Written by: Carl Trinkle
6 min read
Introduction to Low Maintenance Landscaping
Having beautiful landscaping can add to your family’s enjoyment of an outdoor space while also improving curb appeal and property value. For homeowners who want an outdoor area that looks great without spending a lot of time and effort on upkeep, low maintenance landscape ideas offer a reasonable solution. In general, low maintenance landscaping design focuses on choosing plants that provide a strong visual impact but do not require constant watering, monitoring, fertilizing, or other maintenance.
Key Benefits for Homeowners and the Environment
The key benefit of low maintenance landscaping is obviously that it requires very little maintenance. Although fields of annual flowers may be beautiful in the spring, most of these plants must be replanted year after year and typically require significant watering and regular care. Similarly, landscaping that relies on shrubbery trimmed into a specific shape requires someone to periodically use hedge clippers to maintain the design, or it quickly becomes untidy.
Because many low maintenance landscaping ideas include the use of native plants, these types of landscaping designs often require less water, making them naturally more environmentally friendly, as well.
Choosing the Right Plants
Native plants are some of the best options for low maintenance plants. Native plants typically need less watering than non-native plants and can develop deeper root systems, which helps to improve the quality of your soil. Native plants also tend to be naturally resistant to local pests and provide an attractive landing spot for pollinators like bees and butterflies.
In upstate New York, native plants like wild bergamot, trumpet honeysuckle, and New England aster all add gorgeous colors to any full sun landscaping while still requiring minimal upkeep. In shaded areas, flowering plants such as great blue lobelia, eastern columbine and Canada anemone are great options.
Trees and shrubs can also be integral in developing easy landscape ideas. Selecting trees and shrubs in a mature size that fits the landscaped area can help minimize the need for trimming and pruning.
Innovative Ground Cover Solutions
Grass lawns can be some of the highest maintenance areas in a landscaped yard. Traditional lawns require regular mowing and consistent watering to maintain a lush, green look. For those who like the look of a beautiful lawn but not the maintenance, low maintenance ground cover options are available.
Best Plants for Ground Covering
Low maintenance ground covering plants can look more like traditional grass, or they can look completely different while still covering the ground in attractive greenery. For example, Mondo Grass is a plant with grass-like leaves that is quite hardy and easy to grow in New York. In the summer, Mondo Grass blooms with small purple flowers that are visually appealing.
Creeping plants, such as creeping phlox, creeping thyme, or creeping juniper, also make great ground cover options. Creeping plants grow close to the ground and are typically evergreens, so they can help keep landscaping looking fresh and lush all year long.
Some shrubs with a horizontal growth pattern may also be appropriate for ground cover. For instance, rock cotoneaster is a ground cover shrub that sprouts colorful red berries that add visual interest, and honeysuckle is available in both vining and bushy varietals.
Incorporating Hardscaping Elements
Adding hardscaping elements to a landscape design is also a good way to decrease plant maintenance. The addition of pathways or walkways, patios, and even firepits provides more areas to enjoy the outdoor space and fewer areas that need watering and pruning.
Ideas for Paths, Patios, and More
Whether a homeowner invests in landscaping management services or decides to DIY their outdoor space, they are making an investment. Spending both time and money on a yard should make it a place that is both beautiful and comfortable for homeowners and their guests to enjoy.
Paths that make it easy to navigate a yard without trampling on the greenery are a great choice. They can be paved with flagstone, gravel, or pebbles for a natural look that is still safe to walk on comfortably.
Patios are another wonderful way to add livability to an outdoor space. A paved patio can be a place to relax at the end of a long day or serve as a space to host an outdoor dinner party with comfortable outdoor furniture.
Simplifying Watering with Automation
Watering is one of the most labor-intensive landscaping tasks, especially during the hot summer months. Automated watering systems such as sprinklers can remove significant time and hassle for homeowners who want to maintain their lush landscaping with minimal effort.
Choosing the Right Irrigation for Your Garden
Every landscaped area will have its own irrigation needs, depending on the types of greenery planted, the size of the area, and the local climate. A landscaping professional can help determine the best irrigation system for your specific needs as a homeowner. Some of the most common irrigation systems available include:
- Manual sprinkler systems
- Drip irrigation systems
- Automated sprinklers with one or more zones
Irrigation systems may be fully automated and equipped with sensors or timers, or they may be completely manual and dependent on the homeowner or landscaper to activate the watering process.
Simple and Visually Appealing Mulching
In addition to providing ground covering in the form of plants and grasses, mulch can add visual appeal to bare areas of a lawn, and it requires virtually no maintenance. Additionally, mulch is available in a variety of colors to match the aesthetic design of any landscaped area.
Types of Mulch and Their Benefits
Although mulch can add aesthetic appeal to otherwise bare areas of landscaping, it also serves important purposes in landscaping. It can help deter pests, improve soil health, and minimize landscaping maintenance, for example.
Inorganic mulch such as gravel, rocks, pebbles, and even shredded rubber can provide a no maintenance way to cover some areas of landscaping. This type of mulch lasts a long time and is very low maintenance, although it may occasionally need to be swept from walkways.
Organic mulch such as compost and wood chips can improve soil health and support plant growth, but it needs to be replaced much more often. Different types of organic mulch can serve different purposes. For instance, eucalyptus or cedar wood can help repel pests, while pine needles and shredded bark can create an environment for acid-loving plants like azaleas and blueberries to thrive.
Getting Started with Your Low Maintenance Garden
The best place to get started with low maintenance landscape ideas is by hiring a landscaping professional. Having a plan in hand for the best plants, designs, and watering systems will make your garden much easier to install and maintain. Reach out to our team for landscaping assistance in designing your low maintenance yard, garden, or outdoor area.
