Re: Low maintenance gardens for the serious gardener

Ben, at al:
 
Great -- philosophized -- question.
 
My short answer:  I'm a firm believer in the idea that 90% of gardening and garden maintenance is based on the concept of "right plant, right place".  Another 5% is based on the little concept of "right time".
 
The remaining 5% is based on how the gardener "inputs" (engineered irrigation, raised beds, access, etc.).
 
"Right plant, right place", of course, means putting in plants that require minimal maintenance ("zero maintenance" is unrealistic).  Plants that fit the soil, fit the climate (as in "Mediterranean"), fit the space, fit the "expected speed", deal with the wind or other environmental stresses, and more.  "Right time" is simply planting at the appropriate season for that type of plant (e.g. warm season vegetables in spring, natives in fall-winter and so on).
 
With that said, we must acknowldege that we no longer live in caves surrounded by the wilds.  We build houses and create landscapes that are artificial emulations of nature.  And the landscapes must suit our aesthetic senses.  We create "oases".  For the enthusiastic gardener (I'm assuming everyone on this list is such), I call these "oases of passion".  We are "gardeners" -- we WANT and maybe NEED to garden.  We don't want absolute zero maintenance; heck, what would we do with out time?
 
Depending on how much time we want or "need" (from a heart-felt point of view, not a "necessary maintenance" point of view), we create fitting, right-sized "oases".  When we realize that maintenance for the overall property gets close to overwhelming (we have to balance it with family), we start down-sizing the "oases" and enlarging that part of the property that we plant with "right plant, right place".
 
Yet we do what we can and need to do to justify some of our "oases".  We "input".  We input our time, energy, money, materials, the sweat of our neighbors sometime, and most definitely our souls. Some of us plant generally high-maintenance items such as traditional roses, lawns, tropicals, container gardens, and other, usually fussy pieces.  So we must "input".
 
On the other hand, some have chosen generally low-maintenance "oases of passion" such as succulent gardens, Mediterranean rock gardens or a collection of South African bulbs. 
 
Although maybe we should ask ourselves, even with these oases, "how can I do this easier and at the same time make it better for the plants"?
 
Back to "right plant, right place".  Although all of us live in a Mediterranean climate, we work with different environmental factors within that.  Your low-maintenance plants are different than mine.
 
Joe
 
 
 
Joseph Seals
Horticultural Consultant
Arroyo Grande, California
Cell: 805-823-5696

From: Ben Armentrout-Wiswall <benjamin.r.aw@gmail.com>
To: medit plants forum <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
Sent: Thursday, July 28, 2011 10:58 PM
Subject: Low maintenance gardens for the serious gardener

Hi All,
I spent most of today catching up on some garden maintenance at our home in Simi Valley, California.  Our garden is large for a California suburb, about 15000 square feet (one-third of an acre, or 1400 square meters).  It was a pleasant day, though I moved quickly, as for me free time is scarce.  The scents of rosemary and sage, roses and mints are refreshing to work in, and I had a good day of it.

But I found myself asking as I deadheaded a long border of Iceberg Roses, Sea Statice, and Euphorbia wulfenii, maybe I'd prefer plants that didn't need to be deadheaded, that didn't languish if a sprinkler nozzle got clogged, that didn't really need much done to them.

I enjoy gardening, but as a Mr. Mom to three small children, I have little time to garden, especially a garden patterned on the work I'd formerly done as a landscape designer and contractor.

The trouble is, my niche as a landscaper was working for rich (by my lights, very, very rich) clients.  Like most garden professionals, I had a landscape crew working for me, or my clients would have their own gardeners to maintain whatever horticultural creation was envisioned.  In these circumstances no-one cares about reducing garden maintenance.

As a homeowner and stay-at-home parent who no longer had a crew of laborers, I quickly realized how much work it was to maintain a property.  
I figured out that if I were to maintain my property in the same style as my former clients (on a per area basis), I would need to spend an entire day per week, with a laborer, to fuss over the garden.  I'd also need a few hundred dollars a month not for projects, but just to freshen the perennial borders or to try a new waterlily in the pond.

Given that I don't have that much time, let alone a laborer or a few hundred a month to spend on sundries, the garden really looks quite nice.

But it is work.
My question is, are there any serious garden professionals who have considered low maintenance gardens?  When I think of low maintenance gardens, I think of homeowners who really are not interested in plants or gardens, and only want their property to look presentable, and not have to spend time or money achieving that goal.

The result is usually boring, and no serious gardener would give such a garden more than a passing glance (and probably a sneer).

Is it possible to have a plantsman's garden, or an artist's garden, that doesn't need much more than a weekly sweeping and the occasional removal of a crossing limb?  Is it possible to have a low maintenance garden that still looks like a garden?

Just wondering,
-Ben Armentrout-Wiswall
Simi Valley, inland southern California
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