How To Design A Low-Maintenance Garden
Low-maintenance gardens are becoming increasingly popular with modern homeowners because they offer a range of benefits. These gardens are ideal for the busy, modern lifestyle as they do not require constant care, upkeep or physical labour to maintain their appearance.
With everything else most people have to do in their daily lives, taking care of a constantly growing garden is not something we can afford. Those who continue to persevere with a traditional outdoor space will struggle with an overgrown, cluttered mess that is never ready to use and may hinder the appearance of their home.
This is why professional landscapers, like Beautiful Spaces, are seeing an increase in demand for low-maintenance gardens. Over the years, we have helped create gardens to complement all property types and requirements, and we have a wealth of experience with low-maintenance landscaping.
If you are looking to make life easier and enjoy a summer spent outdoors, then you may want to create a low-maintenance garden of your own. In this post, we are sharing our best tips and design recommendations for low-maintenance gardens to get you started.
Benefits Of Low-Maintenance Gardens
There are many reasons why you may consider a low-maintenance garden, and they are popular with a wide range of people. From busy families to retirees and those with limited mobility, low-maintenance gardens are designed to reduce the need for constant upkeep and care.
With fewer gardening jobs required to keep your outdoor space looking good, you can have a simpler and calmer schedule.
Alongside making life easier, low-maintenance gardens offer additional benefits such as:
- Cost-Effective: By reducing the need for gardening and ongoing maintenance, you not only save time but also money with a low-maintenance garden. There is no longer a need to pay for tools, such as lawn mowers and fertilisers, or for professional help to maintain the appearance and health of your outdoor space throughout the year.
- Year-Round Appeal: Low-maintenance gardens are designed to offer long-term appeal and will not change with the seasons, like traditional outdoor spaces. With a combination of perennials and evergreen plants, for example, your garden continues to thrive throughout the seasons and looks the same at all stages of the year.
- Sustainable: Low-maintenance gardens are ideal for those concerned about their carbon footprint and impact on the planet, as they are very environmentally friendly. They do not require excessive water use or chemical fertilisers, and will not add strain to local natural resources.
How To Design A Low-Maintenance Garden
To experience these benefits for yourself, it is time to consider low-maintenance garden design and how you can transform your outdoor space into a simple yet attractive and healthy environment throughout the year.
Whether you opt for a complete low-maintenance renovation or simply include some of these methods to reduce the need for landscaping, you will soon experience the benefits of low-maintenance gardens for yourself.
Low-Maintenance Planting Tips
A large part of garden maintenance revolves around plants and greenery, as these are living elements. Plants are continuously growing and entering new life cycles, which means they need different forms of care throughout the year. From watering to fertilising and pruning, your garden can take up a lot of time and energy to keep it healthy with traditional planting choices.
This is why low-maintenance planting is one of the best places to start when renovating your garden. Drought-tolerant and hardy perennials, such as lavender, sedum, and ornamental grasses, are a staple of any low-maintenance garden as they provide scent, decoration, and structure throughout the year, even with little to no care.
Evergreen shrubs are another staple of low-maintenance gardens, especially those with modern garden designs where structure and simplicity are key values. Evergreen shrubs maintain their foliage all year round, providing ideal privacy screening and ensuring defined zoning in the garden, no matter the season. Based on the kind of shrubs you use in your garden and their placement, occasional pruning may be required to maintain their shape and health. However, this is drastically reduced compared to the care other plants and shrubs require.
Finally, low-maintenance gardens can also benefit from native plants. These are the wild flowers and plants that can be found organically across the region, and naturally thrive in the conditions of these landscapes. For homeowners across Surrey, consider wildflowers such as bluebells, cowslip, and primrose to add colour and interest to your garden without the need for ongoing soil maintenance and gardening.
Lawn Alternatives To Reduce Gardening Tasks
A great way to make your garden low-maintenance is to replace or reduce your lawn space. Lawns require a lot of care and are often the main source of irritation, expense and lost time for homeowners. Keeping your grass healthy, green, and short means constant fertilisation, watering, and lawn mowing throughout the seasons, which not only takes up a lot of time but also can cost a lot of money too.
This is why many low-maintenance gardens forgo a lawn area altogether, instead replacing this with a sleek paved patio, large decking area, or a combination of multiple surfaces.
If you still desire the green, natural appearance of your garden or have pets and children who require lawn spaces, you can consider artificial turf. This surface is designed to look and feel like real grass, but it will not change throughout the year. All that is required is occasional cleaning to remove debris, which can be part of your seasonal changeover.
Alternatively, instead of replacing the entire lawn with a hardscape surface or artificial grass, you can simply reduce the size of your turf. This will make it quicker and easier to perform lawn care, without compromising the visual appeal and functionality of your garden.
Smart Irrigation, Watering And Weed Control
Despite your efforts to reduce the need for garden maintenance, there may be some tasks that you cannot avoid. For example, even if you rely on drought-resistant plants, there will come a time when you need to water your garden.
This is why automating the remaining gardening tasks and using a combination of smart technology and organic materials can be so useful. For the gardening tasks that remain, even with the hardy plants and reduced lawn space, smart irrigation systems can be incredibly useful.
These are programmable systems that water plants on a schedule or when required, and deliver hydration directly to the roots of plants for best absorption. With these systems and other smart gardening tools, you do not have to worry about keeping on top of your garden maintenance tasks, as it is programmed for you.
A cheaper and just as effective solution to reduce garden maintenance is mulch. Organic mulch such as compost or wood chips should be applied to planting areas, such as flower beds, to maintain soil temperature and hydration. Organic materials like this also offer the additional benefits of fertilising your planting areas, as they provide essential nutrients to plants as they decompose.
Mulching can be an effective way to reduce garden maintenance, as long as the right materials are used and laid properly. Avoid smothering plants with mulch and ensure there is a gap between the mulch and the stem or trunk of plants to prevent rot.
Conclusion
Designing a low-maintenance garden can offer a wide range of benefits to homeowners and is a highly popular option these days. Whether you have limited mobility, a lack of gardening skills or simply want to free up time in your schedule, low-maintenance gardens are designed to look great and remain healthy all year round.
Using a combination of hardy plants, hardscaping, and smart gardening tools, you can ensure your garden is easy to care for and looks amazing. Low-maintenance does not have to mean low impact, and your garden can continue to be a source of pride without the hassle by following these tips.
For additional support with garden maintenance, consider hiring professionals like our team at Beautiful Spaces. We offer professional gardening and maintenance for homeowners and commercial spaces, allowing you to experience the benefits of an attractive outdoor space without lifting a finger. We can also help with garden renovations and installations to bring out the best in your outdoor space.
Contact Us Today
To learn more about our services or to request a consultation with our experts, please get in touch with the team today.
FAQs
What is a low-maintenance garden?
A low-maintenance garden is designed to require little to no ongoing care and will remain healthy and attractive regardless. These gardens typically rely on easy-care plants and features to reduce the need for regular gardening tasks such as weeding, watering and mowing.
Can I still have flowers in a low-maintenance garden?
Absolutely! You can still have a colourful, thriving garden even when designing it to be low-maintenance by choosing hardy perennials like lavender, salvia, or sedum. These flowers will return each year and need little attention, allowing you to enjoy a thriving landscape without the work.
How can I reduce the time spent watering my garden?
A great way to reduce time spent watering is by installing a drip irrigation system, which provides moisture directly to the root of your plants. Likewise, relying on drought-tolerant plants reduces the need for regular watering without compromising the health of your outdoor space.
