As the warmer weather approaches, you might be looking at ways you get your garden summer ready.
Keeping up with garden maintenance can seem like a daunting task, especially when you’re busy, so creating a low maintenance garden will mean that you can spend more time enjoying your garden than pruning it!
Here’s some low maintenance garden ideas you can adapt for your outdoor space.
Consider getting rid of your lawn
If you want low effort garden landscaping, then it might be time to consider getting rid of your lawn and opt for something like gravel instead. When creating your gravel garden, be sure to ensure you lay a weed suppressing membrane. You could opt for a jute material if you’re trying to reduce your plastic use. Cut holes in the membrane for planting flowers and plants and place gravel around them.
Gravel is a great idea for creating a low maintenance garden as gravel naturally holds moisture, which can mean many Mediterranean plants can thrive particularly if you have a sunny garden.
Top tips for removing your lawn
- Ensure any weeds are removed before laying the membrane.
- Smaller plants can get a bit swamped by gravel, so we recommend planting them on low mounds so they are raised slightly above the level of the gravel.
- If your soil is clay based then a gravel garden might not be the best conditions for your plants to thrive.
Invest in low maintenance garden flowers
A low maintenance garden doesn’t have to be boring, there are plenty of low maintenance garden flowers you can plant to create a bright and vibrant garden. Perennials are our top pick as they return every year, thrive in a variety of soils and need minimal maintenance.
Low maintenance flowers:
Lavender:
Lavender not only looks beautiful with its lush purple colour, but it will also create a calming fragrance in your outdoor space. Lavender thrives in full sun but will need watering more regularly when first planted. Prune lavender annually in Spring or after blooming to prevent them becoming sparse and woody.
Germaniums:
Geraniums are the easiest of the perennials and are great for suppressing weeds. They came in a variety of colours and like the sun with partial shade. They come back strong year after year and require minimal pruning.
Salvia (hot lips):
Salvia are fantastic pollinators and are known for their striking red and white flowers. Once established they are drought resistant. Deadhead faded flowers to encourage more to bloom. Prune in late winter or early spring once frost has passed.
Aquilegia (columbines):
Aquilegia come in a variety of colours and often have two toned blooms. They are super easy to grow and often self seed. They prefer sunny or semi shaded spots and will look great in a cottage garden giving a pretty and wild look.
Low maintenance shrubs:
Hydrangeas:
Hydrangeas are low maintenance shrubs that have big blooms that will add plenty of colour to your garden. Prune in early Spring cutting the oldest stems at the base to encourage new growth.
Forsythia:
Renowned for their vibrant yellow flowers, they are tolerant of most soil types. They are quick growing and are great for garden borders.
Ornamental Grasses
Add a bit of texture and movement to your garden by planting some ornamental grasses.
Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’:
Despite its blue colour this plant is an evergreen and is great to offset yellow plants in your garden. It likes full sun to partial shade and is great in containers.
Imperata cylindrica (Japanese blood grass):
This ornamental grass has a green base with lovely red tips by summer. For the most vibrant colour this grass likes bright sun.
Opt for large pots or containers
If you want a super low key garden space, and are likely to move, then planting in pots or containers is a great way to create colour and depth to your garden.
The bigger the pots or containers, the easier the plants are to manage, as smaller pots tend to dry out plants quicker.
Top tip:
- For a mediterranean inspired garden opt for some rustic looking terracotta pots- these can be a great way to add life to a small courtyard garden.
- Pick some hardy perennial plants to pot, so if you move home it’s easy to take them with you.
- Weathering steel is great for a plant container and looks really stylish!
Create raised borders
Raised borders are the perfect low effort landscaping technique and can be a great option if you find it hard to bend down or kneel to do gardening. You can create your borders at a height that suits you and create texture and colour with a range of low maintenance garden flowers.
Raised border style ideas
Timber sleeper beds:
Are rectangular flower containers made from timber that offer a warm and rustic feel to your garden. They are strong and durable and are a great way to add character to your garden.
Natural stone:
Using stone is a great way to structure your raised borders as they are super durable and can easily create a more curved design, adding more shape to your garden.
Corten Steel:
Steel raised borders are great for damper conditions particularly like Cornwall. They have a long lifespan and create a look in your garden that’s modern and stylish.
Gabion baskets:
Gabion baskets are essentially metal cages filled with rocks with soil behind. They can be expensive but have a long lifespan. They can create a unique and textured look in your garden.
Upcycled materials:
To create a unique and fun garden on a budget you could consider repurposing materials like pallets, reclaimed timber, bath tubs or old tyres.
Need some more landscaping inspiration? Check out our garden landscaping ideas blog.
Try easy grow garden vegetables and fruit
Growing your own vegetables doesn’t have to be difficult, and it can be a lovely way to get the most out of your garden space.
Here’s some easy grown garden vegetables:
Courgettes:
Courgettes are notorious for being a very productive plant and they require very little care. Courgettes don’t tolerate the cold, so make sure you keep them somewhere warm until the frost passes. They can grow quite large, so be sure to give them plenty of growing room.
Tomatoes:
These are a great starter vegetable if you like a bit of lazy gardening as they will often produce some fruit. The main thing is not to let the tomatoes dry out. You can plant them directly into the ground or in a container.
