Easy Maintenance Gardens
By Rick Laughlin

So you desire an easy maintenance garden?  Well, the first thing is to establish key factors involved in it. Most landscapes I work on are existing that the owners are trying to reduce maintenance and improve their overall appearance.

I begin by sitting inside their house for about ½ hour discussing their basic lifestyle and landscape needs.  I ask them what their landscape style/type is, design mood (relaxing, private, social or open), any favorite childhood memories, what they like about the architecture of their house, outdoor activities, and how they see themselves using their landscape.  Next, we step outside to discuss the spaces I am going to improve.

First task is to establish any hardscapes like patios, decks, and fire pits. Providing them with circulation to link key areas and tie it all together.  Once we have defined the hardscape areas and circulation, I am ready to lay out planting beds. Low maintenance gardens feature reduced turf area, more beds with trees, shrubs, ornamental grasses, perennials and groundcovers.  Below are three examples of just how I do this.

The first easy maintenance garden is for a young couple. 
Their front yard is mostly xeriscape with a small patch of lawn.  Starting in the front, I planted a large patch of groundcover, Terastium tomentosa, Snow in Summer, next are several mounding, silvery Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’, Silver Sage, on either side of this is bluish Salvia n. ‘May Night’, May Night Meadow Sage, appearing red is Centranthus ruber, Keys of Heaven,  and rounding out the composition is the yellow Rudbeckia fulgida, Black Eyed Susan.  Taller ornamental grass on each side is Panicum v. ‘Heavy Metal’.  The two trees are Acer g. ‘Big Tooth’, Big Tooth Maples.

This garden features trees, colorful perennials, ornamental grass and groundcovers.  These plants are massed, colorful, and fill the spaces up so that weeds are minimal.  A layer of mulch 2-3” thick helps conserve water, minimize weeds and protects the plants.

In the second yard there is a back yard with a patio and an arbor. 
In the left foreground is a clump of Sedum s. ‘Autumn Joy’, Autumn Joy Sedum, next is tall ornamental grass, Calomogrostis a. ‘Karl Foerster’, Karl Foerster Grass, and in the foreground is red Zauschneria c. ‘Orange Carpet’, Orange Carpet, followed by the taller Agastache rupestris, Sunset Hyssop.

Looking from the right we see a mass of Achillea m. ‘Moonshine’, Moonshine Yarrow with its umbel seed heads.  Right behind that is Nassella tenuissima, Silky Thread Grass. 

In this garden they achieved plant to plant coverage in two growing seasons. A colorful, low maintenance variety of plants adorns their garden and encloses the arbor and patio.

The third garden, the owners wanted you to discover the entrance, and hide the pond until you chanced upon it. 

Walking up the driveway you first encounter clumps of Miscanthus s. ‘Morning Light’, Morning Light Grass in the left foreground.  Next is billowing mounds of Artemesia ‘Powis Castle’, Silver Sage welcome you towards the large pavers.  Set amongst the pavers is Thymus s. ‘Coccineus’, Red Creeping Thyme.  Across the entrance stands Calamogrostis a. ‘Karl Foerster’, Feather Reed Grass, and past the grass you see another clump of Morning Light Grass on the right and on the left, more Feather Reed Grass.

Walking up the walk you encounter Tanacetum densum, Partridge Feather in the foreground, on the edge of the pond behind it is Marrubium rotundifolium, Silver Edged Horehound, and behind this is a long row of billowing Lavendula munstead, Lavender.

Again, using a few repeating clumps of a handful of perennials, ornamental grass and ground cover, the owner achieved an attractive, low-maintenance layout.

Big Blend Radio Interview
Discussing how Easy Maintenance Gardens, Rick Laughlin was a featured guest on Big Blend Radio's 'Garden Gossip' home & garden show which aired live on May 15, 2010. To listen to his interview, please CLICK HERE!

Rick Laughlin is the principle and owner of Laughlin Design Associates, Inc., a landscape design firm catering to high end residential clients in Salt Lake City.

Throughout careers in nature, business and the arts he developed a sensitivity to his work that continues today.  Inspired at an early age by a landscaping intensive family and frequent experiences with nature, he continues to seek new inspiration through continuing education, voracious reading and travels to many gardens.  He is a  member of the Garden Writers Association, Society of Garden Designers, and is a certified member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) serving on several international committees.  Laughlin received a degree in Wildlife Management from Virginia Tech.  He helps promote the art of landscape design teaching classes at Jordan Valley Water Conservancy Garden and through educating his clients.

Learn more about Laughlin Design Associates, Inc. at www.LaughlinDesign.net and the Association of Professional Landscape Designers at www.APLD.org