10 Tips for Designing a Low-Maintenance Garden

When upgrading your property’s outdoor space, adding in colorful greenery and unique hardscaping elements can truly bring your yard to life. But many plants, materials and appliances can be expensive and time-consuming to maintain, making your new space difficult to truly enjoy. As a property owner, low-maintenance garden design can reduce costs, time requirements, resource usage and more while still providing you with a unique outdoor sanctuary. And at Blue Lizard Services, we can help you determine how best to bring your garden dreams to life. From plant and structural additions to garden layouts, we have compiled 10 popular low-maintenance gardening tips to help get you started on your designs:

1. Plant Perennials Instead of Annuals

Perennials are defined as plants which live for at least two years, though some can live for much longer. As such, choosing perennials allows you to save money by avoiding yearly purchases of new greenery. These plants are often divided into a number of different categories, including: 

• Herbaceous: The aboveground parts of these plants die back each fall and winter, while the roots remain alive and intact. Then, each spring, the plant will regrow from the roots. This category includes oriental poppies, salvia, sedum and back-eyed Susans.
• Evergreen: Perennial plants which don’t shed their leaves during fall and winter, providing you with greenery year-round. Evergreen perennials include lavender, hellebore, boxwood, agave and some ferns.
• Woody: These plants have hard stems which stay aboveground throughout the year. This category not only includes evergreens, but also plants many property owners don’t typically think of as perennials, such as trees. Other woody perennials include dogwood, honeysuckle and roses. 

2. Keep Your Garden Healthy with Native, Drought-Tolerant Plants 

Native plants are types of greenery which have been growing and evolving in specific regions for millennia, allowing them to offer a range of potential benefits to property owners. Over time, for example, these plants have adapted to your area’s specific climate, enabling them to take whatever beatings the weather throws their way. Additionally, native plants may use up less water, are unlikely to need fertilizer treatments and can help prevent soil erosion, as their root systems are typically deep and extensive. Native Louisiana plants include blueberry, elderberry, foxglove, cone flower, okra and yellow jasmine, also known as Carolina jessamine. 

3. Choose Turf or Gravel Over Grass Lawns

Artificial turf gives your outdoor space the appearance of a grass lawn without the need for maintenance or excessive water usage. And since artificial grass can never die, you don’t have to worry about unsightly bald spots or dead patches ruining the appearance of your yard. However, turf isn’t the most eco-friendly option, and it may pose a health risk over time. 

If you’d like a more natural-looking yard, you could also create a gravel garden dotted with native plants. However, be warned that they’re higher maintenance than you might expect. To keep your space as attractive and healthy as possible, you’ll still need to perform tasks like weeding, which may be more difficult with so many rocks in the way. 

4. Groundcover and Ornamental Grasses Add Color and Texture to Your Yard

Looking for interesting colors and textures, as well as an increase in outdoor biodiversity, without high maintenance needs? Ornamental grasses such as fountain, reed, hakone and maiden grass may be just what you’re looking for, as these plants are often drought tolerant, resistant to heat and relatively pest-free. You can also try low-growing flowering or evergreen groundcover plants such as ice plants, heather, rock rose and creeping juniper. However, while both options can be attractive replacements for grass lawns, you’ll need to create some kind of path in your yard. Unlike lawn grass, neither ornamental grasses nor groundcover would appreciate being stepped on. 

5. Simplify Your Space

The more you have in your garden, the more there is to take care of. Even if every soft- and hardscaping element is low maintenance, a garden packed to the gills with plants, furniture and structures is unlikely to be time- or cost-effective. Try to find a balance between low-maintenance plants, structural installations, and equipment such as lights and irrigation systems. Done right, this will allow you to enjoy your space without constantly worrying about heat, cold and water usage. Additionally, modern yard designs—often full of geometric shapes, multifunctional furniture, neutral colors and sophisticated minimalism—may serve your space well. 

6. Rewild Your Yard

Alternatively, you can let portions of your garden run wild. Plant a range of native greenery that won’t need too much attention and let nature take its course. For example, allow fallen leaves to sit on the ground and provide shelter for various critters. In the end, you may find yourself pleasantly surprised at the hive of biodiversity and wildlife activity your garden becomes.

7. Limit Your Use of Pots; Choose Large Planters Instead

Individual plant pots means individual care—and the more plants you have, the more time and materials they will take up. Additionally, as plants outgrow their pots, you’ll need to find larger containers as well as spaces in which to place them, potentially crowding sections of your garden. Instead, consider focusing on raised garden beds. An attractive garden bed can become a focal point for your garden, and easy-to-install protection can keep insects and animals off of any herbs or produce you plant. Plus, not only are they easier to reach into to care for, but densely-packed plants may suppress any weed growth, reducing maintenance tasks.

8. Extend Your Living Space with a Deck or Patio

Instead of a grass lawn, consider extending your living space outdoors via hardscaping. Add a patio or deck made from materials such as brick, concrete or composite decking to keep maintenance to a minimum. And while it may sound antithetical to the idea of a low-maintenance garden, clean and care for your space regularly. This will help make tasks such as sweeping off debris go quicker, reducing the time spent on maintenance as well as the chances of costly damage. 

9. Carefully Consider Furniture Materials and Styles

Make sure that your furniture is as low-maintenance as your soft- and hardscaping. Furniture made out of materials such as aluminum, teak and synthetic resin is typically durable, stylish and easily cleaned, requiring minimal care to remain in good condition. Additionally, stackable and multifunctional furniture can help you save space, while removable and machine-washable cushion covers allow you to easily keep your furniture clean and comfortable. 

10. Take Advantage of Compost and Mulch

Add compost (organic material which is in the process of decomposing) and mulch (material such as wood chips, leaves and straw which covers the soil surface) to your garden. These materials may offer benefits including: 

• Helping soil to conserve moisture, limiting how often you need to water your plants 
• Compost may help soil to retain nutrients and loosen dense earth, boosting the health of your garden
• Using your own kitchen scraps to start composting saves you money, as you can avoid purchasing store-bought compost
• When placed in a thick enough layer, mulch can help prevent weed growth. 

Take the Stress Out of Your Outdoor Living Space with Blue Lizard Services

Whether a public gathering place or part of a commercial or residential property, well-designed gardens serve as calming oases in a busy world. But high-maintenance gardens can make what should be a relaxing refuge into a constant drain on your time, energy and wallet. Thankfully, however, there is a way around this: low-maintenance garden design. By carefully choosing your soft- and hardscaping elements, you can ensure that your garden will remain attractive and durable with as little maintenance as possible. And if you’re not sure where to get started, Blue Lizard Services is here to help. With over 20 years of experience providing landscaping services to customers across Louisiana, we can ensure that your garden will be everything you want it to be. 

Ready to start redesigning your outdoor space? Blue Lizard Services is here to help. Just give us a call or send us a message to schedule a consultation today