If you are planning out your garden or redesigning your garden, low maintenance planting is often a desired or preferred route. Many of us cannot dedicate the time to your garden but still want an inspiring outdoor space with some “wow”. In this article we outline 6 tips to a low maintenance planting scheme.
1. It is all in the planning
Let us think of the garden as a whole. What you like and what you do not. It is not just the plants but how everything fits together. For example, do you enjoy mowing the lawn or would a low maintenance solution help – an artificial lawn – the quality of these are quite amazing these days, or even a paving scheme. Access to water points for easy watering, the inclusion of a vegetable patch or not. Even down to the perimeter of the garden and your solution for fencing or a hedge can impact the amount of maintenance required of the subsequent years. Of course, we can help you with your plant planning and planting.
2. Understand there is no such thing as a ‘no maintenance’ plant
At the end of the day all plants will need some maintenance, whether to water in the height of summer or the occasional prune. However, you can minimise maintenance by understanding how big plants you add to your garden will grow – both in spread and height. Consider how a plant may fill a space without needing too much regular pruning to keep under control.
3. Low maintenance perennials thrive and bloom year after year
We love low maintenance perennials for providing that splash of colour or freshy leafy green year after year. Some of our favourite perennials include Agapanthus, with large blooms and flowerheads that will last well into the autumn. The perennial geranium makes a great choice for your border – tiny splashes of colour run for months from late June (and the butterflies love them). Or perhaps the “queen” of the shade, the elegant Hosta with its luscious green foliage. There are so many varieties with tolerance ranging from bright sunshine to deep shade.
4. Keep it green with shrubs and evergreens
Ideal for a low maintenance garden are the huge selection of shrubs that provide you with a structure to your garden. Evergreens provide the backdrop all year round, easy to grow, some with beautiful flowering periods, some highly scented and others providing variegated or colourful foliage. Three of our favourites are Fatsia with its glossy palmate leaves and unusual winter flowers. The delightful Daphne a spring flowering shrub a delightful fragrance. Finally, we love Nandina with its compact habit, soft foliage & spring flowers. In the winter they often flush red and have cheerful berries. It’s always up to something!
5. Go Exotic
A well planned Exotic or Tropical style garden can be very easy to look after. Many of the plants used have a small to medium eventual size, so won’t require regular pruning. A framework of larger plants with contrasting textures such as Fatsia, Smaller Bamboos, Tree Ferns etc, can form the bulk of the garden. Gaps can be filled with low maintenance perennials. Ferns, Hostas, Zantedeschia and Hemerocallis (Day lilies) are ideal. An annual tidy up of any dead foliage is often all that’s needed!
6. Consider removing all those containers
Containers can give a garden a cluttered vibe and require a lot of maintenance – new plants each year or through the seasons, feeding, watering, and handling. If you would like containers on your patio then we recommend larger ones that are less likely to dry out. Plus of course keep them in easy reach of the nearest watering point to keep them fresh and vibrant throughout their growing season.
Need further help? Kiwi Landscapes provide both garden planting services and a garden design service. We work with clients to help transform their gardens and from concept design, through construction and planting.
For all garden design enquiries telephone 020 8843 9795 or send an email.
Does all this sound like too much effort?
Don’t worry – you can always contact us to take care of your garden design project for you.
