A "low-maintenance" landscape. A very common request of homeowners. But what exactly does that mean?
*Plant it and forget it? *Only occasional pruning required? *Paying your landscaper to prune and mulch once a year whether it's needed or not? (Tip: it's usually NOT)
These terms for "low-maintenance" for me represent DISCONNECTION.
Which sounds TERRIBLE. Now, I understand I am a "plant person" and not everyone is. I get it that you may not want to spend your free time doing "yard work." But it doesn't have to be work. Maybe it could be a little tiny bit of cultivation.
I want you to WANT to walk through your garden. Check out which pollinators are showing up. See how your plants change throughout the growing season. Notice the purple speckles on that flower you though was just white. Check out the home an insect made in the spent stem you did not "fall cleanup."
I want you to see the effect of your contributions to your landscape. I want you to be interested in the wildlife that starts to move in when you intentionally plant for them. I want you to enjoy and look forward to spending time nurturing your little piece of Earth.
"Gardening" does not have to equal "work." It absolutely CAN be work sometimes, especially in the beginning.... but that time and effort are rewarding, and decrease significantly over time if you have a solid plan and ecological practices. And remember that the vast majority of the time you spend (or pay to have someone else do) is on LAWN maintenance. We can reduce or even eliminate that as well.
Let me help you plan and implement your own garden design... one that draws you into the outdoors while serving you and your family's needs, in addition to the needs of the wee beasties out there! #OutlanderReference