3 Simple Tips for a low maintenance Garden
A low maintenance garden is one of the most commonly requested attributes of a new garden design. Those that don’t count gardening as a hobby often don’t want to spend more than an hour a week caring for the plants, furniture and landscaping materials and when the weather naturally deteriorates during the great British winter the one hour can quickly diminish to no time at all. I, myself, am a little guilty of this so I am going to share some of my tips below to minimize your efforts and maximise the reward of owning your own garden.
1. Choose drought tolerant plants
In the summer months when we are lucky enough to receive a few days of warmth and sunshine, the avid gardeners will be out in force watering in the morning or evening, or both, to save their less tolerant species from the rays. This can quickly become a time and water consuming habit that can be overcome by selecting drought tolerant plants that are also hardy enough to survive throughout our increasingly bitter winters such as Lavenders (Lavendula spp.), Verbena bonariensis, Heuchera spp. and Euphorbia spp..
Beth Chatto’s Gravel Garden
Once a carpark in the relatively dry East of England, Beth Chatto’s gravel garden is famous for never being watered, achieved by selecting and experimenting with drought tolerant plants.
2. Reduce Lawns to a minimum
Lawns are a staple of almost every garden in the UK however, they are possibly the most time-consuming garden component. Scarifying, aerating, fertilising, weeding, mowing and, on occasion, watering are all required to maintain a traditional lush and healthy lawn. By reducing the lawn in your design or by using alternative living surfaces such as clover mixes (Trifolium repens) you can vastly reduce the maintenance requirements.
Alternative to living Lawns
From top left to right, Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia ‘Goldilocks’), Thyme (Thymus polytrichus) and Clover (Trifolium repens) are all alternatives but your soil type will determine what is suitable.
3. Choose materials that last
When it comes to hard landscaping, furniture and structures such as pergolas and fencing it can be tempting to save a few pennies, often quite a few pennies, by going for the cheaper options. I would recommend avoiding this urge if you can as the time you can save on maintenance, especially on wooden structures and furniture, is not to be sniffed at. Furthermore, everything in the garden will eventually have to be renewed, removed or replaced so paying for a few extra years of use up-front can save time and money in the long run.
If you would like assistance with creating a low maintenance garden of your very own then please do get in touch.
