Low-Maintenance Landscape Design: What St. Louis Homeowners Actually Want

St. Louis homeowners want to have a beautiful outdoor space; they do not want a second job.

All too often, property owners feel they have to choose between what looks good and what’s easy to maintain, but the truth is that, by adopting the right landscaping principles, it’s more than possible to have an exterior that elevates your experience without adding significant workload.

The key to having an outdoor space that works for both your home’s curb appeal and your leisure time is to make the right kinds of upfront decisions that can pay off long term.

In this post, we’ll take a deep dive into everything you need to know about low maintenance landscape design in St. Louis, including:

• Choosing the right plants
• Smart layout decisions
• How well-thought-out irrigation makes your job easier
• Using design choices the right way

By the end, you should have a clear idea of how to create a stunning outdoor living space without having to commit more time and energy than necessary. 

Thoughtful Plant Selection

All plants can look stunning outside your property, but some require more time and effort than others.

The plants you select for your St. Louis property really can make the difference between having your maintenance requirements on autopilot or having to spend a lot of time and effort just to ensure your plants stay alive.

The secret? Choose native (or adapted) plants and shrubs. Since they’re already built to survive in this environment, you’ll find that they’re much easier to care for.

Some of the most popular plants and shrubs native to the St. Louis area include:

• Purple Coneflower
• Black-Eyed Susan
• Little Bluestem
• Eastern Redbud
• Flowering Dogwood

Ultimately, selecting the plants and shrubs that are designed to thrive in the St. Louis climate is your best bet for making maintaining your exterior space a straightforward process. Plus, with around 150 – 200 native plant and shrub species commercially available in stores, there are more than enough options for homeowners looking to create a visually appealing, engaging landscape. 

Landscape Layout

Landscape layout refers to how your property’s outdoor spaces are arranged and organized. By utilizing the right landscape layout strategies, homeowners can keep the number of distinct zones — all of which will require attention — to a minimum.

The result? A full-looking property that’s easy to maintain.

Oftentimes, this process comes down to choosing the right size. It’s usually better to have fewer, larger beds, instead of a large number of smaller beds, with the end result being that you spend less time managing edges or trimming transition points.

It’s also recommended to think carefully about the size of your lawn. Many homeowners opt for maximum coverage, when it often makes more sense to choose the size based on actual usage. That approach means less work keeping your grass alive during the summer months. You can complement your grass area by choosing a low-maintenance patio for your outdoor living area and including durable, permeable hardscapes such as gravel or pavers, which extend the time between repair cycles. 

Irrigation Considerations

St. Louis homeowners can spend a long time watering their outdoor spaces, especially in the dry summer months. By utilizing the right irrigation strategies, homeowners can ensure that their greenery always has the water it needs to thrive without feeling like they always have a hose in their hands.

By incorporating custom irrigation into your landscape design, you can have peace of mind that your stunning outdoor space has the right amount of water at all times. Smart irrigation controllers automatically adjust to real-time weather conditions, helping to prevent flooding and root damage, and skip watering when rain is forecast.

Through investing in the right irrigation setup, you can directly influence how much time you spend tending to your landscape. Indeed, in terms of reducing ongoing maintenance requirements, this is probably the single factor that you can control. Many St. Louis homeowners struggle to maintain water consistency due to the hot yet rainy summers and hard clay soil, which makes it more challenging for water to soak through. With smart irrigation principles, those concerns will be a thing of the past. 

Design Choices

Design choices are often thought of in terms of how they’ll make a space look, but they also play a big role in determining how much time you’ll spend maintaining your outdoor space.

Think of your outdoor furniture, for instance. The materials you choose — and even where it’s positioned — will influence its durability. Aluminum furniture that stands in a shade-covered area will last much longer than untreated wood furniture that sits uncovered.

Choosing the right mulch, and the depth at which it is placed, is similar. Covering mulch to a depth of 2-3 inches can protect against weeds for multiple years. Low-quality mulch covered thinly will require redoing every single year.

Ultimately, your design choices will impact whether you get a long-lasting payoff or if you find yourself with ongoing, repeated maintenance tasks. It’s worthwhile to take the time to research the right materials and strategies for your outdoor space.

Why Work with a Full-Service Landscaping Company?

• Custom designs for your property
• Native plant expertise
• Efficient irrigation planning
• Long-term maintenance savings
• Professional installation

Request a Quote For Landscaping Services Today

Looking for a low-maintenance outdoor space that you’ll enjoy for many years to come? Here at Quiet Village Landscaping, we offer full service landscaping St. Louis residents can trust to transform their outdoor spaces.

Boasting extensive experience and expertise, we offer concierge-level care that makes your journey toward having the backyard of your dreams as smooth as possible. We’ll work with you to understand your goals and the property’s needs before creating a landscape design plan that does full justice to every outdoor detail.

So don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team at Quiet Village Landscaping today. With our personalized landscape design services, you can have full confidence that you’ll have a landscape plan that is well-suited to the needs of the property, the climate, and your wishes. To learn more about how we can transform your outdoor living space, contact us at (314) 657-7050 or fill out the form on our ‘Contact Page,’ and we’ll be in touch with you shortly.