How do I make my garden smaller?

[Scrapinthehat]

I find my garden beds much less work than the grass, but this hasn't always been the case. When we first moved in, the beds were full of self-seeding and aggressive perennials that required a lot of maintenance. It was a bit of work removing all of the unwanted stuff and researching and replanting with well-behaved plants, but it has been well worth the effort. Mulch is a godsend!

Like others have mentioned, adding shrubs and small trees will fill in the area without a lot of ongoing work. I especially like spireas and junipers for filling in areas. If you are not very knowledgable about plants and don't have much time, then utilizing a quick design service is well worth your time and money. Most garden centres offer these services at a reasonable price, and often for free if you purchase your plants from them.

The only real maintenance free yard is probably concrete or maybe that new plastic grass.