6 Ways to Create a Low-Maintenance Garden

Colorful perennials are low-maintenance plants with high rewards. Look for Black-eyed Susans (rudbeckia), purple coneflowers (echinacea) and shade-loving ferns. Succulents and salvia can also take long periods without water. The best perennials don't mind heat and return for years to come.

Pest control is a job in itself. Some plants have natural pest repellents embedded in their DNA. Plant marigolds next to tomatoes to repel slugs and tomato worms. Lavender is low maintenance and only requires annual pruning. The best part? Lavender repels fleas, moths, mosquitoes and many other insects.

Chrysanthemums (mums) will thrive, even with the most forgetful gardener's care. Bright blooms contain pyrethrum. This is an ingredient often used in natural insect repellents. Add these to your veggie garden to repel ants, ticks, fleas, spider mites, roaches and more.

Nobody likes spending time weeding the garden. Use raised garden beds with low-water plants, such as sage or rosemary. If you're a home chef, add some vegetables like lettuce or radishes.

Raised garden beds allow plants to be closer together. Densely planted vegetables and flowers limit the amount of sun and soil for weeds. Raised beds also help block out digging rodents, like moles. Line your raised bed with landscape fabric. Fabric will make those weeds and pests extra unwelcome in your garden.

A vertical garden is when you place plants above one another. When you water one plant, it drains on the others below. This helps immensely with lowering your water usage.

A bonus is vertical gardens help cut down on bugs. Weeds, ground-dwelling pests and soil-borne diseases are a thing of the past. With vertical gardening, you'll spend less time ridding your garden of pests and more time enjoying your garden.

Vertical gardening saves space and gives you more room to plant other carefree plants.

Do you ever have leftover lettuce leaves, strawberry tops or onion scraps? With leftover kitchen scraps, you can create your own nutrient-rich compost.

Compost is your homemade soil amendment that helps you raise healthier plants and lessen disease in your garden. Healthier plants means they'll require less of your time. Compost can even conserve water. It has a higher ability to retain and transfer water. Enjoy fewer trips taking out the trash, too.

You can start a compost pile in your backyard, or purchase a tumbler composter. Keep a compost pail in your kitchen to gather vegetable scraps.

Besides compost, the other great ingredient for your low-maintenance garden is mulch. Mulch helps plants retain water and also suppresses weeds. Try the mulch calculator to figure out how much mulch you’ll need for your garden.