Landscaping: How Low Can You Go?

EVEN THOSE WHO love to garden often find that maintaining a landscape can be overwhelming. Mowing, weeding, watering, and pruning often seem like endless chores, especially in spring and early summer when trees, shrubs, grass, and weeds are all actively growing. If you are designing a new landscape or reworking an old one, using low-maintenance techniques can reduce much of your yard work.
Choosing the right plants is key to cutting maintenance. A shrub that grows to six feet tall will require regular pruning if planted under a window that is three feet above the ground. There are many dwarf varieties of trees and shrubs that are ideal for small areas and may never need pruning. Native plants are always a good choice for the landscape because they adapt to surroundings more easily than exotic species. Grouping plants that have the same cultural needs will save time when watering and fertilizing. Keep the planting beds narrow for easy access to interior plants; design them with long, sweeping curves so that the mower can reach the edge, eliminating hand trimming.
The importance of mulch in a low-maintenance landscape can not be overemphasized. A thick layer of organic mulch around plants will help to control weeds, conserve soil moisture, and add nutrients to the soil. Popular organic mulches are tree bark, shredded leaves, pine needles, and plant wastes such as cocoa shells. If weeds are a serious problem, lay down several layers of newspaper before mulching.
Traditional lawns are labor intensive—keep them as small as possible. Some lawn alternatives are large areas of ground covers or wildflowers, mulched beds, and decks and patios. Proper and timely lawn care will save you work because a healthy lawn is less likely to be bothered by weeds, insects, and diseases. Keep the grass tall; let it grow to three or four inches and then mow off one-third. High grass shades out weeds and won't dry out as quickly as closely cropped turf. Water infrequently but deeply to encourage deep rooting.
We hope that these ideas will help make it easier for you to maintain your landscape—as well as your sanity.
– –George and Becky Lohmiller

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