All of the plants you list are fairly easy, but nothing is NO maintenance. The Liriope will need to be cut to the ground in early spring to get rid of the old foliage and make way for the new. Everything will need to be watered regularly for at least the first year if you don't get sufficient natural rainfall. Mulch will need replenishing occasionally, maybe once a year, and you'll have to remove debris, leaves, and anything that blows in from elsewhere. This will apply to any plant in any arrangement, no way around it.

As far as neat and orderly, that can mean very different things to different people. If you keep the area clean, mulched, and edged if there is adjacent lawn, it will look neat and orderly. If you don't, it won't.

Thanks. I am fine with the type of general maintenance you describe. For any future posters, when I say "neat" I mean I don't like lots of branches sticking out in a haphazard way -- I tend to like denser, more compact plants. Not so neat as to mean boxwood pruned into shapes, but just tight shrubs, like azaleas can be, or cherry laurel. Thanks so much for your thoughts.

I do not have personal experience with all these plants, but it looks like a list of nice, semi-common plants that do well in the DC area (though I admit to killing a newly planted Fosters Holly in last summer's drought).

- Brent

Can you people do that, look at a list like that and evaluate the design? I'm impressed.

Who is "you people" exactly? I didn't see anyone evaluate the design, just comments on the plant list.

Relax. The question was "Help me evaluate the design" followed by a list of names. The names mean squat to me. I do design (another field) but not like that and I was impressed that the names mean so much that "you people", I dunno, the people who answered the question? could make an assesment on the design from a list of names, I couldn't.

Yes adamante..you got "us people"!

No, we cannot evaluate Blake's design, but that is okay because he did not ask us to. He is asking if these plants could be used to create a low-maintenance and neat landscape. My answer to that is yes; they could be. The designer has selected plants that have a proven track record in the DC area. This is one part of creating a low-maintenance garden. There are other things to consider as well. That Viburnum in a 3' wide bed will require constant attention as will that Holly in a dry, full sun spot.

But those who have followed my posts may think I am biased toward any design that contains a few Otto Luykens. Oh...my new house does not have any Otto Luykens...I will have to change that!! ;-)

- Brent

For goodness sake, I am even a lawyer and am not that hyper-technical! :) Sorry, I guess the title should have been "help me evaluate these plants." Thank you to those who have done so already.