This list was posted maybe a month ago here. It has many, many, many inaccuracies and some of these businesses no longer exist.I've seen it posted on Facebook, too. In fact, it seems whenever an article says to pass it around or something like that, it's not very accurate. This is not meant to fault YOU, joann....I know you are trying to help others get a discount. It's just that the information is untrue. (Wouldn't it be nice if Alaska Airlines gave a 50% discount?)

Unfortunately, there is no single source that addresses this issue completely. There are sites online that discuss low maintenance gardening and even provide lists of suitable plants but any plans available would be very site-specific. I give classes on low maintenance gardening frequently and there are some basic concepts to keep in mind. 1) Right plant, right place. That means selecting plants that appreciate and will thrive in the existing conditions, whether that be the soil quality, water availability or light. And select for appropriate size - plants that will easily outgrow their place require pruning or dividing to keep to the proper scale. 2) The larger a plant grows and the longer it lives, the less routine maintenance it requires. Trees generally require less maintenance than shrubs, shrubs need less maintenance than most perennials and everything requires less maintenance than annuals :-) 3) Evergreen plants or those that hold leaves throughout the year generally require less maintenance than deciduous plants and certainly any herbaceous plants. 4) Consider reducing the amount of lawn you have and replace with hardscaping or low maintenance groundcovers. In summation, reduce the amount of perennials your garden contains and replace with small shrubs or dwarf conifers. Many shrubs offer very colorful foliage and flowers, so the garden continues to offer interest but with much less required attention. Hostas and daylilies are a couple of perennials that require far less maintenance than most others, so good choices to retain. And there are some others that have similar attributes but on the whole, stick with shrubs or other woody plants. Most ornamental grasses and groundcovers also are good choices for reduced maintenance. Select plants that are well-suited for your area and that are not problematic with respect to aggressive spreading or attracting insects or are prone to disease issues. Your local nursery/garden center can help you with this. And mulch regularly. This will help to keep weeds at a minimum, retain soil moisture to reduce watering needs and return nutrients to the soil. If you want some seasonal color pops, annuals planted in a container by your entry or on your deck/patio are easy to attend to. And keep in mind that edible plants - veggies, fruits, berries - tend to be maintenance hogs, so determine how important these are to you to include. And remember that everything requires some degree of maintenance - you just want to limit your efforts. And consider hiring a garden design consultant for an hour or two to help you make this transition on what to keep and what to replace and with what. Well worth the investment.

Wow.........this is a great thread! I thought I had already commented on it, awhile back but I don't see it. It is soooo hard giving up things that we love and things that sort of "define" us. I'm 73 and 1/2 and I still garden (vegetable and water), but the water garden is suffering. My big problem is that I'm a hermit and feel uncomfortable hiring people. My husband does some things for me, but he's still working full time, and doesn't have the same interests as I do. But, .....I finally got my bad knee replaced and able to take care of my garden this year! DH does weed-eat the ground around most of my raised food-grade stock tanks. I just couldn't bend over any more and went with the raised beds. Unfortunately they need watered every 2 days if it doesn't rain. I also grow butternut squash, cucumbers and pole beans up trellises. I highly recommend trellis growing. I've really narrowed down what I plant now and always use the same varieties. A good fence and a solar electric fence charger have kept the animals out. I do grow a couple things in the back yard in big pots, and that's definitely an easier thing to do. There are a few things that I have given up on, since organic greens/spinach, etc., are easily available. For me, feeling like I'm "less" than I used to be is something I need to work on. I guess I need to learn to define myself in different ways, but that's hard. I know this thread is old but hopefully you all are still doing well and getting at least a little bit of joy out of your gardening. Thanks for listening.

I've done all these things and more lately. My husband and I spend time every day looking for something for the other and often it is in plain sight. The weirdest thing is I've been losing the same wad of money over and over. About four or five weeks ago I needed some cash so my husband handed me $100 in twenties. I always put money in my purse completely unfolded but this time for some reason I folded it in fourths. It was about the size of a credit card. The first time I lost it I looked for it for a couple of days before I found it...in my purse. I've lost it three more times and my husband has found it each time...in my purse. I couldn't find it yesterday and I asked him to look for it. I warned him that I had changed purses. He asked where I put the old purse. I told him but thought it was strange that that was where he was starting his search. I had completely emptied that purse before I put it away, of course. But that is where he found it, in the exact same place he found it twice before. I have unfolded the money and I hope that takes care of that situation.