Wilson Blacktop's Landscaping Tips

• By admin
• In Landscaping

Low Maintenance Landscaping Ideas for Excellent Curb Appeal

The summer season is for fun and family, trips to the pool, the amusement park and of course, the beach. Are your free days filled with lawn work, leaving little time to socialize? Perhaps this is the year you begin making changes to allow you to spend less time on the lawn. But, what about curb appeal and the value it adds to the home? Consider the following low maintenance landscaping ideas that actually improve curb appeal and free up more time for you to enjoy the summer.

Add Rock Gardens

Rock gardens can replace the lawn or part of it. Install a rock garden in sun or shade. Showy shade loving flowers such as Astilbe and Variegated Solomon’s Seal draw attention to the rock garden in a shady spot. A layer of mulch holds water in, so the chore of watering is necessary less often.

Plant easy-to-grow succulents like Sedum, Stonecrop, and Agave in full or partial sun. Succulents store water and grow well when surrounded with stones such as Red Lava Rock. Watering is limited with these plants, saving more time for you to do other things. Many of theses varieties offer several seasons of interest, making your year-round, low maintenance landscape more valuable due to the ease of care.

After a rainy day, your mulch can be anywhere the water run off carries it. River rock can offer a solution to this annoying problem: create a path for the water to travel along using river rock. This diverts the rain water and keeps the mulch in its place while adding interest to the landscape.

More Low Maintenance Landscaping Ideas

Consider an attractive herb garden for a sunny spot near the kitchen or deck. Perennial herbs such as Rosemary, Lavender, and the many varieties of Thyme return year after year. Leave bare spots for annual necessities such as Basil, Cilantro, Dill, and Summer Savory. Don’t overcrowd plants, leave room for them to grow.

Keep mints and some of their square-stemmed perennial relatives in check by planting in containers. Use attractive, upright pots or wooden boxes to contain them to the herb garden. Plant near a wall or fence, if one is available.

Herbs love being surrounded by rocks. River rocks or Belden Red Brick Chips are attractive ground covers between the herb plants. Decorative Pea Pebbles or mulch between plant boxes provide an attractive, weed-free walking path. Place a thick layer to help suppress weeds. To further eliminate weeds from bursting through the gravel or mulch, begin with a layer of landscape fabric. To go along with our “low maintenance” theme, don’t give those weeds a chance to establish. More time saved when it’s not spent pulling or spraying weeds.

Jack Ketcham, Herb Garden CC2.0

Remember the Mulch 

Don’t forget the mulch in other areas. Mulch is an excellent means of holding moisture in the soil. When added to all flower beds throughout the landscape, it provides a look and feel of continuity. Use it to surround a rock garden or keep weeds from a garden path. This easy application makes your home more valuable, as you spend less time on maintenance.

Robin Zebrowski, Front landscaped yard

Let us help as you make the move to low maintenance landscaping in order to free up your time and enjoy the summer. Use our online calculator if you’re unsure of the amount of material you’ll need for your yard. You can peruse our wide range of products by viewing our inventory at WilsonBlacktop.com.

Have questions? We’re happy to answer any you have as you move to less lawn and less work on your property. Contact us.

Featured image: Susan Harris, Pam Penick’s Austin Front Yard