Lower the Maintenance in Your Yard

Spring has sprung! You know what that means … yard work and gardening. If you’re like me, you don’t have a lot of time for these ongoing chores. It’s a good thing there are many ways to make your yard as low maintenance as possible.

·         Every spring spread a new layer of mulch around flower beds and other landscaping. This will trap moisture for your plants and also help to hold back the weeds leaving you with less watering and weeding to do.

·         A layer of pretty stone around landscaping will serve the same purpose as mulch. This option is a little pricier but will last a lot longer. Stones come in a variety of colors and can complement the color of your house and landscaping adding additional curb appeal.

·         When planning out your flowerbeds, be sure to plant a lot of perennials, preferably colorful ones with long bloom times and native to your area. Perennials come back year after year and many of them will re-seed themselves and spread. If they spread too much, you can transplant them in different areas of your yard.

·         Lavender is a great perennial. It only needs watering about once a week and they have a beautiful fragrance. It’s especially good to plant near patios or decks as it helps to keep bugs at bay.

·         If you’re planting new grass or laying sod, make sure it’s grass that is native to your area. A grass that is suited to your climate will need less water and overall maintenance.

·         If you don’t have a lot of time or space for flower beds around your house, make a “garden” or focal point in your yard, patio or porch with potted plants. The versatility is endless but you still have to remember to water them on a regular basis too!

·         Patios and decks are a great way to extend your living space and decrease the amount of yard to take care of. A good quality stone patio or a deck made out of a wood alternative offer the lowest upkeep as compared to wood decking which requires staining every few years.

·         Remember to rake up the leaves in the fall as they tend to rot the grass underneath during the winter months leaving you with bald patches in the spring. Raking is hard work but it’s a better alternative than trying to patch up the lawn with new grass.

Another alternative is to move to Arizona where many people have no grass or landscaping at all, just dirt, rocks and cactus. It’s called xeriscaping and it's a type of landscape design that requires little to no water and maintenance. Sounds tempting, especially when you're in the middle of mowing the yard in the heat and humidity of a Michigan summer!