Unless you take steps to make a low maintenance lawn, landscaping it can take a lot of your time and effort. However much you may like spending time in maintaining it, there must be a threshold after which you would want to reduce the amount of time that is required with it. The following few tips can serve as a guide to low maintenance landscaping, and save you time and effort even as they allow you to create beautiful landscapes.
Plan for a Low Maintenance Yard
The very first step to a yard that is not a time sinkhole is to plan for it. The primary rule in low maintenance planning is to keep it simple, and avoid any elaborate features in your yard. Complex plantings and more numerous beds will mean that you will have to spend more time in maintaining them. Extra features such as rock-work, fence line and fountains may require hours of extra maintenance work every week, and should be used sparingly, or not at all.
Choose Easy to Maintain Plants
Shrubs and trees require less effort to maintain them, as do dwarf plants, which do not require regular pruning. Generally speaking, slow growing plants are easier to maintain because they do not require pruning and regular care. Conversely, faster growing plants are best avoided. Another rule of thumb is to choose plants that are adapted to your area and to the environment of your yard. Native plants are adapted to pests that are endemic to a region, which makes them easier to maintain.
Low Maintenance Plant Arrangement
Plants that are spread out in an area require more maintenance than ones that are planted in a cluster. This is because in the first case you have to give special attention to each plant, whereas in the second arrangement you can work on multiple plants at the same location and time. In the same vein, plants that are similar in their maintenance requirements should be planted together. Another aspect of plant arrangement is to make plants and beds easily accessible for easier cutting and pruning.
Use Alternatives to Grass Turf
There are different types of grass turf that are suitable for different regions and requirements. However, turf is generally high maintenance, so you should avoid having turf in places where you can add plantings. Groundcovers are easier to maintain, and are a good option. Another option is to use mulch to cover parts of your yard.
Plan and Use an Automatic Irrigation System
Investing time and effort in a well-designed automatic irrigation system can pay off handsomely over time. Flower beds are well served by drip irrigation systems that water the plants more efficiently. Most automatic irrigation systems are too complicated to be do-it-yourself projects; however, homeowners can easily install a drip irrigation system by themselves.
Low maintenance landscaping is possible by keeping it simple – the effort starts from planning for your landscape, choosing easy to care plants, using plants that are suited to your environment, and using automatic irrigation systems that will help you save time and effort. Avoid elaborate and extensive yards, and you will be able to spend time enjoying your lawn rather than just maintaining it.
