Having your garden totally redesigned is the perfect chance to consider not only how you can improve its design but how it can be made easier to maintain.
A low-maintenance garden means less hassle for you and, of course, with lower maintenance, you can obviously expect lower maintenance expenses over time. In addition, an easy-to-maintain garden may add value to your property. But how can you create one?
For the few occasions where your low-maintenance garden needs a little looking after, you may be interested in hiring a gardener to undertake the work for you.
Choosing the Right Plants
One straightforward solution that is nonetheless easy to overlook is to minimize both the number and variety of plants in your garden. The fewer plants you have, the less time you’ll spend on gardening.
As for the actual type of plants in your garden, it’s best to have no more than two species. This is because different types of plants come with slightly different maintenance regimens. You could, of course, forego the inclusion of plants entirely and have gravel laid in place of the existing lawn and any garden plants. You should avoid plants that need artificial support.
More Hardscaping
Hard landscaping or hardscaping involves the use of non-organic materials. Hardscaping tends to be easier to maintain than plant life, a lawn, etc.
Examples of hardscaping include:
- Driveways
- Patios
- Fountains
- Walkways
- Rocky features
Obviously, the inclusion of water features (particularly a pond) can come with quite a bit of maintenance so you may want to steer away from these options. Also, if you’d like to make garden maintenance a less monotonous task, including various textures of hardscaping can make the job more engaging while bringing a more diversified aesthetic to your garden.
Weatherproof Furniture
If you want to include garden furniture, we recommend you avail of weatherproof options. The alternative would be to store your furniture in your shed or elsewhere and only take it out when needed. However, weatherproof furniture is both handy and durable.
Seasonal Considerations
If you’d like to have a lawn but want to keep it low maintenance, consider having fake grass installed. This is way easier to maintain than real grass albeit it will not offer a habitat for wildlife such as insects.
Low-maintenance Gardening
If you’d much rather stick with conventional gardening, there are ways of making your garden easy to maintain all the same. One way of achieving this is with self-watering plant pots. These plant pots feature built-in reservoirs.
Planning your garden layout in an effective manner can also make it easier to manage, regardless of whether you prioritize softscaping or hardscaping.
Something else worth considering is low-maintenance mulch application. This involves covering all plant beds with a mulch blanket with a depth of around four to six inches. Taking this approach enables the mulch to suppress weeds and conserve some moisture. The exact timing and steps required will depend on the type of mulch you wish to use.
Employing Technology
Related to the previous section, the use of technology can automate gardening and thus significantly lower your workload. The most well-known example of automated gardening is the use of a sprinkler system. You’ll still need to maintain your sprinklers once in a while and ensure that it is doing its job correctly but ultimately a sprinkler system can make life easier for you.
Final Thoughts
We’ve looked at several approaches to creating a low-maintenance garden. Of course, the right approach will depend on what you want for your garden. If you are stuck for ideas, consider hiring a professional landscaper to help run through ideas for your new garden.
