Many homeowners strive to create a beautiful landscape. However, between your job, family time, and your children’s busy schedules, it can be hard to find time to design and maintain your landscape. Luckily for you, there are many landscaping options that are low-maintenance, and we are here to help you develop a plan that will have your yard looking beautiful with minimal effort.
Low-Maintenance Plants
Choosing low-maintenance flowers and plants will not only add color and life to your landscape, but it will also give you more time to focus on bigger priorities. It is important to make sure your flowers can survive the summer heat, too.
Perennial Plants
The last thing you want is to plant a beautiful garden, enjoy it for one year, and have everything die in the winter. For this reason, it is important to select perennial plants, or plants that will come back the following year, to cut down on time spent preparing the yard for next season.
Top Low-Maintenance Perennial Plants
- Daylilies
- Chrysanthemums
- Shrub roses (such as knock out roses)
- Daffodils
- Irises
- Hosta
- Azaleas
Native Plants
Most species of plants have an optimal environment for survival. Different plants prefer different temperatures, levels of rainfall, hours of sunlight, etc. If you plant your garden without paying attention to which species survive best in your environment, you are risking plant death.
Choosing plants that thrive well in your area comes with the following benefits:
- Less water
- Less fertilizer
- Less maintenance
By reaping the benefits of native plants, you will save time and money. Not sure which plants and flowers are native to your state? Simply click below to find out which plants will survive best in your home state.
South Carolina Wildlife Federation: Plants Native to South Carolina
North Carolina Native Plant Society: Plants Native to North Carolina
Another great resource is the USDA Hardiness Zone Map. It provides information about your area’s climate and how it will impact the way plants grow and survive.
Evergreen Plants
Evergreen plants are another great low-maintenance option for your landscape. Although you do have to water some evergreens regularly, evergreens generally survive for more than one season. After initially planting them, you won’t have to fret over replacing them the next year. Additionally, their leaves also stay green throughout the winter months, keeping your yard beautiful year-round. Common evergreens that homeowners opt for are shrubs (such as various species of hollies) or privacy trees such as Leyland Cypress.
Potted Plants
Potted plants are versatile, mobile, and convenient. Most flowers are already potted when you buy them, so all you have to do is choose a decorative pot and choose a place in your yard. If you ever decide your landscape needs a change, you can simply rearrange the potted plants. This is a great way to spruce up your landscape, maintain variety, and avoid spending time digging holes and planting flowers.
Low-Maintenance Ground Cover
Your ground cover has a major impact on your lawn’s look. Luckily, two of the major types of ground cover, mulch and rock, do not require much maintenance.
Mulch
If you’re looking for a low-maintenance ground cover, mulch is a great option for many reasons. First, you don’t have to mow or water mulch. Once it’s installed, it stays in place very well and stays looking fresh for months. In fact, you only have to touch up your mulch about twice a year. Additionally, mulch cuts off sunlight from weeds and discourages their growth, resulting in less time spent weeding your lawn. Lastly, busy homeowners do not have the time to replace diseased plants. Luckily, mulch provides critical nutrients to your soil and can prevent disease growth, saving you time and money.
Rock
Rock is a very popular choice for ground cover. It looks beautiful with almost any color house, and it compliments all plants very well. However, one of its biggest benefits is that it is extremely low-maintenance. It is not living, so like mulch, you do not have to mow or water it. Rock typically stays in place better than any ground cover due to its weight, and it also can help to prevent erosion. This will help to protect your plants, saving you both money and time on buying and installing new plants or soil. Rock also does not decompose, so it does not attract as many insects as other ground covers. Lastly, it requires the most infrequent replacement and retouching compared to all other ground covers.
Tips for a Low-Maintenance Lawn
While having low-maintenance landscaping is important, your grassy lawn is always going to take up more space on your property. Therefore, keeping it looking pristine could take hours of maintenance each week. Maintaining your lawn may seem like a time-consuming task, but we have a few tips that could save you hours each week.
Keeping Your Grass Green: Irrigation Installation
Everyone wants to have a beautiful, green lawn. In order to remain green, healthy, and quickly growing, grass must undergo the process of photosynthesis. The main sources of fuel the grass needs for photosynthesis are sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water. Without an adequate water supply, your grass will not have the optimal environment for photosynthesis and growth. However, manually keeping your lawn watered can be a time-consuming task, a task most busy homeowners do not have time for.
Installing an irrigation system can change the game in your lawn. Scheduled watering for your grass provides adequate hydration and creates the optimal environment for photosynthesis. As a result, your grass will remain green, healthy, and beautiful. In need of an irrigation system but unsure where to start? The experts at Rivers Lawn and Landscape can engineer and install an irrigation system that is perfect for your lawn’s needs.
Choosing Your Grass
In order to maintain a healthy, beautiful lawn, choosing the right grass is essential. You must choose a grass that not only grows well in your area, but that will not require frequent mowing.
Common Low-Maintenance Grasses
When it comes to low-maintenance grass, centipede is the go-to for most homeowners. Centipede is a warm-weather grass that requires less mowing, weed control, and fertilization than any other type of grass. In fact, it is often termed “lazy man’s grass” because of how easy it is to care for. Another low-maintenance option is bermuda which is also a warm-weather grass. Centipede and bermuda are also perennials, meaning they will survive from season to season without requiring to re-seeding.
Keeping Your Lawn Clean In the Fall
Many homeowners dread the fall due to the messiness it creates in our lawns. Fallen leaves make our yards look unkempt, and this can require hours of cleanup. However, rather than raking or blowing leaves for days on end, you can simply use your lawnmower to clean up the fallen leaves. Mowing over, or mulching, your leaves with your lawnmower is an easier and quicker option, and it’s even healthy and beneficial to your grass. As the shredded leaves decompose, they deposit nutrients into the soil. It’s a win-win situation for your time and your lawn’s health.
Conclusion
While lawn care can often be time-consuming, maintaining your lawn and landscape is essential to having a home that will leave neighbors jealous. By following these tips, you will set yourself up well to have a lawn that is beautiful but low-maintenance. For assistance in determining a plan for a low-maintenance lawn, we are here to help. Furthermore, to save even more time by having a professional help carry out your routine lawn care and landscaping, feel free to contact us.