In the busy suburban hub of the nation’s Capital, fewer and fewer homeowners have time for gardening and maintenance. Although we cannot offer a maintenance-free landscape, we can help you can make choices at your home for a low-maintenance and appealing landscape. Wouldn’t it be great to come home on Friday afternoon and know you can spend the weekend outdoors enjoying it vs. maintaining it?
Tips for Low-Maintenance Landscaping
Remember, you don’t have to go at it alone. Finding a trusted designer or contractor to help you plan and execute your vision can save you time and money in the long run.
Here are a few of our favorite tips for creating a gorgeous but truly low-maintenance landscape.
- Choose native plants: native plants are made to grow in our area, so they are almost always much easier to maintain than non-native plants. Native plants are often naturally resistant to local insects and fungi, and they tend to require less water and less pruning. Native plants can also bring unexpected beauty to your yard. Some of our favorites here in Northern Virginia include Milkweed and Butterfly weed, lush Sedge grasses, a range of Ferns, lovely shrubs like Witch Hazel and Rhododendron and trees like American Holly and Magnolias.
- Choose right-sized plants: Make sure you measure your space and pick plants that won’t grow outside the designated space at full size. Nothing creates more maintenance than constantly pruning shrubs or tree branches from high traffic areas like your walkway.
- Choose color and texture of leaves over flowers: One of the biggest mistakes made in landscaping is the use of flowers for the wow-factor. Flowering perennials look great when maintained daily, but can look dreadful if neglected. Choosing flowering shrubs or shrubs with bright colored leaves will keep the landscape interesting without the daily maintenance.
- Mulch away: Mulching is one of the best ways to keep your landscape low-maintenance, healthy and looking good. Shredded Hardwood mulch is great for keeping down weeds, holding in water and looks neat and clean. Stone or pea gravel can also be attractive and effective in certain locations in your yard. Talk to your landscaping professional at Epling about what to use and where.
- Consider hardscaping: Patios and walkways are so inviting, and they require less work than lawns or landscape beds and add a gathering spot to your yard. They’re an investment up front but save you time in the long run and make that low-maintenance space one where you’ll want to spend time.
Planning For The Perfect Low-Maintenance Landscape
Experts agree that the right low-maintenance landscape requires careful planning. A professional landscape designer can help you evaluate your existing landscape and decide what to keep, what to change, what to add and what to take away.
Looking for Low Maintenance? Epling Can Help
At Epling, we can help you plan and execute the perfect low-maintenance landscape. We want our clients to have the landscape of their dreams, whether that’s acres of green lawn or a well-planned low-maintenance landscape with charming walkways, mulched beds and stunning native plants.
