Landscaping Mistakes That Lead To More Work! (Low Maintenance Landscape Tips)

I’m a new gardener and I first thought I wanted low maintenance — til I discovered maintenance is fun! I like dead heading my wild flowers, changing and morphing my beds, growing ground cover, growing vines up trellises… this is fun! I think maybe people who want low maintenance are making assumptions about it that may not be true.

This is great. Lifelong desert dweller here and the most important thing I plant first at a new house are trees to block summer sun. Sometimes you have to live through the season to see where the sun comes up and sets in August. They need to be deciduous so they cool the house in summer and let the sun help warm in winter. My Grandpa gave me that advice 50 years ago. And I have watched it work well at every house. Next to water, shade is what we need to enjoy gardening in the desert.

Nice video! New Englander here. Our climate is totally different. Over nearly 30 years, I’ve learned how to have a beautiful low-medium maintenance half-acre lawn and yard here that’s the envy of the neighborhood (not that that matters). I’ve never had to water any part of it except when I’d planted something new and my container plants. The secret is to aerate and lime every year or so, overseed it after aerating, and never mow it shorter than 3 or 4 inches. Never watering forces the grass roots to grow deep to find water on its own, cutting ‘long’ shields most of the blade from scorching summer sun, aerating de-compacts the soil so roots can grow without resistance and what rain happens can percolate easily, and overseeding thickens the grass bed so weeds don’t have a chance to take over. I used to mow it myself with a reel mower, and loved making checkerboard patterns, until my young family and I got busier. I’ve got many mature native shrubs and trees (rhodos, mountain laurel, holly, pachysandra, euonymus, crabapple, more), and their beds are edged and mulched once in the spring. They’re all spectacular when in bloom. Now in my retirement, I do have a company handle the maintenance, but that leaves me time to focus on my container and trellis plants in my hardscaped areas. Come fall, 90% of the leaves in my yard come from my neighbors’ trees, but I don’t mind because we all like each other!

Have been gardening for decades. As I age, my time and energy has become more and more important. I am in the process of getting rid of anything that deer and rabbits tend to eat. These are beautiful plants, sometimes expensive, that require either spraying or covering to keep them safe. It has become too discouraging and expensive. I am first taking our my lilies. I am replacing some of them with alliums, and some with dwarf crape myrtles. I have too many to replace them all this year, but it is a start. I have also bought a dwarf butterfly bush for a sunny corner where. I had black eyed Susan’s that were devoured by deer. I love color in the garden and believe I can still have it and not continue to feed the wildlife.

Many people new to landscaping, forget to figure in the mature size of plants & end up with huge plantings that require frequent trimming.

What a genius. Wonderful architecture. Looks very neat, green and absolutely low maintenance and more space.

Wow, gorgeous. I'm a more hardcore native plant person myself but I must say that these landscape designs are stunning. Liked and subscribing.

Really love these plantings. The textures and color palette give a very soothing, relaxed vibe. Also shows how water-wise plantings can still feel lush if done right. Bravo.

Appropriate, calming, and considerate... very inviting.

I want a low maintenance garden but I can’t simply do that. I love adding annuals and love a lush lawn. Good thing I love gardening. You did such a great job with the textures of plants.

Finally! A YouTube channel that has a pro telling the right way to landscape. You're right, if you have a plan with a good design it actually IMPROVES with age, without the need to keep removing and replacing plants, which is ridiculous and expensive. New subscriber here - keep up the good work! 😊

Gave up on mulched front yard because after a hard rain the street would flood and wash the mulch away. Tried groundcover instead but couldnt keep up with keeping weeds and grass from taking over. A lot of commercial properties don't do groundcover anymore for maintenance reasons. Now going to just grass.

Thanks for going through all of these. It is nice to discover low maintenance landscaping ideas that stays low maintenance.

I appreciate the homeowners requirement is being met and your explanation made all the difference. It is close to warm climate commercial in appearance. I have come to understand that I have never been a low maintenance gardener.

When I walk our garden in PA I look for caterpillars, butterflies, bees, birds and ripening fruit both for us and the birds. Your landscape is pleasing to the eye but seems a bit of an ecological desert. Do you get to pick loquat fruit? Any birds? Interesting video.

I love this video. I'm a new gardener who is trying to rescue and maintained a long neglected gorgeous garden on a beautiful large group home property... I am having the time of my life

Tremendous work! Simple, effective, well thought out, sustainable, what's not to love :)

Your landscaping is absolutely breathtaking!!

This is what I am looking for!

I love your informative videos! I didn't know about the dwarf agave, they are lovely. I especially like the olive trees at the front door because they symbolize peace and tranquility. Too bad the front door entrance is hidden behind the bulk of the tree. If the homeowner truly wanted to cut back on less water usage in California, perhaps they might consider placing the fountain in another spot where the spillage can help other plants/herbs/flowers. We planted herbs and veggies all around our fountain because the wind and fountain pump kept splashing the water on the ground. We're in hot Northern California zone 9 and have lived with the never ending drought situation.