
The bad news is that you will always have some yard work to do regardless of how much you attempt to simplify. The fantastic thing is that reducing the quantity of time you spend on yard work benefits both you and your own community. Using earth-friendly gardening techniques and clever gardening practices saves you time and produces less yard waste whilst still providing you a great looking yard.
Lawns
Among the greatest ways to decrease the time you spend on yard work is to remove or lessen the size of your conventional lawn. Alternatives to conventional lawns include mixtures of gravel or paved areas in addition to areas filled with ornamental grasses or ground covers which function as no-mow lawns. One such ground cover is California meadow sedge (Carex pansa), which forms a 6- to-8-inch mat of leaves and needs far less maintenance and less water than a conventional lawn. This sedge does greatest sunny or partially shaded locations in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7b through 10b.
Easy-Care Plants
With perennial shrubs and flowers, you will have permanent flowerbeds without replanting each season. By definition, perennials reside for at least two years, and many live for more than that. Should you distance plants close together and mulch places in between smoother weeds, your yard chores will be drastically reduced. One flexible perennial for sun or partial shade is “Helena’s Blush” euphorbia (Euphorbia amygdaloides), which rises 3 feet tall and 1 foot wide with alluring green leaves lined with white in USDA zones 5b through 10b.
Go Native
Plants that grow naturally on your own climate have adapted ways to grow without humans to take care of them. Even using native plants to get half of the plants in your yard means less watering and less upkeep overall. Look around natural places in which you reside to discover native plants or locate a nursery where you could speak to educated gardeners. One perennial indigenous to much of the Northern Hemisphere is yarrow (Achillea millefolium), together with rises in sunny spots in USDA zones 1 through 10b, requires very little water and also attracts butterflies to its blossom clusters which sit 3-foot stems.
More Thoughts
Sharing yard work with your family or neighborhood children means less work for you. Young children like to water and neighborhood teens and preteens welcome extra income for an hour every few weeks to get raking or mowing. Other methods to decrease the work load include cutting lawn fertilizer applications to one or 2 times a year and mowing your lawn less frequently. Mow only when the grass reaches about 5 1/2 inches tall, and mow only one-third of its height. You’ll assist the bud develop a stronger root system and also help save time too.