We all love to have a beautiful yard that we can enjoy year-round. But not all of us love to spend every weekend working in the yard. And even if money is not an issue, do you really want to spend money on a lawn service when there are so many other fun things you could do with it? The good news is that today’s low-maintenance landscaping saves you time and money, but still looks beautiful.
We have a lot of low-maintenance landscaping ideas that we implement for our clients when we create an overall outdoor living space, but here are some of the big ones:
Someone sold Americans on turf grass many years ago. In fact, there are nearly 40 million acres of lawn in the continental U.S., according to a 2005 NASA estimate based on satellite imaging.  All that grass requires a lot of mowing, fertilizer, and weed killer.
Why not reduce the number of chemicals that get into our waterways, and reduce your use of gasoline? Consider replacing a certain amount of your turf grass with gardens, pathways, a patio, and more? The less turf grass, the less mowing. But all of these hardscape and landscape elements can be tailored to your specific tastes.
When you are planning your gardens, make it a point to utilize native plants in your landscape design. In this way, you ensure that your gardens will thrive in Maryland. A landscape design team can help you, or you can do your own research to decide what to plant, and where. Consider planting drought-tolerant varieties to reduce the amount of watering you have to do. We’ll have more information on using native plants in next week’s article.
OK, maybe not exactly care-free, if you want any deciduous trees. But you can choose evergreens and other trees and shrubs that don’t require a lot of maintenance, except for the occasional trim. If you’re a fan of the natural look, this will be easy for you. Again, use native trees and shrubs for the best outcome.
Use mulch in your gardens and around trees to minimize the amount of weeding you need to do. When we say plant densely, that doesn’t mean shove a bunch of new plants closely together. Think about how big each plant, tree, or shrub is supposed to get. You will want to plant new plant material far enough apart that it has a chance to grow to its full potential.
You can also consider multi-season planting in the same area. Plant spring bulbs (in the fall) in the same area that you plant perennials and annuals. In this way, you have continuous color. And perennials will multiply year after year, filling in your gardens even more.
Low-maintenance landscaping is easy once you make the commitment to do it right. If it sounds like too much work up front, you may want to consider hiring a landscape design company to turn your dreams into reality.
