Let’s face it. Not everyone enjoys spending time pulling winter weeds, tidying hedges, watering the garden, or spending lots of money on the lawn. However, a beautiful lush garden doesn’t mean hours of expensive maintenance costs. With proper lawn care tips, you can achieve low maintenance landscape designs that look lush and attractive all year round.
Whether you’re looking after your lawn in Raleigh, North Carolina, maintaining a mini garden in your San Diego, California apartment, or landscaping with rentals in Atlanta, Georgia, these low-maintenance landscaping ideas from experts will make your garden look fresh without any hassle.
1. Choose native plants for ease of beauty
Rather than constantly tending to plants that are highly maintained, choose native species that naturally thrive in your area.
“Incorporating native plants into landscape designs should not only enhance the natural beauty of your outdoor space, but also support and maintain the local climate, fertilizer, fertilizer, and local wildlife,” said Byron Martinez of Pyramid Lawn & Tree Service in Jacksonville, Florida.
Stephen Landscaping Experts based in Madison Downs, Moultonborough, New Hampshire agree. “Native plants blend with local ecosystems with nature, supporting wildlife and thrive in existing climates and soil conditions to create harmonious landscapes.”
To raise visual interest, Parker’s landscape design Scott Parker in Warren, New Jersey recommends plants that change color throughout the season, such as Summer Infinity and Little Henry Sweet Spire. He “utilizes planting that changes appearance throughout the seasons to give a pop to the landscape of colour and provide an aesthetic boost that “continuously changes.” ”
Native plants are also beneficial to the environment. “Many native plants in the area where you live provide food to birds and pollinators, absorb rainwater, and are long-lasting, beautiful and sustainable with little attention,” adds Jim Kleinwachter of the Conservation Foundation.
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2. Automate watering with smart irrigation
Hydrating your plants doesn’t have to be a chore. Shanna Greathouse of Pigybak, the Home Improvement platform, proposes to install a drip irrigation system. “Drip irrigation keeps the plants happy without hassle and provides the right amount of water while cutting waste.” She also recommends adding solar landscape lighting for an energy-efficient way to brighten up the space.
3. Use hardscapes for low promotion foundations
A hardscape refers to non-living elements of landscaping, such as stone pathways, pavement, retaining walls, ornamental rocks and rocks. They can dramatically reduce maintenance and enhance the aesthetic appeal of outdoor spaces.
Erik Mesikapp from the Integrated Market, a vendor of landscaping and construction materials, highlights the benefits of decorative stones. “Decorative stones are a multi-stylish, maintenance alternative that doesn’t require regular replacements.
Kira Mettler, of Eli’s paving patio in Olympia, Washington, suggests using high-quality paving with polymer sand between the joints to prevent weeds. “Choose a high-quality, durable pavement with neutral tones to prevent weeds, seal the pavement to protect colour and protect dirt.”
Finally, Ulicer Villatorio, owner of Elion Landscaping & Tree Service in Moore, recommends replacing traditional grass with hardscape features such as gravel roads and modern paper. He says, “Replaces lawns with hardscape features such as gravel passes and modern style pavement to create beautiful, low-maintenance outdoor spaces.
To complete the exterior, Villatoro proposes “add a large planting layer mixed with evergreen shrubs, decorative grass and ground covers that create a lush, attractive landscape.”
4. Incorporate decorative grass
Decorative grass is a low-maintenance plant that adds texture, movement and visual interest to your garden. It is ideal for landscaping as it differs in height and color and does not require a certain maintenance fee.
Joshua Hastings, a hard scape along the coast of Savannah, Georgia, recommends them to homeowners looking for easy plants. “Decorative grass is both sun and drought and is extremely tough in the hot summer months.
Erik Mesikapp explains, “Tall ornamental grasses can withstand frequent mowing, drought, and do not increase biodiversity naturally, but they bring movement and structure to the landscape while requiring very little maintenance.” Combining these with decorative gravel pathways adds both functionality and style.
5. Multi and Ground Cover: Set it and forget it
Mulch plays a major role in low maintenance landscaping by maintaining moisture and reducing weeds, reviving your lawn after winter.
Erik Mesikapp said: “Colored mulch not only maintains soil moisture and controls weeds, but also adds a pop of vibrant and long-lasting colour to your garden beds, creating a refined look with minimal maintenance costs.”
For even lower maintenance options, real estate broker Christopher Brown suggests creeping thyme-like ground covering. “Lapse flowering perennials and other native low-growth plants, or layering ground covers like creeping plants and other native plants for a minimal dynamic look.”
6. Use artificial grass on green grass all year round
If you like the appearance of green grass and don’t want to deal with mowing or watering, artificial grass is a great choice. The team at Turfyards in Mesa, Arizona, said “artificial turf saves water and is always ready to check every box.”
Tag Broaderip from Eclipse Landscaping & Design in Scottsdale, Arizona emphasizes that synthetic turf is particularly beneficial in a dry, water-poor climate. He said, “Switching to synthetic grass reduces water usage, reduces maintenance costs, and makes the grass look green all year round.”
7. Sustainable practices for low maintenance and environmentally friendly gardens
If you want to create a sustainable, low-maintenance landscape plan, gardening and recipe blogger yeast fork firmness suggests paper and how it exists. “Unbleached paper is deployed directly into the soil, covered with bulk compost, creating a weed barrier that decomposes.
Bel Salvador Flösch Bi Design Bi Design, a landscaping design company in Cincinnati, Ohio, also highlights the thoughtful planning. “Select native or adapted species that will naturally thrive in your area while complementing your home’s architectural style.
Wilmington Old County Gardens, a DE-based landscaping service, explains the importance of pollinator-friendly and sustainable choices, recommending native flowering plants such as beabalm, butterfly weeds and jaw pie weeds. “These plants combine stone pathways and mulch beds to thrive with little intervention, reducing the need for covering and watering.”
8. Achieve a lush green look with minimal effort
While some people associate luxury landscapes with high maintenance, yard coach landscaping coach Matt Foster explains it’s all about smart plant selection. “Achieving a lush atmosphere in a low-maintenance landscape arena is filled with container planting that lasts for a season and is filled with colour, leaf size, contrasting leaf colours and shapes.”
For a unique touch, Quinten, a Q&A landscaping in Pittsburgh, PA, recommends arrange boulder. “Breaking these large natural stone clusters underneath the trees and the slopes of the hillsides is functional and the best part is that they don’t require maintenance or watering.”
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Low maintenance landscaping: Final thoughts
Creating a lush, low maintenance landscape design is about selecting the right plants, incorporating hardscapes and using efficient watering techniques. Using expert-approved strategies like these, you can prepare your spring garden.
Whether you go for a rock garden, artificial turf, or mix of ground cover and mulch, the key is to design with sustainability and ease in mind. In this way you can spend more time enjoying your garden and less time working on it.
