The line on the existing site is the honest one. People have less time, and they would rather spend what they have sitting outside. Mowing and a few pots are fine. A border that sulks every time you miss a weekend is not.
Around Hertford, Bengeo and Ware the plots are often older and a bit uneven. In Welwyn Garden City they are more likely to still have the original lawn and hedge, now larger than the household wants. The design answer is similar in both places.
What usually stays
Turf stays where children play or where a mower already has a simple route. Everything else can be a surface you do not weed.
- Patio and paths in the stone you actually want to live with
- Gravel or slate where a bed would only collect leaves
- A deck or pergola if that is where the chairs go
- Planting in pots and a few beds you can reach from the path
Low maintenance is not no maintenance. A short regular visit — or an hour of your own — should be enough. If the drawing needs more than that, it is the wrong drawing.