I have a tiny front yard that is a pain in the ass to maintain, both because it is sloped and also I'm lazy.
I was hoping this sub could give me some ideas on the best low maintenance ground cover for this space. I've tried white clover and phlox previously but they never really took off and the weeds eventually took over. I really don't care much about how it looks, ease of maintenance is my #1 priority. Thanks!
I live in hardiness zone 7a, if that helps.
by cakeod
24 Comments
My neighbor has a yard like that with orange lilies that take up all the space. Normally I don’t like them, but when they’re clustered together on a hill, I think it looks nice.
There will be weeds no matter what you do. That’s just part of maintaining a space. There are ways to reduce the work, but the work will always be there.
I’d highly recommend plants native to your area. No specific recommendations as I’m not sure where you are (zones span the entire country). But you have lots of potential here.
Strawberries
Pumpkins! You said low maintenance, but damn a little pumpkin patch would be dreamy.
Embrace the wild look of a rental.
How about terraced garden beds? I could see 2 or 3 levels, some plants, and mulch
I couldn’t edit my post, so just wanted to add that I’m in Northern KY, hardiness zone 7a and this area gets full sun
Natives!!!!
For a yard that small (and also with a gas line that close), what if you did entirely succulents? Im in 7a/7b and my succulent space is about 3 ft by 4ft at this point (see pic). Im in south Jersey but was originally inspired but a lot of yards i saw in Portland, Oregon
https://preview.redd.it/jhz62xngbnhf1.jpeg?width=5626&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=55be59fc1924cfa205e2306932ea9f6901631f54
Some people here hate vinca, I’m lazy and really like it, have it everywhere I don’t want to mow, so 50 percent less mowing. If it grows into my lawn, it gets mowed, also trim it some for the sidewalk. Survives Kansas summers which is great. Have both the minor and major (in variegated) versions, minor vinca is less invasive, google for pics. Edit, it looks like you do have some Boston Ivy on the right side of the picture, I would try keeping that. Mulch and roundup are my go-to’s for easy maintenance.
Purslane, purslane everywhere!
fig trees!
Weeding—even if for 10 minutes a week—will go a very long way in having a nice garden.
Here, I’d take the time to go through and weed out everything you don’t want. After that, 2-3 inches of mulch covering the whole area. You might want to dig a small edge where the ground meets the retaining wall—so the mulch doesn’t spill over.
Then I’d choose a solid 3-5 species to fill in the area. Planting densely will allow the garden to fill in faster. I’d say at least 1 plant per 2’. 1 plant per 1’ will give you a full garden in a couple seasons.
Once you’ve planted you just gotta weed like 10 minutes a week. It’ll be nice to be out in the garden and check on the plants during that time.
Creeping thyme
A native ground cover could be basically no maintenance once established while preventing erosion. Maybe stonecrop if one is native where you are?
Low growing flowering ground cover.
Hit it with vinegar and Salt mix. Home Depot sells it pre mixed with a sprayer. Let it all die, then scuffle it.
Or you weed whack it down really short, water the soil to loosen the weed roots and scuffle hoe / hand pulls the weeds. It’s a small space and should be easy. Should be a dirt pile after this. Monitor and see what survivors come back and rinse/repeat until you’ve eradicated the majority of the weeds.
Then put in a ground cover. I chose clover seed in 9b but you pick what works for your zone.
I love flowers so I would probably put in some flowers and mulch.
Or do something like hydrangeas along the porch and boxwood hedge in front of
A tiny toboggan
What if you did some wide short bushes instead of trying for ground cover?
Pull all the weeds and plant a few low mounding evergreen plants and a row of boxwoods behind. It would look great.
Look at the moodboards I made for your garden! Honestly, with just a few days of motivation, you can make it look really, really nice! I hope you like them [https://app.neighborbrite.com/s/K_tgE6PvQYK](https://app.neighborbrite.com/s/K_tgE6PvQYK)
Do a rock garden! Sometimes called a crevice garden.
You get some big rocks, arrange them artfully, and add plants in the crevices. You can do all succulents or you can make it look a bit more alpine. So many options. But it will be easy to maintain and you can add a ton of curb appeal.
Add in some native plants that thrive in your area like that pink muhly grass or bluestem grass, some salvias, phlox, etc. look for things that clump, things that creep, and things that cascade over other surfaces.
The rocks will make it so you can do any weeding in sections or chunks and once it is established there will not be much for you to do other than taking care of plants you picked out because you like them.
https://preview.redd.it/k335oba0bohf1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3884ed9e964cc41d90f1671326b161e2f1dd3552
Something like this
Put down weed barrier, gravel, and throw some larger rocks in to make a rock garden.