Landscaping Tips For Low-Maintenance Flower Beds
Posted on: 17 March 2019
Do you love lush flower beds around a home, but hate the amount of effort it takes to maintain them and keep them free of weeds? If so, then don't give up on your flower beds just yet. There are landscaping tactics you can implement that will allow you to enjoy your flower beds without all the backbreaking hours of weeding and yard work. The following tips are just what you need.
Tip #1: Install edging
Weeds can get into your flower beds through many different vectors, but often the most common cause is from weeds or grass from neighboring lawn areas growing into your beds. To counteract this, install garden edging. You can use vinyl edging strips, bricks, stones, or any other weather-resistant material that will form an attractive barrier between your beds and the surrounding landscape. The key is to make sure the edging is large enough so you can bury it 6 inches in the soil, which prevents weed roots from growing under the edging, as well as allowing at least 2 inches to protrude above the surface so weeds don't grow over the edging.
Tip #2: Embrace mulching
Mulch is a homeowner's best friend in the landscape. A 3-inch layer of wood chips, bark, or pine straw mulch smothers weeds while retaining moisture for your desired garden plants. As the mulch breaks down, it provides nutrients for your flowers and helps maintain soil structure. You will need to replenish the mulch annually because of this, but this is a low-effort afternoon of work that rewards you with minimal weeds the rest of the year. Rocks are also an option, but they are best-suited for perennial plants that thrive in drier soils, such as desert plants like sage and cactus.
Tip #3: Choose the right plants
Finally, make sure the plants you choose help resist weeding chores. Combining a ground cover, such as creeping time, with taller flowering plants that have broad leaves, can shade out many weeds. Weeds tend to thrive where there are patches of bare soil, so by using a groundcover plant in conjunction with your taller flowering plants, you provide very little bare areas for weeds to take root in. Just make sure the plants you choose are native or noninvasive in your area, otherwise they may spread and become a weed problem in other flower beds in your yard or neighborhood.
With a little planning and the help of your landscaper, you can have a yard that is as beautiful as it is easy to maintain. Contact a landscaping service in your area to learn more.
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