HO-176
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE 
Landscape Design for Minimum Maintenance

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE • COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE
DEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURE • PURDUE UNIVERSITY • WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA
by Ada Niedenthal
A maintenance program for any landscape should begin with the first design. While the plants and structures in a landscape all require some care, you can choose whether your landscape will require little or much attention. Many homeowners enjoy some yard and garden work but would rather not spend every evening and weekend weeding, mowing, painting and pruning.
The desire to be surrounded by a comfortable and beautiful landscape influences the amount of time you choose to devote to maintenance. This publication will show how the design of a landscape can influence its maintenance. The maintenance requirements of landscape plants, construction materials, and landscape structures will be discussed. Also, suggestions will be provided for reducing maintenance in an existing landscape.

Design Effects Maintenance
The extent to which a landscape is developed with plants, paving, and structures, depends on the owners financial situation, attitude toward gardening, and desire for comfortable and functional surroundings. Landscape planning starts with a study of the problems, assets, and conditions of a site and a study of the people who will be using it. The first step is to develop a Design Program. This is a list of possible uses or functions for your outdoor living area divided into the public area, the private area and the service area. HO-161, Planning a Residential Landscape Design, details the development of a Design Program.
Decisions about specific plants and construction materials should be made on the basis of their ability to meet the needs established in the Design Program. If maintenance is considered, the decisions can be made on that basis as well.
Landscape planning also requires a close examination of the existing conditions on your property. Carry out a site inventory and analysis. While there are many aspects of the site that should be closely examined for their design potential, there are some particular conditions which relate specifically to maintenance. Following are some site conditions
which should be analyzed for their impact on a maintenance program.

Topography
Topography, the rise and fall of land, is the first of these. A high maintenance, topographic condition is an excessively steep slope. During site analysis, pay close attention to steep slopes which are covered with grass and difficult to mow.
There are several ways to deal with a steep slope. It could be planted with a ground cover that does not require mowing. This will also help to prevent soil erosion. Another solution is to replace the slope with terraces and retaining walls for a stepped planting area. While this initially might bean expensive operation, it will provide additional low maintenance planting areas for later use (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Landscape rocks and timbers can be used to modify a steep slope.
Analyze your site by walking around and recording what you observe. While examining existing conditions, consider how each area reflects the type of maintenance you prefer.