There is no such thing as a low-maintenance garden
… Just different levels of maintenance. Even a garden with no plants needs work; gravel weeded, patios cleaned, wooden structures protected, leaves swept up and the list goes on.
More plants means less weeding
My own garden is stuffed with plants which means very little weeding, as there is less space for the weeds to self-seed. With a little knowledge of how to look after the plants in your garden, you can have a relatively easy garden to look after without too much to do.
When I was training to be a garden designer I did some garden maintenance work.
I worked on a garden that was designed as a winter garden for owners who only lived there in the winter.
They contacted me as they had been let down by a maintenance company and the neighbours were complaining about their neglected garden. The weeds were rampant.
I did a big clearance job and got it under control and then visited the garden every 7/14 days, but it was a fighting battle, every time I went the weeds were back.
The problem was the garden had so much exposed soil it was a weed factory.
Yes, they had shrubs that would look good in the winter, but they desperately needed some ground cover plants to suppress weeds and keep the maintenance down.
This is an example of how not to do low maintenance.
When the garden had been redesigned for winter interest the planting chosen should have considered all seasons and the upkeep of the garden.
Choose plants that are easy to care for
Plants have different needs some are higher maintenance than others.
For example, roses are beautiful, long flowering and often fragrant, but can be needy.
Our damp climate means they can be prone to black spot (a fungal disease) as well as other diseases, they are greedy plants and often need to be fed. If it’s a plant you love, then it’s worth it, but if you are looking for low maintenance, then it is best to choose plants which are easy to look after with a long flowering season or multiple points of interest.
Flowering shrubs which are easy to maintain are a good choice for low-maintenance gardens such as Weigela florida or Hydrangea macrophylla.
You could also choose herbaceous perennials with a long flowering season geranium ‘Rozeanne’ and salvia ‘Nachtvlinder’ are some good examples.
Geranium ‘Rozeanne’
Hard working plants
As well as picking plants that are easy to look after, I like plants that offer multiple seasons of interest in the garden and do more than one thing.
An example from my garden is in my mixed hedge.
I chose a deciduous hedging material that is native, good for wildlife and is thorny, so a deterrent to intruders, it has very early white blossom in late winter/ early spring, and has fruits and autumn colour.
It is called Prunus spinosa – commonly known as blackthorn.
I can also use the fruit to make sloe gin – bonus. This is not a choice for everyone as it doesn’t make a neat hedge, but it works well in the white border at the back of my garden.
Prunus spinosa
Low maintenance is about choosing your plants carefully
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Make sure your plants work hard and with a little help from you, they will keep your garden looking good all year.
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Try not to be swayed by plants in full bloom at your local garden centre, think carefully about what you want from the plant, what conditions the plant likes to grow in and how easy it is to look after.
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Careful plant selection will help make your garden easier to manage and look good.
Are you ready to make your garden lower maintenance with more plants?
