Low-Maintenance Plants For Easy Gardening
A low-maintenance garden is a great way to enjoy the outdoors without the ongoing need for upkeep or gardening. Whether you are a busy homeowner, struggle with mobility or simply want to have more time to enjoy the outdoors, rather than caring for it, creating a low-maintenance landscape is highly appealing.
At the foundation of any low-maintenance garden are the plants you choose. Plants usually require a lot of care to ensure they bloom healthily and remain a focal point in your garden design. From watering to pruning and planting, what you include in your garden impacts how much work is needed to maintain it, and luckily, there are plenty of options for low-maintenance plants.
In this guide, Urban Landscapes is sharing the best recommendations for low-maintenance plants to meet all gardening requirements. These plants are easy to take care of throughout the seasons and can be used to complement any kind of garden design.
What Makes A Plant Low-Maintenance?
There are various elements that can impact how much maintenance is needed to keep a plant healthy and attractive. Low-maintenance plants are those which reduce the need for common gardening tasks, such as watering, pruning and fertilising.
This is why common features of low-maintenance plants include:
- Drought Tolerance: Which means they can survive in hot, dry conditions with little to no water
- Disease Tolerance: Hardy plants have developed an organic resistance to common diseases and infections, which usually require additional maintenance or treatment to remedy
- Slow Growth: With a slower growth pattern, low-maintenance plants do not require as frequent pruning or shaping as other species, meaning your garden can grow freely without concern
- Perennial: Perennials are plants that return to your garden year after year. Once a life cycle ends, the plant will regrow and become a staple in your garden design without additional effort
The Best Low-Maintenance Perennials For Any Landscape
As we have mentioned, perennials are some of the best low-maintenance plants because they return to your garden each year. With perennials, you do not have to redesign your landscape with each new season, and you can rely on structural or focal plants to make an impact.
Without the need for ongoing planning and planting, perennials are ideal for low-maintenance gardens, and allow you to spot the changing of the seasons without additional effort. Some of the best perennials for a low-maintenance garden include:
- Lavender: A staple of British gardeners, lavender is one of the best low-maintenance plants as it is a perennial while also being drought-resistant. Care is easy with lavenders, and they offer a beautiful soothing fragrance as well as being pollinator-friendly
- Sedum (Stonecrop): This is a hardy succulent that is commonly used in garden borders or containers, as the leaves remain throughout the year. For additional appeal, these low-maintenance plants produce seasonal colour through their flowers
- Coneflower: To ensure your low-maintenance garden is colourful, consider using coneflowers, which are long-flowering and self-seeding, so they will continue to thrive throughout the seasons without ongoing care
- Geranium ‘Rozanne’: Ideal for small gardens or those looking for a low-maintenance lawn alternative, these plants provide a sprawling ground cover with blue flowers and green leaves that thrive throughout the seasons
Easy Care Shrubs And Evergreens For Year-Round Structure
Shrubs are a staple in low-maintenance gardens as they can offer year-round foliage and structure. Ideal for both traditional and contemporary garden designs, shrubs and hedges do not necessarily have to mean hard work, as pruning is not always required when choosing species such as:
- Box Hedges: A classic choice for evergreen shrubs, these low-maintenance plants provide year-round structure and privacy in the garden and only require occasional shaping to keep them neat
- Hydrangea Paniculata: To add colour and interest to your low-maintenance garden, consider these shrubs with their showy blooms. Despite the seasonal blooms and changes, these hedges require low upkeep
- Choisya (Mexican Orange Blossom): A great option for scent and colour in the garden, these highly fragrant hedges are evergreen to keep their colour and structure all year round
- Photinia ‘Red Robin’: A simple way to ensure colour in your garden throughout the year, and a staple for winter gardens, the colourful foliage of these hedges can complement a variety of homes. It maintains the same growing patterns all year, keeping it low-prune
Ground Covers To Suppress Weeds And Reduce Lawn Care
Designing a low-maintenance garden often requires a reduction or complete removal of the lawn. Lawn care takes up a lot of time and energy, and therefore grass has no place in low-maintenance landscapes. An alternative option to traditional grass is ground cover plants, many of which are low-maintenance and can offer additional benefits such as weed suppression to make gardening even easier.
If you are looking for a replacement for your lawn or a way to reduce the space and the work that comes with it, consider these low-maintenance plants:
- Thyme: A traditional herb, Thyme is a great low-maintenance plant as it provides seasonal interest with its summer flowers and year-round aromatic scent. It is a great alternative to grass because it is walkable and safe
- Heuchera: To brighten up your garden and ensure it is a vibrant landscape no matter the weather, this low-maintenance plant offers colourful foliage all year-round
- Ajuga (Bugleweed): Ideal for large gardens or ground spaces, these low-maintenance ground covers spread easily but remain low-growing, so pruning and mowing are not required
- Periwinkle (Vinca): For small or shaded gardens, periwinkle is a fast ground cover option that can thrive in low-light areas
Low-Maintenance Grasses And Ferns For Height And Texture
Grasses and foliage are a great way to decorate a low-maintenance garden, especially those seeking a contemporary garden design. The height and texture provided add depth to the garden, and the movement of the leaves makes your garden feel alive without excess decoration.
Some of the best low-maintenance plants in this category include:
- Carex (Sedge): This grass-like plant offers evergreen leaves and foliage which provides texture and movement to your garden. It is clump-forming and pairs well with other plants or grasses, allowing you to create a layered planting display with ease
- Festuca Glauca: A popular ornamental grass, the blue-toned blades provide additional pops of colour and depth to the garden without more work
- Japanese Forest Grass: These low-maintenance plants are ideal for sheltered, overlooked, and small gardens as they thrive in the shade. They are low-maintenance because they require minimal grooming and will be a focal point in your planting displays
- Dryopteris (Fern): The elegant leaves of ferns make them a staple in all kinds of garden designs, and they are one of the best low-maintenance plants because they thrive in shade and require little to no additional care
Conclusion
A low-maintenance garden does not have to be boring, as there are plenty of options for simple, effective planting. Using a combination of evergreen shrubs, ground covers, and perennials allows you to create a low-effort, but attractive and vibrant landscape that thrives in all seasons.
As well as relying on low-maintenance plants, another great way to reduce the work needed in your garden is to rely on professional support such as from our team. Urban Landscapes is a leading landscape gardener service, offering a range of solutions to bring out the best in your garden throughout the year.
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FAQs
Are low-maintenance plants suitable for containers?
Yes, many low-maintenance perennials such as lavender, sedum, and heuchera grow well in pots and are easy to take care of in various locations.
Do low-maintenance gardens still attract wildlife?
Your garden can still be a haven for wildlife when relying on low-maintenance plants, as many species are pollinator-friendly. Plants such as echinacea, lavender, and sedum are highly attractive to bees and butterflies, and a staple in low-maintenance gardens.
How do I stop weeds in a low-maintenance garden?
To reduce the need for hand-weeding, rely on mulch or ground cover plants to suppress weed growth and stop the issue ahead of time.
