Low Maintenance Doesn’t Mean Easy

When my boys were young they would whine when one got to do something that the other didn’t. “That’s not fair!” they would cry. I would frequently find myself saying “Fair doesn’t mean equal.” 

I find myself thinking of this when people tell me that they want a low maintenance landscape. I’m happy to help them by choosing plants that don’t require pruning or, in the case of perennials, frequent editing or dividing. I will recommend that the plants be placed so that they can grow to their mature height and width so that you won’t have to trim them to “keep them under control.”  But I’m afraid that these clients are asking for apples and expecting oranges. They say they want fair but they’re really asking for equal.

This is the truth: When you ask for a low maintenance landscape it doesn’t mean that you are going to get an easy landscape. Even a well designed, well planted yard requires some work. Weeding for a start… every piece of land will always need weeding. Spring and fall cleanups are necessary for all but the most naturalized (aka: wild) properties, and in every garden some plants thrive while others will die.

Every garden will need work. Life itself requires effort. You want low maintenance? Fine. You want it easy?  Snap out of it.