I love the idea of a backyard, but I hate the idea of yard work. I guess you could say I want the best of both worlds; the beauty of the outdoors without the work. Thankfully, having a backyard doesn’t necessarily mean hours of back breaking labor every weekend. Instead, it means planning out an ideal, no-maintenance yard ahead of time so that weekends can mean relaxing on the patio or hanging out in the yard.
Not sure what a no-maintenance yard might look like? No problem. Here are a few basic ideas:
- Select hardy, no-maintenance plants. Depending on your region, selecting native or semi-native plants that need minimal care is a great option. In Southern California, that might mean aeoniums, papyrus, and Kangaroo paws that only need watering and pruning every now and then.
- Mix up the utility of the space. For larger yards, you might need to section out areas so the yard doesn’t look too monotonous. Choose different plants with various heights for depth, varied grass or patio flooring, or stone and pebble walk ways to break up the space. It might be a good idea to think of all the things you’d want to do in the backyard (cook out, relax, read a book, play, etc.) and design the areas accordingly.
- Go for a low maintenance deck. Pick a deck like Trex or concrete that doesn’t need much care and can with stand years of weathering.
For a peek at what a yard like this might look like, check out Sunset.com’s slide show on no-chore backyards.
How many hours do you spend maintaining your yard?
7 Comments
I just installed sod in my backyard. So much for low maintenance…
@Lance – Well, at least sod looks nice and uniform. 😉
my business partner has fake grass. no watering, no mowing. i thought it was brillant.
@InvestLike1Percent – I like the idea of fake grass, I just haven’t seen any I like that looks real. Does your friend’s look real?
I just got my first yard, and I am already wishing I had a sprinkler system for it! I feel like me or H is out there all the time messing with the sprinkler.
@Jeff – When we rented a house, we had a sprinkler system that didn’t work. It was difficult keeping up with watering, especially in SoCal (not enough rain). Remember, you can always swap out your yard a bit at a time if you get tired of watering it! 😉
This post resonates with me. When I bough a house, I thought it was so cool to actually have a yard. The reality was that it was nice to look at but time and money consuming to deal with. The time expenditures are what I could do without. The way I see it, we might be able to make more money but we can’t make more time. Why spend it doing chores and maintentance!