Too busy with no time to care for your garden?
All gardens require some care and attention. There is no such thing as a maintenance-free garden. It’s often a big concern for many of you – “If I invest in a great garden, how do I keep it looking that way?”. This particularly resonates if you lead a busy life, perhaps juggling family too.
Often, we see people choosing large expanses of paving, astro turf and no planting to minimise the amount of work required to care for their outdoor space.
These materials still require maintenance and end up resembling mini carparks – sterile, cold, hard and incredibly uninviting.
We prefer warm vibrant gardens, brimming with life – so important for us to enjoy relaxing in. Nature should not be a place to visit, it deserves to be home for all of us.
However, there are ways to minimise the amount of time you spend caring for it and easy tasks to ensure your garden looks it best all year round.
You can have a beautiful outdoor space without constant up keep. We all know about the benefits of being outside and we know that caring for your garden should be a fun and enjoyable activity, not a chore.
Luckily, that’s something that is achievable, and here’s our top tips for creating sustainable gardens without the need for a gardener.
1. HIGH RATIO OF EVERGREEN PLANTS
This is so important, if your soil is covered, there is simply no space for weeds. Selecting more than 75% of the trees, shrubs and perennials will cut down huge amount of time removing weeds. It doesn’t mean you have to have a purely green garden – so many think of non-flowering shrubs as providing this role. Whereas the following perennials have so much to offer.
Sunny areas – Erysium bowles mauve, Stachys byzantina, Thymus and Sesleria autumnalis, Shady areas -Carex , Liriope muscari, Helleborus, Heuchera.
Consider long flowering shrubs like Viburnum tinus or Choisya ternata or perhaps unusual foliage colour like Pittosporum Tom Thumb. These will break up your space and provide ongoing visual impact.
2. GLORIOUS MULCH
We love the stuff as it has so many benefits. Chiefly, it removes the need for weeding. If you cover bare areas of soil, it retains soil moisture and feeds your soil, whether it is organic compost or manure.
Please no bark chippings – these are extremely acidic, get blown or moved by the birds and (in our view) give off public planting vibes. Yep, we are the garden style police!
This only needs to be done once or twice a year in spring and autumn and is a brilliant way to cut down on care when you have initially planted up a new border. A good thick layer – always laid onto damp soil, will lock in the moisture and keep freshly disturbed weed seeds at bay. This can save hours of work, when you could be doing something you enjoy more – so we always highly recommend it.
3. LAWN AUTOMATION
A lawn without a shadow of doubt is the highest maintenance area in any garden, so if you have a small space in particular, consider minimising or removing a lawn all together. Family gardens or larger spaces will benefit from the use of a robotic mower. This removes you from the equation and because it cuts a small amount each day, rain or shine, your lawn is always looking clipped. Sadly, it won’t give you stripes if that’s your thing, as the pattern is random.
By automating this task, you will free up precious hours spent either pushing a mower or sitting on one – with the added bonus that they are quiet.
We do know that many of you adore the ritual of mowing your lawn so this one may not be for you if you’re at one with your mower!
4. PLANT SELECTION
This is a common mistake we see a lot. A plant that fitted in your hand at the garden centre is now 3 metres tall and threatening to take over your windows.
Choose plants that do not need a lot of pruning to keep to size – ensuring you are choosing the right plant for the right space. Meaning you wouldn’t put a large fast growing conifer like Leylandii which can grow up to a metre per year, in a tiny place. Read the label before you buy😊
Minimising the amount of hedging will also make a difference. A yew or beech hedge will need clipping twice a year, large leaved laurels sometimes three, whereas if you used an evergreen grass or lavender for example these options require no pruning or only once a year. Most plants do not need pruning once they have reached maturity. It’s key to plant the right size plant and noting its size -in the space you have. This way you remove the constant battle of keeping a plant contained in a space – it should never perhaps be in.
Good examples are Pittosporum Golf Ball, it retains a circular shape without you having to clip it. Hebes, Cistus, Euphorbia wulfenii are all good structural evergreen shrubs. Whereas plants like the beautiful climber Wisteria need pruning three times a year for optimum flowering- so sadly not a savvy choice if you are time poor.
5. EDGING RULES
Many clients themselves or their gardeners, spend a lot of time trying to maintain border edges – be it straight or curved. It becomes a constant battle between soil or lawn. The best way to solve this issue is to install a mowing strip that retains this edge. Several options are available: If you have curved shapes, steel, available in different colours, or a small unit such as brick pavers are good choices. Both of these suit traditional or modern gardens. Other cost-effective options are hardwood sleepers or paving slabs.
The key is to ensure they are laid flush to the lawn so your mower can go over it easily, the adjoining border is lower in height, so in essence there is then no edge to maintain. Whereas if you create a raised edge with any of these suggested materials you will have to strim -creating more work as the mower will not be able to reach the edge.
We hope the above options help you feel more in control of your outdoor space. By integrating any of the above into any changes you are considering making to your garden, they will have an effect. Each step outlined above will go a long way to reducing hours spent toiling in your garden.
If you do need a gardener, investing in a skilled horticulturalist who cares correctly for your plants is worth its weight in gold. We cannot tell you the number of times we have seen plants cut incorrectly so they never recover – so sad and unnecessary. The Gardeners Guild is a great place to find an experienced gardener to help you care for your investment. We can supply you also with an aftercare plan.
Let us design a low-maintenance garden tailored to your lifestyle. Get in touch for a consultation today.
