4 Plex Landscaping Question - Plants, Dirt, Mulch or Other??

Question

Hello BP Community,

I have a 4 Plex pictured below.  I am tired a mowing the grass and the general upkeep (two small grass patches.  I have a landscaper to take out the grass but I haven't decided what to replace it with.  I thought some BP'ers would have some ideas.  I am thinking about doing a rock garden, super low maintenance plants or mulch.  Any other ideas??  I am really looking for low maintenance and cheap ideas.  The property is in Oakland CA so gets a lot of sun.

Thanks,

Kyle

Account Closed · Answer

I am in San Jose, used to manage in Santa Clara, and lived most of my live in the east bay.  Most of my family either grew up in, or lives in Oakland.

Leave it alone.  It's way cheaper to pay someone to mow small lawns than weed.  If you put in low water landscaping, you'll still have weeds.  And paying someone to weed low water landscaping, which can also involve plants that don't do well or need to be pruned, etc., will cost you more.

Simpler is better.  I say leave it as-is, and pay a garden service to deal with your simple lawns.  If you're not happy with the lawn service, this is an easy remedy.

Thomas S. · Answer

Brick pavers, higher at house step down half way to sidewalk. Curved, decretive, straight, what ever design you chose. No more upkeep ever, spray it occasionally with Roundup to control weed growth.

Ben Wilkins · Answer

@Kyle Rosseau - I have some colleagues who swear by rock gardens, since it is low maintenance and just needs to be sprayed with weed killer every now and then.

Plants will need trimming jobs around them, or grass and weeds will grow up around them. Mulch will need to be removed and replaced on a certain basis.

If you're looking for low maintenance, I always preferred rock gardens or grass. Is there any chance you can pay a neighborhood kid $5 to mow if it's a small enough area?