Low maintenance garden ideas and plants
To reduce garden maintenance, choose plants suited to your soil and light, mulch bare soil and simplify awkward lawn edges. Replace areas that take too much work, while allowing plants room to reach their mature size. The plants below show their RHS hardiness rating, light and soil, and the cost table compares artificial grass, new turf and gravel.
By Garden Stylist AI. Last updated
Plants in this low maintenance concept
Calamagrostis × acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'
feather reed grass 'Karl Foerster'
- Light
- Sun or part shade
- Hardiness
- RHS H6, AGM
- US zone
- 5a to 9b
- Soil
- chalk, clay, loam, sand
- Size
- 1.5m x 1m
RHS page, checked Oct 2026
Choisya ternata
Mexican orange blossom
- Light
- Sun or part shade
- Hardiness
- RHS H4, AGM
- US zone
- 7b to 10b
- Soil
- chalk, clay, loam, sand
- Size
- 2.5m x 2.5m
RHS page, checked Oct 2026
Dryopteris filix-mas
male fern
- Light
- Part to full shade
- Hardiness
- RHS H7, AGM
- US zone
- 4a to 9b
- Soil
- chalk, clay, loam, sand
- Size
- 1.5m x 1m
RHS page, checked Oct 2026
Epimedium × versicolor 'Sulphureum'
barrenwort 'Sulphureum'
- Light
- Sun to full shade
- Hardiness
- RHS H7, AGM
- US zone
- 5a to 9b
- Soil
- chalk, loam, sand
- Size
- 50cm x 50cm
RHS page, checked Oct 2026
Erigeron karvinskianus
Mexican fleabane
- Light
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- RHS H5, AGM
- US zone
- zone not published
- Soil
- chalk, loam, sand, clay
- Size
- 50cm x 1m
RHS page, checked Oct 2026
Escallonia 'Apple Blossom'
escallonia 'Apple Blossom'
- Light
- Sun or part shade
- Hardiness
- RHS H4, AGM
- US zone
- zone not published
- Soil
- chalk, clay, loam, sand
- Size
- 2.5m x 2.5m
RHS page, checked Oct 2026
Plants in this low maintenance concept
What is a low maintenance garden?
It is a garden designed so that the regular jobs are fewer and shorter. No garden looks after itself. You can reduce the work by cutting back the parts that take most of your time, such as frequent mowing, seasonal bedding or plants with different care needs.
The picture above is an AI generated impression of a low maintenance planting on a back lawn with a fence. Plant sizes and spacing are illustrative, so check each plant's mature spread before planting.
Which plants are best for a low maintenance garden?
Choose plants for your light, soil and drainage, then space them according to their mature spread. Groundcover can reduce exposed soil as it fills out. The tags in the table come from our plant list, where each plant is marked for low maintenance. Evergreen shrubs, groundcover perennials and a few grasses carry most of the planting.
| Plant | RHS hardiness | USDA zones | Light | Soil | Height x spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| big-root cranesbill (Geranium macrorrhizum) | H7 | zone not published | Sun to full shade | Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand | 50cm x 1m |
| heart-leaf bergenia (Bergenia cordifolia) | H7 | 3a to 8b | Sun or part shade | Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand | 1m x 1m |
| daylily 'Stella de Oro' (Hemerocallis 'Stella de Oro') | H6 | zone not published | Full sun | Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand | 50cm x 50cm |
| garden catmint (Nepeta × faassenii) | H7 | 5a to 9b | Sun or part shade | Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand | 50cm x 50cm |
| feather reed grass 'Karl Foerster' (Calamagrostis × acutiflora 'Karl Foerster') | H6, AGM | 5a to 9b | Sun or part shade | Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand | 1.5m x 1m |
| Balkan clary 'Caradonna' (Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna') | H6, AGM | 4a to 8b | Sun or part shade | Chalk, Loam, Sand | 50cm x 50cm |
| coneflower 'Goldsturm' (Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Goldsturm') | H6, AGM | 3a to 9b | Sun or part shade | Chalk, Clay, Loam | 1m x 50cm |
| Mexican orange blossom (Choisya ternata) | H4, AGM | 7b to 10b | Sun or part shade | Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand | 2.5m x 2.5m |
| laurustinus (Viburnum tinus) | H4 | 8a to 10b | Sun to full shade | Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand | 4m x 4m |
| spindle 'Emerald Gaiety' (Euonymus fortunei [Emerald Gaiety]) | H5, AGM | 5a to 8b | Sun or part shade | Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand | 1m x 1.5m |
| soft shield fern (Polystichum setiferum) | H7, AGM | 7a to 9a | Part to full shade | Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand | 1.5m x 1m |
| Rakai hebe (Hebe rakaiensis) | H4, AGM | zone not published | Sun or part shade | Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand | 1m x 1.5m |
Facts from each plant's RHS Find a Plant page and the NC State Extension plant toolbox (USDA zones), checked 16 October 2026. Each plant links to its source on the plant list page.
