by Laura Harrison

Created on: June 22, 2008   Last Updated: May 11, 2012

Potential landscape clients describe to me, how they want their properties to look. I listen carefully as my job is to combine their needs and wants into the plan I devise for them. There are a multitude of reasons for landscaping a property. Preparing it for sale, completing a commercial structure, correcting an overgrown or outdated installation. or simply for enjoyment, are just a few.

Americans fell in love with gardening twenty years ago. It seems that most everyone wants to surround themselves with beautiful growing things. The maintenance factor however, is something most enthusiasts know very little about.

There isn't a tree, shrub, or plant, that doesn't require some care. There are choices that can be made, that will require the least maintenance. They key to arriving at a low maintenance landscape is first to listen carefully to what the client wants.

Evergreens are the backbone of a low maintenance landscape. Trees are also permanent and maintenance free additions. Perennials, rose bushes, most flowering shrubbery, and ornamental specimens should be avoided like the plague. These items require pruning, feeding, trimming, and often chemical treatment, to keep them looking their best.

The use of properly selected evergreens, defines flower beds, addresses the need for height, and may provide variations in color, texture, and form. Once installed, the results are a design that stays green all year.

As with any landscape design, the availability of sun and shade are a primary consideration for the proper selection of plant materials. The condition of the soil is second. The mature height and width of the shrubs, or trees to be installed is third.

Evergreens are available in a rainbow of colors. The deep rich green of boxwoods, aborvitaes, and hollies, sets the stage for the addition of blues, yellows, reds, and other shades of green.

Even evergreens require regular and diligent watering, until their root systems are established. A haircut, or shearing every couple of years keeps them in shape. In the event of a pest infestation, fungus, or other disease, chemical treatment would be required. But for the most part, with proper selection, after the first year, evergreens will flourish on their own.

Fifty something homeowners do not want to spend every free moment maintaining their landscapes. The installation of a low maintenance design, achieves curb appeal for their homes, and gives them the freedom to pursue other interests.

When I am introduced to a client who wants to enjoy the color and blooms provided by roses, flowering shrubs and perennials, I delegate a small area for these plants. Set away from the permanent low maintenance, landscaped area, a garden for visual enjoyment meets the needs of
anyone who wants to do a little therapeutic work.

Lawns in the landscape are an area that require time and care. A perfect lawn, at the least, requires regular mowing. The application of chemicals is required to keep a lawn green, and free of pests and weeds. As an alternative to maintaining a lawn would be to eliminate the area. This can be done by killing the grass, and covering the area with mulch, or stone.

Eliminating areas of grass is a very aggressive method for eliminating all maintenance. With the installation of evergreens, elimination of grass, and avoiding the use of high maintenance plants, a low maintenance landscape is achieved.

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