A Quick Guide To Creating A Low Maintenance Garden
Gardens are a highly desirable household feature, but with access to the outdoors comes additional responsibilities. Even the smallest of gardens can require hours of year-round maintenance to keep it organized and looking its best, which is why more and more people are seeking out low maintenance alternatives. Here is a quick guide to creating a low maintenance garden that will look great all year round with minimal input and effort.
Tame your trees
Trees, hedges, and large garden shrubs can quickly grow out of control, shrinking your garden space and depositing debris that you will spend all year clearing up. Large overhanging trees, in particular, will annually drop their leaves leaving you with a mass of rotting foliage to dispose of. If you want a low maintenance garden that isn’t filled with rotting leaves for half of the year, then use the services of a professional arborist such as the Sydney Tree Company, to either reduce the size of your tree or to remove it altogether. We removed our massive tree in the backyard because the leaves kept blowing into the pool and the seeds kept dropping. I was sad at first, but it made our backyard look much bigger and the maintenance is so much easier.
Go grassless
The idea of using fake grass in your garden may be off-putting at first, but it is the only way that you will achieve a truly maintenance free lawn. Faux-grass has improved dramatically in recent years and is more authentic than ever, providing the look of lushness all year round, and withstanding the abuse from feet, pets and ball games. We want to eventually do fake grass in our backyard, I personally love the look of it!
If you do decide to go grassless, make sure you buy from a reputable turf company. That way, you can be sure you’ll end up with a fantastic maintenance-free lawn that doesn’t get damaged due to weathering.
Did you know there are many different “types” of faux-grass? Plus, they even come in various shades of green, or other colors, if you prefer.
Plant perennials
Unlike annual and biennial plants that only flower for a year or two before dying, perennials come back every year providing their beautiful blooms come rain or shine. Perfect for borders or for adding a bit of color to your garden, you will only need to plant your perennials once and will get to enjoy them year after year. Like most flowering plants, they will require a little TLC to keep them in top condition, but compared with annuals they are very low maintenance.
Extend your outdoor living space
Patios and paved areas are a great way to increase your living space if you have a small home and will reduce the amount of grassy area that you need to take care of. Choose a durable stone that will last the test of time, and make sure to grout properly between the slabs to avoid pesky weed growth. When it comes to patios and paved areas, it’s always worth putting in the effort the first time around to make sure that the foundations are strong and even as this will save you money and time in touch-ups as the ground settles.
Stick to native plants
By picking native plants that are used to growing in the conditions of your garden, you can dramatically cut down the time you need to spend watering and tending to them. For bright, sunny areas, pick plants that don’t mind a little drought such as lavender, and for shadier more secluded spots, stick to plants that are used to living under the shade of other trees such as ferns.
Creating a low maintenance garden doesn’t mean having no-garden at all. With some crafty landscaping and careful plant selections, you can enjoy a beautiful garden all year round without spending every weekend tending to it.
