Low Maintenance Landscaping Ideas for Busy Homeowners

As beautiful as large, sprawling gardens and lawns are, they are generally not a match made in heaven for busy homeowners. While stunning to look at, they can be time-consuming to maintain. They can also quickly become overgrown and jungle-like when left to their own devices.

Being a time-poor homeowner may mean you can’t always have your dream garden, but it doesn’t mean you can’t have a beautiful yard that you’re proud to call yours. Explore some of these low-maintenance landscaping ideas below for an eye-catching space that requires minimal upkeep.

Grow Drought-Tolerant Plants

Plants that require intensive watering to stay alive can be hard work. Busy homeowners don’t always want to be outside, wrangling with a hose to stop their prized plants from dying. Fortunately, the average plant nursery has many different varieties of beautiful drought-tolerant plants to choose from.

If you grow plants like Dietes, Lamb’s Ears, Poor Knights, and Japanese Iris, you can enjoy a beautiful, thriving garden with minimal intervention.

Install Automated Irrigation Systems

While you might not have time for regular watering, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t own plants that require frequent watering. Install an automated irrigation system, such as a soaker hose or drip irrigation. These watering systems are designed to ensure your plants receive consistent moisture without you having to play a part in providing it.

You can simply set up the system and let it work its magic. You’ll then be able to enjoy healthy, vigorous plants that take care of themselves.

Create Rock Gardens

While soil-heavy gardens are aesthetically pleasing, they typically require a great deal of maintenance. This is especially true if you need to add mulch and break up the dirt to help your plants thrive.

Creating a rock garden would spell the end of that time-consuming task. Install rocks in your garden and plant drought-tolerant plants between them, like succulents and grasses. Rock gardens are easy-care and attractive. The rocks also help by retaining moisture, meaning you’ll rarely have to worry about watering the plants.

Grow Groundcover Plants

Weeding is undoubtedly one of the most time-consuming parts of tending to a yard. It can sometimes seem like they grow back as soon as you pull them out! However, weeding might nearly be an activity of the past if you were to grow ground cover plants.

Ground cover plants like New Zealand Cushion Bush, New Zealand Daphne, and Baby’s Tears can form a barrier against weed invasion. As the plants are taking up all available growing space, there’s no room for weeds to thrive.

Install Hardscapes

Plants, even the low-maintenance variety, can be hard work. Even lawns need at least a small amount of care, like regular mowing. If you have limited time to dedicate to living plants, install hardscapes. They can be aesthetically pleasing while also reducing how much green space you have to tend to.

There are many different hardscape elements and materials to choose from, such as decks, patios, pathways, pavers, and gravel. Hardscapes are also the perfect option for lock-and-leave properties you may not visit frequently.

Try Artificial Turf

While artificial turf won’t suit everyone, it may be ideal for homeowners with small yards who want to say goodbye to lawn mowing for good. Artificial turf can look like natural grass but looks perfect without any fertilising, watering, or mowing.

However, it’s important to be aware of its drawbacks. Many homeowners find that artificial grass can be hot to walk on in the summer, is expensive to install, and isn’t the most eco-friendly option. You may be better off installing natural turf and hiring a lawn care expert to tend to it for you.

Build Raised Garden Beds

Garden beds cut into lawn areas can look beautiful, but they aren’t always the most convenient option for busy homeowners. They require edging, weeding, and ongoing care. It’s also not uncommon for plants to grow out of control.

You may be able to enjoy the same plants but with less maintenance by building raised garden beds. You can fill them with high-quality soil to reduce the need for constant soil improvement. Plants can also grow in a controlled environment, with weeding being a faster and more manageable task.

Grow Perennial Plants

Replanting your favourite plants can be time-consuming. You might enjoy how they look, but not how much time they take to produce yearly. Grow perennial plants, and that can be a problem of the past. Perennial plants grow year after year without needing to be replanted. There are many different varieties to explore, like Achillea millefolium, Ageratum houstonianum, and Campanula lactiflora.

Outsource Yard Care to the Experts

You don’t always have to design a low-maintenance yard to match your busy schedule. Instead, you can create your dream garden and lawn area and outsource its care to the experts. Contact lawn mowing and gardening experts like Crewcut today so you can admire your beautiful slice of paradise without having to lift a finger.