.png)
Low Maintenance Landscaping
We love rock. We think it rocks! While we might benefit from mulching a property year after year, for many owners a low maintenance design is the way to go. Although the investment may be more up front, after factoring in labor year after year when replacing materials that decompose, most low maintenance options pay for themselves in just two to three years!
What does low maintenance landscaping look like?
-
River rock, pea gravel, or even standard driveway gravel in garden beds.
-
Boulders for accent stones (boulders never need to be pruned and don’t generally die).
-
Paths designed out of pavers and step stones, not mulch and pine straw.
-
Don’t overplant. Leave plenty of space between shrubs so areas can be maintained with roundup, and do not have to be pulled by hand. Wide areas to work and clean up clippings, not plants jammed on top of plants on top of plants that are hard to weed and grow together.
-
Trees and shrubs sized appropriately, that don’t have to be pruned 3-5 times per year, and don’t require any pruning once they reach mature height or shape.
-
Mowing areas open, not broken up by lots of obstacles.
-
Retaining walls of concrete, retaining wall blocks, not railroad ties and landscaping timber.
-
Steps composed of concrete or stone, not 6x6’s or landscaping timbers.
-
Artificial turf for small areas and steep slopes that are hard to mow.
-
Ground cover for steep slopes.
-
Lay landscaping fabric and keep it covered (UV rays will eat it up if you get lazy).
-
Dry creek beds of river rock for those heavy rains, so you don’t have to continually deal with erosion issues.