Potatoes:
Potatoes are a really fun easy grow garden vegetable. You can grow them no dig style straight into the ground and water them if the plant seems quite dry. When they’re ready to harvest, store them in a cool dry place with the dirt still on them.
Lettuce:
Lettuce is great because it can be grown all year round. You can easily sprinkle seeds into a pot and place on your window sill or grow them in stand alone pots. Harvest them by removing just the lower leaves. Fresh leaves will continue to grow from the top.
Kale:
Kale is the perfect easy grow vegetable, providing you with a nutrient dense superfood. Kale requires minimal effort and will crop for most of the year.
Easy fruits to grow in your garden:
Strawberries:
Perfect for pots, hanging baskets, or ground soil, strawberries are one of the most rewarding fruits you can grow at home. They are quick to produce results, making them ideal for beginner gardeners or anyone who wants to see the fruits of their labour fast. Easy to care for and endlessly versatile, there is nothing quite like picking and eating a fresh strawberry straight from your own garden.
Raspberries:
Raspberries are relatively easy to grow, making them a great choice for beginners, especially in the UK climate. They thrive in full sun and well-drained soil, and with regular watering and basic care, they can produce a generous harvest from a small space. The main things to manage are their tendency to spread through underground shoots, the need for simple support like a trellis, and annual pruning to remove old canes and encourage new growth. Overall, with a bit of maintenance, raspberries are a productive and rewarding fruit to grow at home.
Blackberries:
Blackberries are also very easy to grow. They are fast-growing perennials that return each year and can produce large crops with relatively little effort once established. Like raspberries, they spread and can become invasive if not pruned, so regular cutting back of old canes is important to keep plants tidy and productive. They are generally low maintenance, though they may need protection from birds and occasional attention to pests or diseases.
Figs:
Thrive in pots and love warm, sunny spots.Figs often produce better fruit when their roots are slightly restricted, which is why container growing or planting them in a confined space works well. They require minimal pruning, mainly to shape the tree and remove dead wood, and they are generally resistant to most pests and diseases. With the right conditions and a bit of patience, fig trees can be a very rewarding addition to a garden and are the perfect addition to a cheese board!
Lay mulch (to reduce weeding)
Mulching is where you use another material like bark, compost or gravel to create a protective layer for your plants.
There are generally two types of mulch:
Biodegradable: break down gradually and release nutrients into the soil. Layers will need replacing once it has fully rotted. Biodegradable mulching is a great way to make your garden more eco friendly.
Examples: Wood chippings, leaf mould, manure, garden compost
Non biodegradable: Suppress weeds effectively but don’t boost the soil, but they do look quite decorative and can add texture to your garden.
Examples: Slate, shingle, gravel.
Benefits of mulching:
- Suppresses weeds
- Helps soil retain its moisture
- Reduces need for watering
- Protects plant roots from temperature fluctuations
- Provides nutrients
- Can deter pests
- Improves soil organic matter
- Helps warm up soil in spring
Add ground cover plants
Ground cover plants are great for a simple garden design. They are low growing, spreading plants that can cover bare soil to create dense foliage and suppress weeds. They are super low maintenance and versatile and are a great way to cut down on the amount of lawn.
Examples:
- Thyme
- Sedum
- Erigeron karvinskianus
- Vinca minor
- Ajuga
- Lamium
- Euonymus
Ground cover plants are a great way to cover large areas and get rid of high maintenance grass as well as giving your garden a wild look.
Consider an Auto irrigation system
Watering your garden can be time consuming and high maintenance. If you’re stretched for time and you want something a little more low maintenance, then it might be worth considering an auto irrigation system.
An Auto irrigation system is a garden watering system that can deliver more controlled watering directly to your plants roots.
Benefits of an Auto Irrigation system:
- Reduces water wastage
- Can reduce bills
- Plants can be watered when you’re away
- Saves time
- More efficient watering
- Can improve garden growth
- Can collect rain water to use, meaning you use less water from your home’s supply
- Prevents stress to plants form under watering
- Can limit water to weeds
- Weather responsive- meaning your plants get what they need whatever the weather
Although the cost of an auto irrigation system might seem a lot initially, it’s a great investment for a more low maintenance garden in the long run.
Invest in Garden maintenance
A well-maintained garden does not just look beautiful, it adds real value to your property and gives you an outdoor space you can actually enjoy rather than feel overwhelmed by.
A professional gardener can handle weeding, pruning, hedge trimming, seasonal planting, soil care, and general tidying, keeping your garden healthy and looking its best throughout the year.
Whether you need someone to visit weekly, fortnightly, or just a few times a year for a seasonal tidy up, there is a level of help to suit every garden and every budget.
If you need some tips on how to maintain your garden throughout the seasons, check out our blog Garden maintenance for all seasons.
How a gardener can help you with garden maintenance:
- Maintaining your lawn
- Hedge cutting
- Pruning
- Planting
- Weed control
- Seasonal maintenance
Creating a low maintenance garden doesn’t have to be difficult. At Wilde spaces we help people create gardens that work for them. With a sustainable and practical approach, we can create low effort garden landscaping, so that you can spend more time actually enjoying your garden.
Looking for low maintenance garden ideas or help with garden maintenance? Contact one of our friendly and knowledgeable team today for a FREE no obligation quote.
