Your landscape probably uses more of your time and water than it should. Fall is the best time of the year to do something about it. Before you start on a garden makeover, though, do what the advice columnists often urge: get professional help.

Start with a landscape architect or designer who knows Northwest plants and the meaning of ‘low maintenance’. While the best references come from people you know, you can easily find a full selection of designers through sites such as HelpHive. Ask your candidates about their design philosophy and experience with projects such as yours.

While plants are the key to lower maintenance, you will want to take care of your non-plant issues as well. Do these before you even consider planting. You don’t want to tear through your new garden to re-do a drain or expand the patio. This is why we draw plans.

Among the topics your plan should address:

• Existing problems with drainage or erosion, broken walks, steps, fences.
• Steep slopes.
• View control.
• Circulation.

While creating your easy-going garden, keep these pointers in mind:

• Think ‘drought-hardy‘. Low water use is key to low maintenance. When you aren’t watering, there is less opportunity for weeds. In the un-watered garden, drought-tolerant plants are crucial. And don’t worry about a desert-like effect. There are thousands of plants of every color and form that flourish here without watering.
• Re-think grass. Lawn takes a lot of water and work. If you can cut the grass, so to speak, you will eliminate all that mowing, edging, fertilizing while cutting off the biggest water-hog in your household. Grass on steep slopes is silly. Replacing a steep lawn with walls and drought-hardy plantings is one of the best landscape investments you can make.
• Drop the formality. Crisp hedges and rows of shrubs trimmed into artificial shapes are the ultimate in high-maintenance. Also, most plants don’t automatically need to be trimmed. Getting comfortable with a natural look will cut work and make your garden friendlier.
• Choose your plants carefully. That cute potted pine tree planted under the eaves will cause you a lot of grief one day. Hacking it back every year is hard on both of you and makes the plant increasingly ugly. Likewise, a shade plant frying in full sun will look pitiful, if it survives at all. Find out what plants need before you choose.
• Think again. Other landscape features and details are waiting to lure you into a lifetime of toil. Beware of these potential problems:
  • Rockeries can be lovely, but are magnets for grass and weeds , which root deeply between the stones. Block walls are the low-maintenance alternative.
  • Ponds and water features need regular attention. Water is a wonderful element in a garden, so of course you want it. Just keep the water feature small and simple.
  • Low, carpeting groundcovers are usually not deep enough to smother out weeds. Instead , use plants that grow at least a six inches deep.
  • Give yourself-and your neighbors a break from the noise of ‘weed whacking’. If you must have grass, keep it away from walls, rockeries and other un-mowable edges.
  • Fruits and vegetables need plenty of water, so keep them ( and any other water-loving plants you can’t live without), in separate beds from the rest of your garden. Drought-hardy plants may resent water once they are established.

Now to turn that labor-intensive landscape into your low-maintenance paradise!