When it comes to your garden and yard ideas, work smart, not smart, with low-maintenance gardens. "Traditional American grass requires a lot of maintenance and water and doesn't attract wildlife," says Camila Cimino, a Los Angeles-based landscape architect at Nature of Twigs, which specializes in drought-tolerant and low-growing lawns. Fortunately for us, beautiful landscaping doesn't require hours of lawn care to have an undeniable appeal.
"I create spaces that are low-water and low-maintenance," Jimin says. "But also a rich and diverse and seasonal mix, so that different things bloom around the year." Of course you can find everything. If you're thinking of revamping your garden soon, know that with a little planning and preparation, you can skip mowing, weeding, and watering and grow outdoors without the hassle.
How can I build my front garden with low maintenance costs?
When it comes to creating low-level gardens, it's important to consider what kind of maintenance your garden requires before you get excited about gardening. Since mowing takes a lot of time and effort, it's always smart to cut back the grass. "Gravel or mulch is great for reducing yard work and creating a relaxing space," Jimin says. If you go this route, it is important to think about how to keep your garden green. You can include additional landscaping features such as a large driveway, concrete patio, or paths that reduce grass cover.
Blythe Yost, a landscape architect in Pearl River, New York, and co-founder of Tilley, an online landscaping company, says the easiest way to create a low-maintenance landscape is to use plants that grow in your yard. "Most of the time, these are native plants that we encourage, and they can be plants that need less care," he said. For example, if you have a sunny garden and are planting shade-loving plants, they will need more watering and more attention to survive in your garden.
Which garden needs the least maintenance?
"I think the biggest maintenance job is weeding," Yost says, adding that a low-maintenance garden is about removing as many weeds as possible. To do this, he recommends planting a lot of flowers on the beds, so there is no place for weeds to grow. "The beds should be full of plants, with a little compost in between," he said. Keep this in mind when planting grass seed in the fall and spring.
Simina specializes in creating grass, also known as carpet grass, in front gardens. "Grass is basically the opposite view of a lawn," he says. These are native plants, wild flowers and various plants. "You don't need a lot of water because many plants and wild flowers are chosen to blend in with the local climate and natural rainfall," he said.
How to start a low maintenance garden?
The easiest way to create a low maintenance garden is to use only easy care items and use little water. Start thinking about your lawn - do you prefer gravel or mulch over a covered lawn? Want to add retaining wall ideas like these that don't require trimming or cutting?
Once you have a game plan, research low maintenance plants that grow well in your area. As you narrow your list down to trouble-free contenders, dig deeper to determine whether certain plants are suitable for your region and existing landscape. This step makes the growing season maintenance free.
How to make a simple landscape?
Chimina suggests treating your yard like an amphitheater. Create tall plants in the back, then medium, short plants in the front, he explains. You should pay attention to texture and color, as the right contrast and balance of these two elements will add visual interest to your landscape.
"Simplicity is one of my favorite landscaping strategies because it's underutilized but can be very effective," Yost adds. For a sophisticated look that requires minimal effort, she recommends creating stands of slender companion plants. "For example, layering boxwood with ornamental grasses creates structure and greenery, while grasses create chaos and movement," she says.
How to create cheap and low maintenance?
The best thing about low-maintenance gardening is that it can have little impact on your wallet. There are many ways to create the image you want for cheap, maybe even for free! Find free plants by joining local gardening groups in person or online on platforms like Facebook or Nextdoor. Gardeners often struggle with overgrowing plants, especially after cutting back many plants that are too large to support the health of the garden. Keep these types of problems in mind when gardeners begin dividing plants in early spring and fall. Also, swapping plants has become a great way for home gardeners to add variety at a low cost.
Using large grasses and adding ground cover plants will reduce the garden budget. These plants take up space and grow to fill holes in the garden. Basically doing some work for you!
Ahead to find inspiration for your garden, explore 19 low-maintenance gardening ideas, from ornamental grasses to container gardens.
Low maintenance landscaping ideas
Tip #1: Study the native plants
Local plants have formed a symbiotic relationship with the animals of a given area thousands of years ago. When grown in the right habitat, they need less work and less water. As a bonus, they naturally attract wildlife and pollinators. A quick web browser search (enter your city or state + "native plants") will yield results for the most popular native plants in your area and nurseries for sale.
Tip 2: Choose ornamental grasses
"I love plants," Chimina says. "They are easy to maintain and bring movement to the garden when the wind blows." For the facade, he used Carex pansa grass, which is used in many of his projects. It works as a grass substitute and can be cut if desired, but it needs to be watered twice a month.
Tip 3: Ground cover plants
Put down the lawnmower and pick ground cover plants. "Lawns require constant watering, fertilizing, weeding and regular mowing, so they require a lot of care," Simina agrees. Not only are they an absolutely beautiful ground cover, these plants help prevent weeds and soil erosion by covering the bare soil surface. After planting, the ground cover is spread and creates a green carpet and fills the gaps, which means less work for you in the long run. Some examples of large land covers are:
Creeping phlox ( Plox stolonifera ) is a sun-loving plant that produces bright spring flowers ranging from white to deep purple and pink. It returns year after year.
