Having a low maintenance yard can be great if you travel a lot or have a work schedule that keeps you away from home for considerable amounts of time.
It does not have to cost a lot or be complicated to have a yard that requires minimal work.
Here are some easy ideas that will help you have a low maintenance yard.
If you have the desire for a low maintenance yard your first choice will be to decide who will do the work.
You can either have someone that specializes in landscape design do it for you or you can opt to do it yourself.
Obviously your budget will dictate which way you go.
Lawns are generally the highest maintenance often with yards.
If you want to cut down on the time required to keep your yard in great shape consider doing something with your lawn.
There are varied choices for lawn substitutes today.
You could replace our lawn with concrete.
Stamped concrete looks great and can be cut with very attractive lines for a very nice look.
Paver stone is a popular choice today.
With different style and color bricks they are interlocking and attach firmly together.
The finished look is quite attractive and requires little upkeep.
Another option is to put in artificial turf.
There are many varieties of artificial grass for yards.
They come indifferent shades and blade sizes-but most look very much like a real lawn and never have to be cut, watered or fertilized.
If you absolutely insist on having traditional grass, yet you want it to be as low maintenance as possible, fescue grass is your best choice.
With this type of grass there is minimal need for a lot of watering, fertilizing or dethatching.
It will thrive in poor soil and will grow quite well if it isn't over fertilized.
Plants and shrubs can also add to the maintenance requirements of a yard.
Consider replacements that are hardy and slow growers.
There are also plants that require minimal amounts of water as well.
There are varieties of plants from the cactus family that work well here.
Check with your local nursery for plants like these that work well in your area.
Some low maintenance designs do not have any plants; instead they feature rock and other inanimate objects that are attractive, yet require no watering, weeding or upkeep.
If you decide to have plants put in a reliable automatic irrigation system.
A drip system is best because there will be no sprinkler heads to worry about, or have to clean out and adjust regularly.
A final consideration for low maintenance in a yard is to put down a weed barrier in flower bed areas and then cover with bark or rock.
That way you will be sure that no weeds can grow through.