric down, such as installation can save lots of weeding time down the road. Mulching is another great way to reduce weeds, while at the same time perking up the looks of your garden.

Shrubs can be another low maintenance addition to the landscape, and flowering shrubs can produce the vibrant color that brings the landscape to life as well. Shrubs and bushes will of course need some pruning, watering and fertilization, but other than that they are generally low maintenance residents of the landscape.

Speaking of low maintenance landscape residents, rocks and boulders are the ultimate in low maintenance items. Once they have been put in place, these attractive lawn ornaments require no watering, no weeding, and no fertilizer. A few well placed rocks and boulders can also provide a great focal point, and a great spot for a garden as well.

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