Low maintenance is relative. Every new plant needs watering until it is established, and pruning and cutting back depend on the plant, since some shrubs need little routine pruning. Match the plant to the spot first, because unsuitable light or soil can leave plants struggling and needing replacement.
The second example above uses a different mix of shrubs and perennials for the same type of space.
Should I use artificial grass, new turf or gravel?
Surface choice affects mowing, weeding and cleaning. The cost table below uses UK costs from named cost guides, with an illustrative 30 m² area. Actual quotes depend on preparation, access and waste removal.
| Job (UK, installed unless stated) | Typical rate | Worked example | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial grass, installed | £50 to £90 per m2 | 30 m² of artificial grass: £1,500 to £2,700 | Fantastic Services, MyJobQuote |
| New turf, supplied and laid | £13 to £30 per m2 | 30 m² of turf: £390 to £900 | MyJobQuote, Fantastic Services, MyJobQuote |
| Gravel area/driveway, laid with membrane | £40 to £100 per m2 | 30 m² of gravel: £1,200 to £3,000 | MyJobQuote, MyJobQuote |
UK averages including labour, read from the named cost guides on 16 October 2026. London and the South East usually sit at the top of each range. Get at least three quotes.
Artificial grass needs no mowing, but it still needs cleaning and weeding. Consider its installation cost, surface temperature and eventual replacement:
- Upfront cost. In the table above, installed artificial grass costs more per square metre than turf, and the gap shows in the 30 m² totals.
- It still needs care. The RHS says that artificial turf isn't an effective or sustainable option, as moss can establish in this too, in its advice on moss in lawns.
- Heat and wear. A plastic surface gets hot underfoot in full summer sun and wears out over time, so ask any installer what the warranty covers and how the old turf is disposed of.
- Wildlife. Replacing living turf with plastic removes the grass and flowering lawn plants that can provide food for wildlife. The RHS suggests the opposite route for a tired lawn: raise the mower blade, cut less often or leave a patch to grow long, which suits a low maintenance garden.
Gravel needs weeding and may need topping up. A membrane is optional and will not stop weeds rooting in debris on top. Lawn care depends on the finish you want. Well-chosen, mulched borders can need less routine work once established.
How do I turn my existing garden into a low maintenance one?
Work in order of effort saved. Start by listing the jobs you dislike. Mowing, weeding and clipping each have a design fix.
- Mowing. Shrink the lawn to a simple shape with straight or gently curved edges, or replace part of it with a bed or a gravel area.
- Weeding. Plant close, and cover bare soil with a mulch of bark or compost. Gravel needs weeding too, and a membrane is optional.
- Clipping. Choose shrubs that keep a natural shape, such as viburnum and hebe, rather than hedges that need cutting several times a year.
- Watering. Put plants in the right place for light and soil, and limit small pots if watering is a chore, because containers often dry out sooner than garden soil.
Do it in stages if the budget is tight. Clear and mulch one border first, plant it properly, and see how much time it saves before you change the next area.
Be honest about your own habits, too. If you enjoy an hour of pottering at the weekend, a few flowering perennials are fine. If you want very little routine gardening, choose slow-growing shrubs and suitable groundcover, and arrange help for the jobs that remain.
Which low maintenance ideas suit a small or front garden?
In a small garden, keep borders accessible and size any seating area for how you use it. At the front, retain planting where possible.
For houses in England, new or replacement impermeable front-garden surfacing over 5 m² generally needs planning permission unless runoff drains to a permeable area within the property, so check the government guidance and the rules for your UK nation before starting.
A low maintenance garden still needs a plan for the long term. Allow for mature plant sizes when setting out a border. Establishment brings extra watering and weeding, and some plants will still need pruning or division later. The small spaces page has more on layouts for compact gardens.
Where next?
Modern and cottage planting sit at opposite ends of the upkeep scale.
For a low maintenance style with a tidier outline, see modern garden ideas. For a flowery look with more upkeep, see cottage garden ideas. The styles page lists every style.
Rendering is not available yet. You can pick a garden photo with Low maintenance preselected and join the waitlist.
