All yards need some level of upkeep. But certain factors can impact whether you have low-maintenance landscaping or a labor-intensive yard. For instance, watering and mowing can take a large chunk of yard care time, as can weeding and pruning. And some plants have higher care needs than others to keep them looking their best. But there are solutions to have a beautiful yard and save on labor.
Here are low-maintenance landscaping tips to help keep your yard work to a minimum.
Save Water and Money With Xeriscaping
Maintaining a lawn not only can be labor-intensive, but it also can be costly. You might have to spend a lot of money on watering a lawn—or even replacing one that has succumbed to drought. Avoid this completely by changing your landscape design with xeriscaping, a gardening method in which you choose plants that require minimal supplemental watering.
Use an Automatic Irrigation System
Skip the lawn care routine, which involves having to drag a garden hose all around your property, and install an automatic irrigation system. These systems make watering your plants convenient and precise. You can target certain areas that need more water for maximum efficiency. And you can set the system to run even if you won’t be home, meaning your plants won’t go thirsty if you travel.
Try Clover as an Alternative to Grass
Clover seeds used to be included in the typical lawn seed mix, being appreciated as a ground cover with numerous attractive qualities. Clover lawns have many advantages over traditional grass lawns, including their drought tolerance. Clover also is insect-resistant, competes well with weeds, and doesn’t have to be mowed often. When mixed with other lawn grasses, clover also supplies nitrogen to improve grass health. So your lawn will likely need less supplemental fertilizer on your part.
Add a Rock Garden
Rock gardens typically contain drought-resistant plants that don’t need much care. Moreover, the rocks themselves are decor that never needs to be watered or tended to in any way, and they still have a natural visual appeal like plants. Just make sure to choose plants with similar growing needs for your rock garden. For example, make sure they all like lots of sunlight if your rock garden is in full sun. That way, you won’t have to worry about providing individualized care.
Plant Deer-Resistant Ground Covers
Using ground covers is a smart landscape solution that can reduce watering needs and mowing time. But, when deer come to snack on your ground cover plants, you need to refine your strategy. Be sure to select ground covers that deer tend to avoid, such as sweet woodruff and lamb’s ear. That way, you won’t have to spend the time, money, or effort replacing eaten plants.
Add Mulch
Mulch is an unsung hero of landscaping in Conway SC. An application of mulch can reduce your watering needs significantly by maintaining soil moisture and keeping plant roots cool. Mulch also suppresses weeds, making yard care much easier. Plus, as it decomposes, it can enrich the soil and improve its texture. And you can use a mulch to protect plants over the winter rather than having to remove and replant them.
Plant Drought-Tolerant Perennials
There’s nothing wrong with growing an annual plant that needs lots of water if you love it for your garden. But it will take a lot of work for only one growing season’s worth of enjoyment compared to a drought-tolerant perennial that should last many years. To reduce the amount of care your landscape needs, opt for drought-tolerant shrubs and other perennials, especially in areas of the yard that get full sun (which increases a plant’s moisture needs). They’ll look great year after year with little help from you or a lawn care professional.
Control Erosion With Smart Plant Choices
By being proactive and taking measures before erosion occurs, you can save yourself a lot of lawn maintenance later. Runoff coming down a hill can have devastating effects not only on your landscaping but even on your home. So it’s important to practice erosion control with your plants. Select plants that can grow on slopes, holding back soil and sucking up water. Creeping junipers are commonly used for this purpose.
Consider Moss as a Grass Alternative
Mosses are fuss-free plants that can be used as an alternative to grass lawns. They’re especially suitable for shady spots where most types of grass refuse to grow. They form dense patches that certainly beat having bare spots on your lawn from trying and failing to nurture grass. Sometimes moss will even pop up naturally in those shady areas. Rather than fighting it, take the path of least resistance and allow it to fill in.
Adjust Your Landscaping for Dogs
Dogs can run a yard ragged. If you have dogs, you’ll probably have to make adjustments to your landscaping. And the smartest adjustments you can make are the ones that will result in the least labor in the long run. Among these is switching to a type of grass that holds up better under “paw traffic,” such as Bermuda grass or tall fescue grass. A clover lawn also is ideal because it won’t show the unsightly yellow stains, or burns, from canine urine like typical grass does.
Call Conway Lawn Care Service now if you need help with landscaping or lawn care services.
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Conway Lawn Care Service
Conway, SC 29526
843-353-2259
http://conwaylawncareservices.com/