# Minimalist Landscaping
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Turf
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Reducing turf in the landscape minimizes yard work. Removing or reducing a carpet of turf grass in the lawn and replacing it with mulch is similar to removing carpet in the home and replacing it with hardwood floors. The common results are clean architectural lines and reduced maintenance. New hardwood floors support only essential pieces of furniture after a minimalist interior design remodel. Similarly, mulched turf grass areas support a few well-placed trees and shrubs after a landscape design remodel. Replacing a lawn with ground covers like liriope, ajuga, and mondo offers a no-mow alternative to high-maintenance turf grass.
Trees and Shrubs
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Well-placed foundation plants offer years of enjoyment. Trees and shrubs form the backbone of any landscape. Minimalist landscape design considers form as well as function. In summer, fully leaved deciduous trees function as cooling shades and in winter their dropped leaves allow the sun's rays to warm a house. Evergreen trees and shrubs insulate homes and form windscreens while offering refuge to birds and other wildlife. Geometric forms exist in the minimalistic landscape with trees and shrubs taking the shapes of squares, triangles, rectangles and circles.
Flowers
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Native perennials like purple coneflower attract butterflies to a minimalist landscape. Although annual flowers can be part of a minimalist landscape, perennials require less maintenance and they reward gardeners with many years' return on their initial investment. Planting native perennials boosts this reward by ensuring higher survival rates because of their affinity for native soils, their compatibility to regional climates and their resistance to pests and disease. Many perennials form clumps or mounds and some have a spreading habit which will naturalize an area without becoming invasive to surrounding areas.
Xeriscaping
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Using sprinklers for kids' play instead of irrigating the landscape conserves water. Efficient use of water in the landscape, or xeriscaping, is an important part of landscape design. Reducing or minimizing turf areas, choosing native or drought-tolerant plants and mulching are all components of water conservation. These practices also contribute to the simplicity of design and maintenance of minimalist landscaping. County Extension Services have free printed or online publications with lists of native plants, ground covers, trees and shrubs suited for growing in specific regions of the country.
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