The lack of money and time required to design and maintain a garden is a major obstacle for many homeowners who want a beautiful landscape. With careful planning, the right plant selections, and thoughtful design, it is possible to create low-maintenance landscaping or what we call a “low-cost landscape”.
Here are four time and money-saving strategies for residential low-maintenance landscaping:
- Begin with a good plan. Use geometric shapes to create structure and repetition in your hardscape.
- Know your plants. Find out what plants are hardy and have interesting foliage, forms, and shapes that grow in your area.
- Know your soil. You can either choose plants that will grow well in your soil or you can enrich your soil by adding compost to certain areas.
- Do not fight against your soil or climate. Appreciate the imperfections of nature. Do not waste time trying to control every weed on the shrub or errant branch.
Reduce the amount of trimming, weeding, and fertilizing you do, as well as your use of water, chemicals, and energy. These tips for low-maintenance landscaping, or low-cost landscaping include ideas on plant selection, organization, and hardscape design.
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When Selecting Plants, Consider the Following:
1. Choose a Florida Friendly Plant
Pest-resistant plants are less likely to need chemicals and less time. Drought-tolerant plants require less water. Select plants that are appropriate for your region. Consider the soil type and insect and disease problems, as well as durability and wind resistance. Repeat plants that are successful in similar environments.
2. Choose Plants Based on Their Foliage Rather Than Flowers
Flowering plants require attention to maintenance and replacement. Find large leaves with interesting textures and shapes. The variegated leaves often have stripes of orange, yellow, or red. The large leaves and complex shapes of coarse-textured plants make them attractive.
3. Cover Large Beds With Large Plants That Have a Large Spread
These can be in the form of arching, cascading, or vase-shaped plants. Low-growing plants should also have irregular or mounding shapes. The use of large plants allows for the use of fewer plants and less maintenance. Small shrubs can be used to replace perennials. Once they reach their mature size and height, they require little maintenance beyond an annual trimming. Spreading, low-growing groundcovers can cover a larger area and reduce the number of small bedding plants needed.
5. Plants With Pleasing Forms Are Best
A pleasing natural form reduces the need for trimming to improve appearance. Pruning is necessary for most plants to maintain their health. However, the pruning technique should preserve the natural form of the plant. Choose plants with a naturally clean and tight form. If you prefer, select plants that have a more open, loose form. The landscape will be more interesting and varied if you mix the different forms.
6. Test the Soil to Determine Its PH, Fertility, and Structure
You can get this test from your county Extension Office. If you have a large yard, it is best to choose plants that are naturally adapted to your soil type. Compost can be used to improve soil in areas that are visible, like the patio and front door. Use organic mulch such as pine bark and pine straw to maintain soil moisture, improve soil structure, and protect plant roots from summer heat and winter cold.
9. Plants Should Be Adapted to the Area
Use small, slow-growing plants for small spaces and larger, faster-growing plants for large areas. Take into consideration the shape of both the plant and the space. The less time it takes to trim the plants to fit into the space, the more compatible the shapes are. Shade can be provided by large shrubs or small trees. Small trees have fewer leaves and large shrubs are easily limbed to shade plants. Both trees and shrubs provide a canopy to fill space while adding height.
10. Choose Trees With Smaller Foliage
The mulch and plant material will hide the tiny leaves that fall from the trees, so they will not need to be raked (Figure 10). For energy efficiency, trees should be planted to shade air conditioning units and windowpanes.
11. Remove or Move Unhealthy Plants
Watch for signs of ill health in plants. Some plants that are sick are located in the wrong place, and adverse conditions can contribute to their poor performance. If possible, move the plants to a better location or remove them rather than wasting time and money on trying to keep them healthy.
12. Hardscapes and Structures
It can be used to keep the garden’s structure and organization as plants change over the years and seasons. Structures will give the garden a finished appearance regardless of how the plants are doing in the season.
13. Shade Can Be Provided by Overhead Structures
You can create shade with arbors, pergolas, and trellises in areas where trees could cause maintenance problems due to their leaves and twigs falling. Overhead structures can also be used in areas that are not suitable for trees, like near buildings or utility lines.
14. Planters and Containers Can Be Used in Patios, Decks and Planters
Containers can add color and texture year-round to your garden with minimal care. For easy maintenance, pots placed on decks and patios should only have one or two foliage or long-blooming plants. Containers can be used in plant beds to add color or contrast, with or without the plants. Be aware that containers will need to be watered more frequently, so keep a nearby water source, such as a barrel of rain, handy.
The last low-maintenance landscaping ideas…
15. Use Garden Ornaments.
Other elements that plants can add color and texture, and the maintenance is usually as simple as a yearly cleaning. Many ornaments serve other purposes, like providing support for plants and homes for wildlife. Brightly colored bird feeders or birdhouses add color and texture, while trellises provide pattern and texture. Select ornaments that are appropriate to the theme of the design and don’t scatter small ornaments.
Bring it All Together
These 15 low-maintenance landscaping ideas can be used by homeowners to create an easy-to-maintain, low-cost garden. A typical yard with many of these ideas incorporated throughout. The design is unifying through the repetition of circles, a geometric form that contrasts the organic plant material. The pathways of mulch, ground cover, and gravel provide easy access to the entire yard. They also separate the plant beds and create a neat appearance.
The backyard includes a deck and three circular gathering spaces that provide structure to the plants. The deck is a hard surface made from recycled concrete pieces that are laid on gravel. A colorful umbrella and chairs add color and variety to the dining area adjacent. A circular arbor provides shade for a swing, and the vertical height adds more emphasis to a corner. These hardscapes and structures can help maintain the spatial order of the garden at times when the plant material is thin.
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