You probably have better things to do with your spare time
than mow, spray, prune,
fertilize and mulch. If you’re starting to feel like a slave to
your landscape, it’s time
to make changes.
You need not sacrifice your landscape’s beauty. Here are 10
steps to get you started.
Identify your landscape’s high-maintenance features.
What’s requiring a lot of
time? For most people, mowing may be the biggest chore. Do you
spend too much time
shearing plants, pulling weeds or spraying for pests? If so,
consider alternatives.
Plan Ahead. Landscape changes require planning and may
need to be done in stages.
You may have to order new plants. Fall is best for planting.
Use the garden hose to outline new beds. Lay the hose in
the sun until it’s
flexible. Then use it to outline new beds. A sweeping bed with
flowing curves from the
foundation to the drive is appealing. Incorporate existing trees
into a large island. But
avoid having too many small islands to mow around and edge. Once
the hose shows the right
shape, use garden lime or flour to mark it.
Kill unwanted vegetation in the new bed. Use a
nonselective weed killer, like
Roundup. Don’t cultivate the bed, except to plant annual
flowers. Rototilling encourages
weed seeds to sprout. You can plant directly through killed
turf. Wait a day or more for
the herbicide to dry on the foliage and to be absorbed before
planting.
Keep the new planting simple. Three to five different
plants is all you need to
fill a large bed. You may choose to mulch a large area and not
plant it at all. Spreading
ground-cover plants cover large spaces economically. Low-growing
junipers, like Blue Rug,
Shore and Prince of Wales, are great for full sun. Variegated
Liriope, Siberian iris, day
lilies and the new dianthus, ‘Bath’s Pink'(a Georgia Gold Medal
Winner), are full-sun
choices that practically thrive on neglect. Periwinkle and harbour dwarf
nandina are great for shade. To save money, ask your nurseryman
about “liner”
plants, rooted cuttings that may cost 50 cents to $1 each.
Divide and multiply what you may already have. Fall is
ideal for dividing day
lilies, iris, Liriope and most herbaceous perennials. You may
already have these. If not,
ask a neighbor. Your low-maintenance goal is to cover every
square inch with large
groupings of plants of different textures, colors, etc., that
require little routine
maintenance.
Fill in voids with mulch. Use pine straw, pine bark
mininuggets, hardwood chips
or other organic mulch. Three to five inches will help prevent
weeds and conserve
moisture.
Keep weeds at bay. Changing any landscape area will
encourage weed growth. Keep a
spray bottle of Roundup handy to spot-treat weeds. And consider
using a granular
preemergence herbicide to keep weeds from sprouting. Many are on
the market. Two
applications per year will prevent a lot of hand-weeding.
Consolidate or eliminate high-maintenance plants. Some
plants are more trouble than
they’re worth. If insect or disease control seems a losing
battle, consider replacing
infested plants with more tolerant options. Consolidate annual
flowers in two or three
areas where you can easily care for them.
Monitor your progress and expand your efforts. If you’re
spending more time
managing the new landscape than the old, something went wrong.
Carefully chosen ground
covers and herbaceous plantings should require little routine
care once established.
Once-a-year pruning and fertilizing should be all you need.
Each 1,000 square feet converted from high- to low-
maintenance will provide at least
five more leisure hours each year. That’s a great return on your
investment.
