The Lowdown on Low Maintenance Landscaping

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The story below is an online extra from our September/October 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you! 

Our region’s experts share their tips for creating beautifully designed, easy to care for outdoor spaces.

For many homeowners, dedicating hours of time to yard work in today’s fast-paced world can be challenging (and, to some, may not sound like a whole lot of fun). But lawn and garden care doesn’t have to feel like a second full-time job. With some research, strategizing and a little sound advice from local landscaping professionals, you can transform your high-maintenance outdoor space into a hassle-free, aesthetically pleasing oasis.

The secret to a successful, long-lasting landscape requiring minimal upkeep is all in the planning. “We’re fond of saying that it’s very easy to go to the garden center, grab a bunch of plants and make a space look amazing the day the project is installed,” says Jason Childress, landscape designer at Varsity Landscaping & Grounds, LLC. “But a true test of low maintenance, sustainable landscape is what it looks like seven, 10 or 15 years down the road.”

Conducting a thorough evaluation of your project site is a crucial first step. “Plant selection largely depends on the conditions in the specific location,” says Kai Panagore of Ecoscape, LLC. “Sunlight exposure, soil type and moisture retention should all be taken into account.”

Thinking through the intended purpose of the installation is also important. “Is it replacing lawn at the front of a house in an urban setting? Or is it a native understory restoration with the goal of providing privacy and habitat in the backyard? In the first scenario, behaved clumping plants that don’t get higher than 1.5-2 feet are ideal, while in the second, taller and more aggressive species may be preferred,” explains Andreas Panagore, Kai’s husband and business partner.

Childress is in agreement. “If you pick plants that will thrive in the place they are planted, but won’t grow radically larger than what you want them to, you will spend far less time pruning and trimming, as well as be able to keep the plants for far longer.”

So what kinds of plants are generally a good fit for a low-maintenance landscape? Tim Phelps, owner of Ground Up, Inc., recommends pest-free, slow-growing varieties. Ferns as well as certain types of trees and shrubs, such as Chamaecyparis (false cyprus), Buxus microphylla (littleleaf boxwood), Callicarpa (beautyberry) and Viburnum, require fairly minimal hand-holding.

Over the last 30 years, Childress and his team have worked to compile a “tried and true” list of low-maintenance contenders. Perennials like Black-eyed Susans, coneflowers, lavender and salvias, as well as Japanese maple, deciduous magnolia and crape myrtle trees and cherry laurel, juniper and abelia shrubs all made the cut.

The Panagores always encourage integrating native species when possible because they “require the least amount of care, as they have evolved to thrive in our soil conditions and cope with our weather patterns and do not need our interference to succeed.” Some of their favorites include highbush blueberry, trumpet honeysuckle, wild columbine, purple passionflower, narrow-leaf mountain mint and catawba rhododendron. They also strongly advise against incorporating invasive species; English ivy, burning bush and maiden grass are a few of the most problematic in our area.

If one of your goals is to cut down on time spent mowing but you don’t want to lose the lush, uniform look of turf grass, Andreas indicates sedges like Carex appalachica make for a good alternative.

Outside of vegetation, there are other installations that can add some extra pizazz to your outdoor space without drastically increasing upkeep time. Mulch, says Andreas, has its perks. “It can help fend off weeds, maintain proper moisture levels and add nutrients to the topsoil as it breaks down.” Just be cognizant of the fact that overuse can lead to the suffocation of plant root systems due to reduced oxygen levels in the soil.

The popularity of hardscaping — the incorporation of man-made, non-living landscape features, including gravel walkways, water features and retaining walls — has resulted in some environmentally friendly options hitting the market. Permeable pavers, for example, look similar to those made of stone or brick but do a better job of tempering runoff from stormwater.

For those interested in a hardscape alternative to mulch, Phelps suggests creating stone beds. While the initial cost may be a little steep, the investment “will pay off over time,” as it won’t wear down as quickly.

Childress has found that landscapes that integrate a variety of different elements tend to result in the lowest maintenance requirements. “For example, a landscape that is almost all turf grass will take a long time to mow and will probably involve a lot of weed eating tight corners and hard-to-reach areas. Landscapes with extensive mulch beds may require lots of weeding time. A balanced landscape with curving mulch beds that are easy to mow around, but not too large to the point that weeding becomes overbearing typically ends up being the easiest to care for.”

Once all aforementioned determinations have been made, it’s time to prepare your site. Depending on the type of installation, this phase of the operation could include anything from smaller tasks like removing weeds and unwanted vegetation to larger projects like excavating to prep the area for the construction of a rain garden.

While all of these strategies are designed to cut down the time commitment and strenuous labor associated with maintaining your outdoor space, that doesn’t mean it won’t still require some sprucing up on occasion. Phelps and Childress concur that taking the time to prune your plants is a must so they don’t end up growing beyond the area you originally intended them to occupy. If you opt for mulch, know that it will need to be replenished occasionally as it decomposes — once every year or two, on average, depending on how liberally it was originally applied and the climate and weather conditions it’s exposed to.

Over time, some tasks considered regular care at the start may dwindle. “Leaving the leaves, planting densely and in layers does work well as a low-maintenance strategy, but it can take some years to get there,” explains Kai. “Steering your naturalistic planting in its early development by weeding out unfavorable plants in favor of the ones you do want is key to success.” 

When properly designed and maintained, property owners reap many benefits from their low-maintenance landscapes. Oftentimes, their homes stay cooler and stormwater runoff is mitigated. The need for herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers is essentially eliminated, which keeps loved ones from being exposed to the harmful chemicals often found in these products.

Perhaps the perk that leaves the biggest impact on day to day life is being able to delight in the space right outside your door rather than view it as a burden. “If you’re going to make an investment in your outdoor space, it should be something that brings you enjoyment and enhances your down time,” emphasizes Childress.

Common Misconceptions & Missteps

“Probably that you can’t have an interesting/unique/colorful landscape without tons of maintenance, when in reality, proper selection and spacing can make for a beautiful space without much maintenance.” —Jason Childress, Varsity Landscaping & Grounds, LLC

“Scattering ‘wildflower’ seeds across your lawn is not an effective way to naturalize your landscape. Many of these mixes contain plants that are not native and some are even invasive!” —Andreas Panagore, Ecoscape, LLC

“The biggest mistake I’ve observed is planting ground cover on a large scale and having to weed by hand forever.” —Tim Phelps, Ground Up, Inc.

The Virginia Conservation Assistance Program

Interested in taking a low-maintenance, sustainable approach to areas of your yard that experience erosion issues, excess runoff or spots where vegetation has a hard time growing due to standing or fast-moving water? The Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) provides financial, technical and educational assistance to those interested in pursuing the establishment of a qualifying residential or business project. The installation of meadows, mulch beds and rain gardens are among their minimal-upkeep offerings, with 80% of the total expense being reimbursed by the cost-share program. Blue Ridge Soil and Water Conservation District, covering Roanoke County and City as well as other surrounding locations, offers VCAP. For more information about this initiative, visit vaswcd.org/vcap.

The story above is an online extra from our September/October 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!