Ideas For A Low Maintenance Garden

Before you start to create any beds or borders you need to take the time to plan and prepare. To start with you should take the time to clear out any weeds or invasive plants - this WILL save you years of hard work. If needs be, ask a friend or relative to help out with this, especially if you find it hard to do.

The best tool to clear out weeds is a hoe and you should make friends early with this tool - if you have a weed problem you are going to become very close to it over a long weekend!

TOP TIP: For a low maintenace garden think about doing this little and often rather than having to tackle it all in one go. A few minutes of weeding with a hoe is much better than having to attack it full force every month!

Draper 22223 STAINLESS STEEL DUTCH HOE

Personally, I have always used the Draper Hoe shown here. Although you don't need to go out and purchase a new one - if it works, stay with it.

The reason that a hoe is the best tool for keeping your garden low maintenance is that it will slice through the weeds just below the surface of the soil. If you just leave the weed laying there it will naturally die and rot into the soil - very low maintenance!

When you plan your beds and borders consider making them higher especially if you have trouble bending down - a perfect solution for more mature gardeners.

Make sure that you don't have to walk on your beds or borders in order to reach your plants, this ensures that you can keep working when it suits YOU and not the weather!

One sure fire way to keep your weeds banished from your borders and beds for a really low maintenance garden is to put down a weed suppressing fabric.

Weed Control Fabric 1.5m x 20m 50gsm

You can see an example of a reasonably priced one here, although I'm sure you would be able to find one in your local garden centre or DIY store.

Not only can you get this down with ease, it wont be seen once you've finished and it really is a quick fix for a low maintenance garden.

Simply prepare the area with soil improver and lay the suppressing fabric over the area you want to protect. Once in place select the right places you want to put your plants and the cut a cross into the fabric. You can then just plant through the cuts and into the soil.

Consider using bark chippings to cover with as this not only looks very effective, it's also low maintenance.

TOP TIP: Place the plants where you want them without cutting through the fabric - this way you can move them about until you are happy with their possition. You'd hate to change your mind once you have made the cuts.

If you think that you are going to lay down some really hard landscaping (patio, decking etc) then you should seriously consider using pots and containers to soften the look.

Shrubs in pots and containers need no regular maintenance and only need to be topped up with some good compost and checked to ensure they don't become pot-bound.

Nortene Water Retaining Crystals

It's worth remembering that pots, containers and hanging baskets that you fill with annuals will require regular maintenance. Annuals require watering regularly in dry weather so if you want to keep them thriving throughout summer consider using water retentive crystals to stop them drying out quickly.

These are great if you think you might forget to water them daily in warmer weather or you are often away from home.

Let's get this straight right now. A lawn in going to take up the majority of your time in any garden, so a garden you are trying to turn into a low maintenance one will more or less defeat the object.

Miracle-Gro All Purpose Grass Seed 30 sq m Bag

If you already have an established lawn and you are trying to convert to a low maintenance garden, you should seriously think about turning that lawn into a stunning wildflower meadow lawn.

Any lawn requires maintenance at least once a week with mowing in the growing season, so imagine what it will require if you have an immaculate lawn just like a bowling green!

At the very least you should think about making it smaller or for a very drastic low maintenance garden think about adding a patio or decked area to reduce the lawn.

Grass = Higher Maintenance Garden

When it comes to planting your low maintenance garden it's worth taking the time to pick them carefully. Plants can be the making of any garden but if you make the wrong choice, not only can it be expensive to put right, it can cause you more work than you planned for.

The whole idea of a low maintenance garden is to encorporate plants that last a long time and require the least amount of fuss to look after.

Some prime examples of the plants that will work well are:

Shrubs: Although there are lots of varieties of shrubs, they do offer you a great range of choice. Not only will they offer you a slow growing and evergreen garden, they create a lot of shape, height and colour to a low maintenance garden.

Grasses: These go really well with shrubs and will offer you an easy growing plant that only requires cutting back once a year. Depending on the size of the grass you buy, a grass can add height and movement.

Ground Cover: By selecting ground cover you can expect a vigourus cover to your garden in a short amount of time. They generally look after themselves and require little effort in maintenance.

Climbers: Pick a climber that will self-cling and you will give yourself a great plant that requires little maintenance.

Your low maintenance garden should be looking much easier to complete now. It doesn't matter if you are working from a blank canvas or re-designing your existing garden, I hope that you have found some helpful information and inspiration from what you have read.

A low maintenance garden doesn't mean a garden that is empty or just paved over. Just adding and planning well can make a world of diference to any garden.

Adding a water feature or painting a fence with a colour can make a real difference to a low maintenance garden. These simple and effective tips can make this kind of garden more of a talking point than the neighbours cottage garden.