Planning for a Low-Maintenance Landscape Design
When you decide to landscape, you do not want to only think of the final appearance and the total project cost of the project, you also have to consider how demanding the ongoing maintenance of your new garden is going to be. Since you have other things to do, time is always essential, therefore, you need to have a landscape design plan that does not create more work for you, but one that is easy to maintain. You need to have a low maintenance landscape design plan!
Here are some tips that would help you plan a low maintenance garden design:
Buy high-quality and long lasting landscape materials.
If you are trying to limit your budget, you may end up purchasing cheap landscape materials. This is okay as long as they are of high-quality and long lasting. But in most cases, you get what you pay for. And if you purchase cheap landscape material, you may end up spending more. Buy high-quality and long lasting landscape materials right from the beginning – those that do not require frequent replacement. Fences, paths, seating structures, furniture items steps, decks, patios, trellis and gazebos, and furniture items should be sturdy and durable.
Keep your lawn area to the minimum.
Landscaped gardens with lawns are beautiful. But lawns are both expensive and high maintenance too. Raking and edging take up an incredible amount of money and time not to mention the regular liming, fertilizing, mowing, watering, rolling, thatching, pesticides and fungicides, and herbicides requirement just to keep lawns well-maintained. Use plants, ground covers, shrubs, and easy to care trees to substitute for the excessive open lawn space.
A good low maintenance garden alternative to lawn is moss. Moss can adapt to areas where grass refuses to grow. Another low maintenance grass alternative is the clover. Clovers are cost-effective, insect-resistant, and drought-tolerant ground cover and an excellent alternative for grass.
Avoid high maintenance or problem plants
Live oak, red maple, butterfly bush Virginia willow, dwarf bamboo, sedum, gardenias, rain lilies; these are some of the hard to maintain trees, shrubs, perennials, and ground covers you want to avoid. Instead, look for landscape plants that can adapt to extreme temperature, are more tolerant to dry or wet periods, more resistant to fungal problems, disease and insects, and more adaptive to poor soil conditions.
Consider a rock garden.
Instead of using greens, why not use grays? A rock garden is an ideal substitute for high maintenance plants, shrubs, lawns, and even trees. A rock garden does not need regular trimming, mowing, watering, etc.
Place plants in groups.
Planting in groups not only assures that the plants grow and dense consistently but also makes mowing and trimming edges easier.
Place the right size plant in the right places.
Tall trees or large plants incorrectly placed under electrical and utility lines, windows, and doors will need pruning often to stop them from blocking your view or the entrance. The problem is, during the planning phase, this is not usually thought about since the trees or plants are still only small. This is why it is of great importance that you know the characteristics of the trees and plants in your planting scheme for your low maintenance landscape garden design. If in doubt ask the a member of staff at the nursery or garden centre when you are buying the plants or trees.
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