Artwork from Newsday by Anthony D'Adamo. Copyright o 1988, Newsday. Distributed by Los Angeles Times Syndicate.

LX RELAXED GARDENER

LOW MAINTENANCE
GARDENING LEAVES YOU
TIME AND ENERGY TO
ENJOY THE FRUITS OF
YOUR LABOR

BY JUNE HICKS

34

HOME

eople lead busy lives but
still like to surround their
handsome houses with
landscapes to match. For
those who've never gardened
before, the reality comes as a big
surprise — there's a lot of work in-
volved not only to plant but to keep
the setting looking its picturesque
best.
There are several steps the
average homeowner can take to
reduce the number of man-hours
required for upkeep. These same
methods can also help residents
of townhouses or apartments that
look out on tiny courtyards.

1p

Thus, the ever-growing populari-
ty of suggestions referred to in
greenthumb circles as "low-
maintenance" gardening. If you
would like to reduce the work in
your landscape, try some of the
following:

PATIOS AND DECKS

Introduce hard surfaces like
patios and decks to the scene. The
more of them and the larger they
are, the less weeding and water-
ing. For people who like to enter-
tain, these serve a double purpose
and also add important structure
to the overall scene.