Would you like a low-maintenance garden, too?
These days, almost everyone wants a low-maintenance garden.
We often want to enjoy all the beauty our garden has to offer, but unfortunately we don't have much time to take care of it.
To create a low-maintenance garden, it’s important to make the right choices. Not only should you choose the right plants for the right spots, but you can also use various tips and tricks to minimize maintenance and care.
A maintenance-free garden is a myth!
Even a garden that’s completely paved requires some maintenance. In fact, keeping the pavers clean and weed-free probably takes even more work than maintaining a well-designed (plant) garden!
The Low-Maintenance Garden
What is possible, however, is a low-maintenance garden—that is, a garden that requires as little time as possible to care for all the plants. An example of such a garden is a gravel garden with planting holes.
The Low-Maintenance Garden
In addition to a low-maintenance garden, you can also opt for an easy-to-maintain garden. That is, a garden without time-consuming elements such as large hedges, a pond, island beds, fruit trees, and lawns. By spending just one or two hours a week, you can easily keep such a garden in good shape.
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Low-maintenance plants
Verbena and Digitalis also pair well with ornamental grasses, such as Stipa (feather grass), Pennisetum (flaming grass), Calamagrostis (reed grass), and Miscanthus (Japanese silver grass).
In addition to ornamental grasses and perennials, ferns also require very little maintenance.
Shrubs that require little care
There are also shrubs that require little care, including Viburnum (snowball bush), Rhododendron, and Ceanothus (American lilac).
Low-maintenance trees
There's even a dwarf tree which is interesting year-round and requires very little maintenance: the Amelanchier lamarckii (serviceberry). In the spring, it produces white blossoms; in the summer, graceful green leaves, berries, and beautiful fall colors. An added bonus is that the tree doesn’t grow too large, so you can see right through it. This makes it ideal for small gardens.
Groundcover plants reduce weeds
Also choose groundcover plants, such as geranium, Stachys (lamb’s ears), Bergenia (shoe-leather plant), Liriope (lilyturf), and Alchemilla mollis (lady’s mantle). Dense ground cover prevents weeds from taking hold.
Low-Maintenance Gardening Tips
- Choose the right spot for each plant
- Go for a simple planting plan
- Choose plants that go well together (in terms of growing conditions)
- Keep in mind the plants' mature size and how quickly they can grow
- Choose the right garden style, such as a gravel garden
- Plant as few plants as possible in pots and containers
- Avoid fast-growing hedge plants
- Do not use topiary techniques
- Choose plants that can withstand drought well, so you won't have to water them extra
- Use weed barrier fabric to prevent weeds
- Choose species and varieties that are less susceptible to diseases and pests