Kathy’s Gardening Guide: Low Maintenance Landscaping

By Kathy Esfahani

LOW MAINTENANCE  LANDSCAPING

Want to spruce up your yard but don’t want “high maintenance” plantings?

Every flower and plant has some type of maintenance, but you can find evergreens and colorful plants that you don’t have to do too much!

A few tips: You should base plant choices on more interesting foliage than flowers. Flowers often require more time, deadheading and replacement. Foliage can be colorful, have interesting shapes, and have neat texture. Variegated versions often offer stripes or splashes of color. By using larger plants that cascade over, you will cover more space with less plantings, hence, less maintenance. Low-ground covers spread over the bottom of the beds create a lush, full look. Plants with a pleasing natural form require less trimming for the preferred appearance and evergreens help keep the…