Secrets of a
low-maintenance yard
By Melissa Erickson
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headaches over time,” Vogt said.
Hiring a professional to design
a low-maintenance landscape
can help homeowners scale
appropriately and tailor to their
lifestyle and goals, Vogt said.
“I encourage folks to consult with
local native-plant nurseries and uni-
versity extension agents,” Vogt said.
Other resources include native-plant
societies and regional guidebooks.
“Plants that require less work are
plants that have been put in the right
place, considering not only light, soil,
moisture needs and root/reproduction
habit, but mature height and width.
Too oft en trees or shrubs that get large
are placed within a few feet of a home
or near a sidewalk, creating trimming
headaches for years. And too oft en
aggressive spreaders are put into small
beds, quickly overwhelming other
plants and causing a mess,” Vogt said.
Plants look the best and act the
best when they are in the right
place, and that requires research
and consulting an expert who has
experience in landscape design and
the plants you’d like to use, Vogt said.
ith the right planning
and wise choices, our
landscapes can require
less work and still look
great. Th e goal of an almost-main-
tenance-free yard is possible.
“A maintenance-free yard is one
you don’t maintain. I’m not sure
many neighbors would appreciate
that! So no, there is no such thing
as no maintenance, but we sure
can have a lot less than the typical
landscape,” said prairie garden designer
Benjamin Vogt, author of “A New
Garden Ethic” and owner of Monarch
Gardens in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Regardless of what TV commercials
and advertisements proclaim, the
perfect mower, soil or mulch will not
do all the work for you. Choosing
properly sited native plants and
forgoing an intensive lawn has been
trending for a year now, Vogt said.
“When we match the plants to the
site — considering soil, drainage,
light and companion plants that help
one another — maintenance can be
minimized. For example, the beds at
my house require only spring cutting
down and fall tweaking by adding
plants here and there,” Vogt said.
Mowing the lawn can be a chore,
but adding features that require
less upkeep can give a homeowner
more time to enjoy the yard.
“Depending on your region, one
can use gravel or permeable paving to
minimize green maintenance,” Vogt
said. “If you have a lawn you never use,
even in a shady, dry area, many sedge
species make a wonderful alternative.
Low-mow mixes also seem to fare
better than fescues and bermuda grass
for resiliency to weather extremes,”
Adding a sitting area or sculpture
with the intent of cutting down on
maintenance can backfi re. Fewer plants
means more mulch, which is actually
more maintenance, Vogt said.
“Th ink about all the mulch you
have to add year aft er year or the
pre-emergent herbicides you put
under it. Lots of expense and labor
there, when using more plants from
the get-go will save you money and
4 • Spring Vermont Home, Garden & Auto 2019