Golden star ( Chrysogonum virginianum ) is a yellow-flowered plant that blooms from spring to late summer and can remain evergreen in areas with mild winters. It feels good in shady gardens.
Creeping thyme ( Thymus praecox ) is a plant that grows well in many climates and in USDA hardiness zones 4-9, covering most of the area from Los Angeles to Portland, Maine. It produces fragrant, pollen-like, drought-resistant flowers in early summer.
Tip 4: Plant plants
Chimina usually contains substitutes that require much less care than other plants, but still have a bright green color. Succulents give your landscape a sculptural look that you can't get with regular grass.
Tip 5: Create easy care flower beds
Yost recommends keeping the beds as tight as possible to avoid common weeds and enjoy beautiful flowers. "This method, while not foolproof, reduces weeding and maintenance frequency," he says. Bonus: DIY garden beds will add color to your mini project.
Tip 6: Perennials
Another way to make gardening easier is to plant flowers and perennials. These plants last more than two years, although their lifespan can be much longer. Perennials only need to be planted once (less work each time) and will return year after year. Popular stimulants are daisies, hostas and hibiscus.
Tip 7: Distribute regularly
If you've lived with a low-maintenance garden for a couple of years, it might be time to start dividing perennials. Dividing perennials is an easy way to add low-maintenance plants to your garden, keeping them happy and healthy (and you'll have plants to trade with your neighbors). Experts at the University of Minnesota recommend dividing perennials every few years to give more space to the roots, reduce competition for nutrients and water, and most importantly, produce more flowers.
Dividing plants is very easy: first dig up the whole plant, carefully separate the roots, and then use a sharp tool to cut several pieces. Finally, transplant-free, low-maintenance plants throughout the garden. Do not forget to burn the ground once. Divide the perennial on a cloudy day when the sun does not burn the exposed roots; And it is better to wait a day or two after watering the plants. For more information, find your local extension number, such as the University of Minnesota or Penn State.
Tip 8: Choose plants that are not translated
"We use different sizes of soft agave and hard agave to make the landscape more natural," says Cimino, who designed the garden. Plants like agaves, aljas and Phormium tenax don't need much pruning and are high on Chimin's list of low maintenance tips.
Tip 9: Take care of the country garden
"The cottage garden is so expensive that I would consider it probably the least maintenance thing," says Yost. This type of garden is more informal and uses soft borders, dense plants and native plants. "Cottage gardens are all about stunning flowers and winding paths without the formality and structure of formal gardens that often require mowing," adds Yost.
Tip 10. Enjoy evergreens all year round
Many evergreen trees and shrubs are highly tolerant to a variety of growing conditions and weather conditions. In addition to their commendable longevity, they do not need to cut their leaves in the fall like oaks and maples.
Tip #11: Invest in a container garden
Container gardens can be ideal for gardens with limited space, but they can be a good choice for those trying to create a small business. Using pots allows you to add color and life to an area, but there is no need to build beds or dig up the soil. This means you can use plants in the yard or on gravel instead of a lawn that needs water.
Tip 12: Explore xeriscape
Xeriscape is a landscape design practice that aims to create areas that reduce or eliminate the need for irrigation. Drought tolerant plants are always a good choice for a xeriscape. Remember that in xerodesign you must consider natural water resources and include landscape designs that encourage water movement in certain areas of the garden.
Tip 13: Add flavor
The grass has been completely removed in this patio designed by Jimin. The scene also features a fern and a hammer tied to a citrus tree. "This is just proof that you can create an attractive and fun place to hang out without grass," says Chimina.
Tip 14: Choose gravel
If you're in the particularly dry Southwest, consider using gravel instead of potting soil. Add some low-maintenance flower beds or shrubs for extra greenery to liven up your patio space with color and greenery.
Tip 15: Use a concrete slab
Concrete pavers are similar to outdoor pavers and are popular flooring options for patios, driveways or walkways. Leaving grass as an accent on surfaces reduces the amount of grass needed to maintain without removing the green entirely.
Tip 16: Take a dip in a natural pool or pond
Natural pools use plants and other biological agents to naturally clean and maintain the pool. They require less maintenance after installation, although they take longer to build and are more expensive than other pools.
Tip 17: Look at artificial grass
If you're not quite ready to get rid of your lawn but don't want to mow every week, artificial grass may be the way to go. Today, retailers have supplemented artificial grass with realistic looking soft grass mats.
Tip #18: Schedule irrigation systems to reduce lawn labor costs
Automatic irrigation is another way to reduce lawn care costs. If you have flowers in bright sunlight that may need a lot of water when the day is really hot, a sprinkler system with timers can help - if you don't want to fall asleep holding the water hose.
Tip #19: Include inanimate objects
Add variety, creativity, and texture to your landscape by incorporating inanimate elements such as sculptures and waterfalls. Such features are not only practical, they can also enhance your garden: a bench is attractive, art is beautiful, a nectar feeder attracts hummingbirds, and a birdbath provides water for other pollinators.
Originally published in Architectural Digest.
