Unless you decide to cover your property in rocks and cacti, any landscape you decide to create will need at least some maintenance. The good news is, though, that it’s easier than you think to design a beautiful outdoor environment for your home. All it takes is some advanced planning.
The first thing to remember is that simple designs are best. Every extra foot of bed edge, rockwork and fence line can mean more weed eating or edging work for you. Elaborate plantings that require a variety of plants need more attention to keep them looking good.
Whatever kind of landscape layout you do end up choosing, keep the following design principles in mind:
Group plants strategically
Keep plants with similar care needs together. Put higher maintenance trees, shrubs and flowers near your home where the added beauty may justify the added work.
Plant less the further out you go
As you move outward from your home, design areas that need less maintenance the. If your property has a place where you will want to spend more time, invest the majority of your time, effort and money there.
Big, rounded beds are better
Make beds large and sweeping and combine several small beds into one large one to reduce mowing time. Avoid sharp angles. Gradual curves are easier to mow and more pleasing to the eye.
Bed your trees together
If you have several trees growing close together in your lawn, consider creating a large bed around them. This will save you having to mow and edge around each trunk. It will also provide a place to put dead leaves, which can be used as natural mulch.
Delineate between turf and bed zones with edging
This is a good idea because it will prevent St. Augustine and some kinds of Zoyias grasses from invading your landscape. Remember that edging made of metal or better quality plastic is best. Anything else won’t endure.
