With many of us leading busy lives, those of us that would not consider ourselves ‘green fingered’ do not want to spend our precious free time pruning, mowing, trimming and digging to try keep our gardens looking great all year round.
But there is good news for those who would describe themselves as ‘maintenance-phobic’. In recent years, a trend for low maintenance gardens has emerged; leading to the creation of a new market of low maintenance materials and design tricks to make keeping on top of your green space easier. Below we share our top five tips to help you create the low maintenance garden of your dreams:
Tip 1: Use Porcelain Paving
Porcelain paving tiles are an ever-popular choice for the homeowner looking to create a perfect seating area. Porcelain is a manufactured fired clay and sand tile available in a wide range of colours and finishes making porcelain the ideal choice for those looking for a high-quality consistent finish for their patio.
Porcelain is also considered one of the lowest maintenance paving materials as it absorbs little water so unlike more porous natural stone paving it requires less cleaning.
Tip 2: Try out a Composite Deck
For those of you who like decking but do not like the associated maintenance, why not consider composite decking? Composite deck is formed from wood fibre, plastics and bonding agents and therefore has a lifespan of approximately 25 years plus compared to the typical 15 year lifespan of a softwood deck.
Composite deck is available in a variety of colours and is very hard wearing, retaining its colour and look with minimal maintenance. It is also available with an anti-slip finish making it a great and safe alternative to traditional softwood decking.
Tip 3: Why not go Artificial?
In recent years the quality of artificial lawn has improved significantly and there are now many artificial turf options which are largely indistinguishable to real turf making it a good aesthetic alternative to real lawn.
The clear benefit to having an artificial lawn is that you can have a healthy looking green lawn all year round without mowing or feeding with minimal maintenance.
For those with north facing gardens or with acidic soil, an artificial lawn is a fantastic alternative to a real lawn that will never really thrive in shade or bad soil conditions.
When installed correctly, artificial lawn provides a quick drying soft play surface for your family and pets- and most importantly means no more mud being dragged through the house!
Tip 4: Think about Planting
Even low maintenance gardens need plants so it is important to pick the right species to ensure your planting scheme is manageable.
Make sure you research the qualities of each plant paying attention to its eventual size and spread as even the tiniest plant in the garden centre can quite quickly overtake a border.
Pay attention to the soil type and aspect that the plant requires. Putting the wrong plant in the wrong place means it will never really thrive or look its best.
Try not to go too formal or tidy- any clipped hedging or topiaries will need clipping several times a year to keep them looking their tidy.
Don’t overcrowd your borders. More plants means more maintenance so space out your planting so there are fewer plants to look after (and less leaves to collect!). For a low maintenance finish to your planted borders, make sure you cover any bare soil between plants with membrane & gravel or bark chip to suppress weeds.
Tip 5: Use Raised Beds
Rather than planting straight into the ground, try place any plants within raised beds. Most plants will do well in raised beds as they are free-draining and the soil type can be changed to suit what is planted within them.
The soil temperature tends to be higher than ground level too, creating an environment for plants to thrive.
Another benefit of raised beds is that they are easier to access and maintain reducing risk of stress on the back that some gardeners can experience.
Finally, it is important to remember that there is no such thing as a no-maintenance garden, but through the right choice of materials and a considered approach to design and horticulture it is possible to create a fantastic low maintenance garden for you and your family to enjoy for years to come.
