Those of us not inclined toward excessive weeding, mulching and trimming find solace in passive landscaping: turning over the job to Nature herself. Should you decide to take this approach, be mindful that lawn cover must be minimized and the use of herbicides and pesticides are forbidden.
Nature is not a neat tenant and you must get used to a hodgepodge of native plants in your flower beds and wood borders. Resisting the urge to pull out "weeds" may be your greatest hurdle. Then again, you will appreciate the free time that passive landscaping affords.
One of the many rewards of this "hands-off" approach is that new plants begin to appear on your property and many of these are quite attractive; the rough white asters in the photo just appeared this month, a welcome addition to the flora on our farm. Finally, a naturalized yard requires far less water, an especially valuable trait in arid and semiarid ecosystems.
