Are you a busy mobile home owner who travels for work? Or maybe you live in your mobile home only half the year and travel south for the winter. You may have already ruled out the possibility of having a beautiful yard. After all, you’re gone so much of the time.
But you don’t have to give up on your yard just yet. Landscaping your yard is rewarding for you and others. Softening the look of your mobile home with landscaping is not only pleasing to the eye, but also adds value and curb appeal. All you need are some tips for low-maintenance landscaping. Lucky for you, that’s just what we’re talking about today.
Preparing the right way
Preparing your yard for low-maintenance landscaping is an important step. This will ensure your yard will be weed-free and looking great when you get back from your next big trip. Instead of planting loads of seeds and giving them all the space they want, we suggest being more intentional. Create defined spaces for your plants, shrubs, or trees.
There are a few ways to do this. First, using landscape fabric will get you the best results. This will be your biggest defense against weeds. You may also want to invest in plastic edging, brick, or decorative stone to give your plots a defined space and prevent your annuals from spreading outside their boundaries.
To weed or not to weed
Finally, decide what look you are going for. If you want to use dirt for a natural look, that’s fine, but it does require more upkeep than your other choices. Consider using mulch or rocks instead. Rocks come in all sizes and colors and are one of the best ways to keep each of your plants in check. And best of all, weeds aren’t much of a match for them.
Note that rocks can also be used on their own to create a beautiful border around your mobile home.
Picking the perfect plant
If you live in a mobile home park, the first step in choosing plants is calling up your park manager. Ask him what plants are allowed in your park, how big they can be, and whether he’ll allow you to make any big changes. You don’t want to exhaust yourself landscaping your lot only to have the park owner show up the next day and inform you you’ve broken the rules!
Beware of roots
Fast-growing plants with large root systems are usually out-of-bounds in parks. Plus, you’ll regret choosing plants that shoot up three feet while you’re away. They may cause all sorts of issues that you’ll have to take double the time to deal with. Choose slow-growing plants that don’t require a lot of work on your part.
Examples of low-maintenance plants
We recommend planting ornamental grasses, small shrubs like barberry or juniper, and flowers that are close to the ground and cover large areas. If you’re planning to border your mobile home, sidewalk, driveway, or patio, these plants are the ones for the job. Hostas and ferns are also fantastic choices.
But overall, choose plants that are hard to kill, require very little consistent watering, and flourish in both sun and shade.
Caring for your plants while you’re away
Again, one of the best ways to care for your plants is to plan. How long are you going to be gone? A few weeks? Months? How often do the plants you’ve purchased need to be watered? Choose plants that each have a similar answer to that question. For instance, maybe you’ll decide to plant various shrubs that all need to be watered once a week. That means you can get home and water them all at once and leave again without worrying about neglecting certain plants that require more maintenance than others.
This also allows you to give your neighbors or friends a time-table if they’re going to be checking up on the landscaping for you. Another option is investing in a drip irrigation system, especially if you’re leaving for a month or two at a time. If you have potted plants, fill a kiddie pool with one or two inches of water and place the pots inside.
On the go
We’ve just scratched the surface of landscaping for homeowners on the go. We encourage you to do a little research yourself. Be intentional, plan, and have fun. Your landscaping shouldn’t stress you out. And don’t be worried that all your plants will be dead when you get back. If you prepared properly, they’ll be fine.
Want more landscaping inspiration? We have a whole list of fun gardening themes for your mobile home.
About EZ Homes Design Team
