“There is no such thing as a ‘no-maintenance’ garden,” says Portland landscaper Amy Whitworth of Plan-It Earth Design. Still, there are plants perfect for people who really don’t want to get their hands dirty or hire a gardener, but want to be surrounded by greenery.
Whitworth suggests that you base a low-maintenance landscape on what outdoor work appeals to you. “Tasks that seem like nothing to one person would be way too much work for another,” she says. “Some people even enjoy weeding. It can be a form of meditation.”
First in a series
Read OSU’s Water-wise Gardening in Central Oregon guide by Amy Jo Detweiler or jump to the online list to sort plants by water use, height or other attributes
Red-flowering currant (ribes sanguineum) is a favorite of hummingbirds and provides early season food for honey bees, Mason bees and bumblebees.Randy L. Rasmussen/Staff
The landscape designer works with clients to create interactive natural spaces for families, pets and wildlife. She says edible, native and water-efficient plants aid healthy living and inspiration.
She starts a project by getting to know her clients, their level of gardening interest and other factors by asking specific questions.
Here are some of her recommendations (find plants at local nurseries; links are to online, contact-free sources):
What kinds of plant shapes do you find pleasing? Do you like natural forms as seen in Red Flowering Currant or Evergreen Huckleberry?
Or a tighter, more sheared look like Hebe ‘Red Edge,’ a variety that’s reliably hardy here, and keeps that tight form without needing to shear? Many Hebes do get leggy over time, so a shearing every few years is not that much to ask.
Osmanthus ‘Goshiki’ is another example of a “well behaved” plant form, she says.
Do you feel that plants need to be kept under a certain height? If so, choose plants that will not outgrow their space. There are many varieties to consider.
You may like the variegation and color of a Rose Glow Barberry, but few can handle the size and thorns that come with that plant.
Whitworth usually recommends people select something like ‘Royal Burgundy’ or ‘Concorde,’ which doesn’t need as much management. Or better yet, introduce yourself to a Loropetalum that will delivery showy color without the thorns.
What maintenance tasks do you like and dislike? People who enjoy trimming on small hedges appreciate lavender, which needs yearly shearing, while those who don’t want to mess with any plants may find that chore something to ignore and the plant will get too leggy.
An alternative is Black Eyed Susan, a perennial flower that is bright and cheery in high summer, and has seedheads that look interesting, so they don’t require deadheading. At some point in the year, usually spring, however, it should be cut to the ground to start anew.
Whitworth considers Black Eyed Susan a very low-maintenance perennial with a bonus: It’s long blooming.
“I love to use Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam’ for the same reasons: long blooming and easy care,” she says.
Hydrangeas sport dramatically different colors in the fall.Dawn Meredith Peck
Do you want flowers to attract pollinators? People who are fascinated with pollinators want more flowers, but that can be tricky if they are not willing to maintain them, Whitworth says.
Hydrangea and lilac are great shrubs for people who want to be more hands off. These plants do need some seasonal deadheading of the old flowers, but that doesn’t require a particular skillset to achieve a good-looking plant, she says.
Are you willing to shear? Choosing the right plant for the right place and anticipating the ultimate size will reduce the need for regular pruning, says Whitworth.
Winter Blooming Heaths like Erica x darleyensis varieties (‘Beacon Hill’, ‘Kramer’s Rote’, ‘Eva Gold’) will expand but let you get away without shearing, she adds, but not Calluna, which has fancy winter foliage and showy summer blooms. “They’ll get leggy in no time without yearly shearing,” she says.
Many Spirea need yearly shearing, but Whitworth says some of the smaller cultivars like ‘Magic Carpet’ and Spiraea japonica var. alpina can go along for a few years before they really need to be cut back.
The newer, smaller cultivars of Weigela are the same, like ‘Midnight Wine’ or ‘My Monet’, and smaller Abelias like ’Kaleidoscope’ and ‘Radiance’ can spread wider than you think, but otherwise stay pretty tight. she says.
How do you feel about layering? Plants like Winter Daphne really don’t need much maintenance once they’re established and if they’ve been provided adequate room to grow. “When [people] hate weeding, that’s a much trickier proposition,” says Whitworth.
In that case, she suggests layering.
She layers plants by interlocking their shapes: a low fern under a taller arching shrub like Abelia or Mock Orange; a mounding shrub like Pittosporum ‘Golf Ball’ next to an upright Dwarf conifer like Golden Fernspray Cypress or Wilma Goldcrest Lemon Cypress.
The more layering takes place, the less the need for regular mulching, as the plants provide a living green mulch to help soil from drying out.
“Some people don’t like their plants to touch. I say they’re happier when they do,” she says. “The alternative to tons of bark dust is widely spaced shrubs with groundcovers in between.”
Whitworth likes ground carpet like Alpine water fern (Blechnum penna-marina) or Evergreen Maidenhair fern (Adiantum venustum) for the shade and New Zealand Burr (Acaena ‘Blue Haze’) or Sedums to surround plants and fill up the ground plane. As plants grow, the groundcovers can get shaded out or taken over, and that’s part of the plan, she says.
How much are you willing to water? More people want drought-tolerant plants that require little to no supplemental water. Whitworth steers them to native plants, manzanita and those from Mediterranean climates that will thrive in well-draining soil.
Do you want to expand your low-maintenance choices? A lot of the typical landscape plants can maintain themselves without a lot of care. Whitworth mentions:
- Nandina, especially the low-growing variety ‘Flirt’
- Dwarf Hinoki and other dwarf conifers
- Ferns
- Hosta
- Blue Fescue
- Viburnum davidii
- Yucca such as ‘Color Guard’
“I’ve been using a lot of Mahonia ‘Soft Caress.’ Everyone loves it, it’s not scratchy and has a pleasing form and flower,” says Whitworth. “Plant it and you’re pretty much good to go once established.”
For plants that provide privacy, she likes fragrant Burkwood Osmanthus (Osmanthus x burkwoodii), which grows tall and creates an interesting, evergreen backdrop.
She also likes the Gold Collection of Hellebores with upward facing blooms. “They seem to be able to get away with less trimming than the pretty orientalis hybrids, although they look best if the old flowering stems are removed by the time summer arrives,” she says.
What do you want from your yard? Amy Whitworth of Plan-It Earth Design prepared a downloadable questionnaire that helps focus landscaping wishes. Before you look at plants, ask yourself your reasons for wanting a new garden:
- Improve the entry or circulation around the house
- Enhance curb appeal
- Create an inviting space for friends and family
- Make the most of underused areas
- Design a personal space, reflecting your interests and pleasures
Then ask yourself, what kinds of spaces do you enjoy most? Intimate and enclosed or grand and reaching for the sky; on the water, in the forest, at the beach, on a mountain or at a café?
Do you enjoy movement and sound or do you prefer quiet, restful solitude?
Do you want to be an active participant or an observer?
What are your favorite plants, colors, seasons and garden elements (water, birds, pots, furniture, hedges, lighting, color, whimsy, paths, structures)?
Do you have any personal requirements due to mobility, allergies or sensitivities?
What kind of space is needed for your hobbies of growing food, playing lawn games, hot tubbing, barbecuing and entertaining, dancing, cutting flowers or reading while sitting in the sun or shade?
Who will be maintaining the garden and what kinds of chores do they find enjoyable; which chores are unpleasant?
— As told to Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072
jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman
The Link LonkFebruary 23, 2021 at 10:02AM
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Plant it and forget it: Low effort ways to be surrounded by greenery - OregonLive
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