Easy Maintenance Garden Designs
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Spring is on the horizon, soon to be followed by summer, and I’m sure many of you can’t wait to kick back and relax in your garden… If it is an appealing place to be, that is! Gardening is a task that a lot of us enjoy but often can’t find the time to keep on top of.
But fear not – The following tips from garden design expert Fiona Jenkins at MyJobQuote.co.uk will help you to create a low-maintenance garden that is full of beautiful, healthy plants all year round without taking your time away from the other things life throws at us!
Limit Flower Bed Size and Plant Variety
When considering the size of your flower beds, the smaller ones are better if you are looking for a low-maintenance solution, as larger ones will require a lot more initial planting and upkeep. Sticking to flower beds that are only 1-2 feet wide will make them much more manageable.
Once you have set the size of your flower beds, it is time to think about what plants you want to put in them. It is a good idea to limit the variety of your plants to around five different ones. This way, you will easily learn and memorise the requirements of each plant, and caring for them will be a lot simpler.
Plant Low Maintenance Flowers
Simple, low-maintenance plants are ideal for those who have little spare time or don’t feel very confident in gardening. Hardy perennials such as geraniums and peonies, as well as evergreen shrubs, are great options as they can survive the winter frost and won’t need replanting every year.
Once settled in, these plants can bring years of colour and beauty to your garden. There are other factors to consider, such as how often a plant will need feeding, watering, and pruning- only purchase a plant when you are certain you can keep on top of its needs!
Invest in Good Soil and Mulch
Investing in good quality, rich, organic soil will allow plants to thrive with minimum need for frequent watering and fertilising. Add organic matter such as compost to your soil yearly, which you can either make yourself or buy from a store if preferred.
Mulching is a great way of protecting your soil and making it last longer by helping to maintain moisture levels and prevent weeds from growing. The process involves adding a layer of organic materials such as bark chips, dead leaves or compost that will improve soil as it breaks down.
Get Rid of the Grassy Lawn
A grassy lawn can be one of the most difficult and time-consuming areas to maintain within a garden. During the summer, it will need mowing every week, as well as careful tidying and cutting of the borders. Artificial grass can be a perfect solution, as it is much easier to maintain and is also much more suitable for households with hay fever sufferers.
Hard landscaping, such as paving or decking, is also much easier to care for than a grass lawn. Composite decking is ideal as it is long-lasting and doesn’t require any of the sanding, treating, or staining that wooden decking would. If choosing paving, invest in some paving sand to seal the gaps and prevent weeds from growing in between.
Add a Rock Garden
If you want your garden to be completely free of regular flower beds and soil but still wish to incorporate plants, you could go for a lower-maintenance rock garden. This feature will look very visually appealing if done correctly and will pretty much take care of itself.
Achieving the look of a stunning rock garden is simple: plant some alpine plants and succulents and surround them with a mix of larger rocks and smaller pebbles to cover the soil completely. This will bring interesting textures to your garden space and prevent pesky weeds from growing in the soil.
Make Use of Raised Beds
Utilising raised beds, whether on top of your existing soil or over hard landscaping, can give you more control over your plants. A raised flower bed will stop them from spreading out of control and add a focal point of interest to your garden.
Not only will this feature help to preserve the aesthetic appeal of your garden, but it can also do wonders for your back and knees! Long gone will be the days of bending over or kneeling on the floor to care for flower beds.
Use a Timed Watering System
Amongst all of our other household chores to battle through on a hot summer evening, many may feel that they have neither the time nor the energy to water plants. This is the perfect time to consider investing in a sprinkler or drip irrigation system with a set timer!
This way, you won’t even need to remember to water your plants, and your garden flowers and lawn will be kept wonderfully healthy all summer long. An irrigation system can lead to a better overall quality of life for your plants, as they grow faster and stronger when watered at regular intervals.
Embrace the Wild
If you do want to keep a lawn in your garden but feel you don’t have the time to keep it well-trimmed and looking perfectly tidy, why not embrace the wild look? This isn’t to say you should let it grow completely out of control, but your garden can look beautiful with the aesthetic of a grassy meadow rather than an urban space.
To enhance this effect, try sprinkling some wildflower seed mixes onto your grass. These flowers won’t need any maintenance, come in a range of beautiful colours, and are a real treat for our beloved garden friends, such as bees and butterflies.
FIONA JENKINS
FionaJenkins is a UK-based landscaper with over twenty-five years of experience in the industry. As a gardening expert for MyJobQuote, one of the UK’s top trades-matching sites,Fiona offers her expert advice to MyJobQuote’s tradespeople and homeowners and has also been featured as a gardening expert for a range of reputable publications.
