As a stay-at-home mom, your first priority is providing a friendly environment outside for your kids so they can play safely and happily in your front or back yard. But you are also a big believer in tidiness and keeping it look attractive and nice for yourself as well but in a practical way. After all, you do not have the time to maintain picky plants, nor do you want to spend time and money on fleeting plants and products that won’t last. Here are five landscaping ideas that are perfect for the stay-at-home mom.
1) Plant lavender around your walkway
Lavender is a beautiful plant that smells excellent and it can immediately make your walkway into the house look good. It is very durable so even if your kids tread on it a couple of times it will bounce back and it is resistant to deer. As a bonus, the lavender flowers can be harvested and used in tea, soaps, and facial scrubs.
2) Use a ground cover between patio stones
Your time is precious and you do not want to spend it weeding the patio stones. Using a ground cover like lemon thyme is an affordable and efficient way to keep the weeds out while making your patio look nice and smelling fresh. Your kids will also be entertained by rubbing their hands on the thyme and making their hands smell like lemons. Doing so is perfectly safe and does not hurt the plant, but is a lot of fun.
3) Use drought-resistant landscaping
This landscaping style is meant to look good while taking up less water. It can give your yard a slightly more wild look by letting native plants grow back in, but it can still look nice. Drought-resistant landscaping saves water and is also easier to maintain than a traditional yard while looking just as good.
4) Make your gardens perennial gardens.
Perennials are plants that can survive the winter and continue growing. They are long-term, durable plants that only need a little bit of tender loving care to survive. Use perennials instead of annuals, which you need to rebuy and replant every year. You will end up saving time and money while making your property still look good.
To save water and maintenance, put plants that take a lot of water in the same area so you do not have to spread the water out as far. Use plants that do not take a lot of water, like lavender, as much as possible. It is also a good idea to reduce the amount of grass you have. Grass takes a lot of water to keep green, and it also needs to be maintained frequently. Reduce grass and you reduce effort and save in water.
Use mulch in your gardens to trap in moisture and keep down weeds. Plant a ground cover on any slopes in your yard so the water run-off from rain will not be wasted.
5) Plant mammoth sunflowers.
This is a fun activity to do with your kids. Mammoth sunflowers can grow over six feet tall and planting them with your children is a great way to get them interested in nature. These sunflowers are very strong and durable and once they get growing in your backyard, there is very little maintenance to do. Plant them in fun designs and let your kids play in them. They can have a lot of fun running in between the green stalks. It is almost like having a fast growing forest in your house. And after the sunflowers pass, you can cut them down and roast the seeds as an early fall treat.