As we get older, our lives get busier: with work, with families, and with hobbies. For some people, gardening and landscaping is a good stress-reliever, getting rid of the stress of the day. For others, it creates just one more headache. Or maybe we’ve hit an age where we’re simply not as mobile as we once were. Or maybe you simply don’t have much of a green thumb, but still want to have a beautiful yard. Whatever the case, KG Landscape is here to help create low-maintenance landscape designs that fit your life.
Hardscaping
One option to create less work for yourself in the long run is to look into
designing a patio
for your yard. A
well designed paver
patio space will reduce the amount of lawn that needs to be mowed and maintained, and has the benefit of adding outdoor entertaining space.
Pro-tip: Add potted plants to your patio space! If you contain your planting to pots, you don’t need to worry about maintaining flower beds and weeds through Minnesota’s changing seasons. Potted plants have the additional benefit of being mobile. If you’re entertaining or simply want to change things up, you can rearrange plants and flowers to your heart’s content. You can also design and adjust the planting to the changing seasons; use evergreen trunks and pieces during winter or mums and colorful leaves in the fall.
Use Easy Low Maintenance Plants
Select tough drought-resistant perennials if you don’t want to water your gardens every day or replace plants every spring. In Minnesota, some good options are:
- ornamental grasses like "Karl forester' grass
- daylilies
- sedum
- catmint
- allium
- hostas
- ferns
Of course, you can’t go wrong with evergreens. Not only are they low-maintenance, but they’ll give your yard a splash of color in the deepest winter. Generally speaking, evergreen shrubs are slow growing, which means less trimming. Our favorites are:
- Yews
- Arborvitaes
- Barberry
- Boxwoods
- Junipers
- Spruce
- Pine
Rock Gardens
Creating a rock garden is another great way to create a low-maintenance space. Rock gardens have the benefit of not needing to be redone every couple years like mulch. Once rock is installed, it doesn't require top dressing. You’ll need to keep on top of the weeds initially, but after your plants become established, that will become less of an issue. Perennials can fill in the areas covered by soil instead of rocks, and will require little upkeep. Ground cover plants are especially good for rock gardens, as they’ll grow to fill the space. Easy ground cover plants include:
- Alyssum
- Sedum
- Hen-and-chicks
- Ice plant
- Creeping thyme
- Phlox (these also come in annual varieties)
- Bunchberry
Taller perennials, including some of the easy-to-care-for ones above, are lovely additions to rock gardens, giving them a pop of color.
Other Tips
- Consider installing an irrigation system with drip line in the plants beds to reduce time spent watering your lawn and gardens. A smart irrigation system will even take into account the amount of rain your lawn has received and adjust the sprinklers accordingly.
- Use mulch in your gardens. Mulch will hold moisture in the soil and cut down on weeds. It will need to be replaced every 1-2 years, but the amount of weeding you won’t be doing will be worth it.
- Remove leaves from your grass in the fall. Excess leaf cover can block sunlight, suffocating your lawn and creating more work to rejuvenate your yard in the spring.
- If you have a water feature as part of your landscaping (or would like to install one), consider leaving fish out of the picture. While they are a beautiful addition to any pond, they do create more work. Having fish creates a need for a pond filter, which has to be maintained, and can also lead to increased algae growth.
- If you can, consider placing your more labor-intensive features nearer to your shed or garage. This will save some effort in walking to gardens, carrying tools, and hauling hoses.
- Hire a professional to mow and fertilize your lawn . Grass requires a lot of upkeep, and sometimes you simply don’t have time to maintain it, or would like to spend that time with family or pursuing hobbies. Hiring someone to come out on a regular basis can help take the stress away from maintaining your yard.
Love the ideas for a low-maintenance yard but aren’t sure where to get started? We would be happy to help create the yard of your dreams. Give us a call today at (763) 568-7251 or send us a message through our quick quote system .
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