GEMMA’S TIPS FOR A LOW-MAINTENANCE GARDEN

Use groundcover plants, such as the evergreen Epimedium x rubrum and Asarum europaeum. Hakonechloa macra, also used here, grows well in shade and colours bronze in autumn. Acaena microphylla, a New Zealand native, forms a mat of red flowers in autumn. Choose easy-to-care-for hard landscaping materials. The gravel in this garden needs a bit of attention, but the concrete paving stones are very easy to sweep and keep looking pristine. Don’t have too many containers. Plants in pots need watering, feeding and repotting – far better just to put plants straight into the ground. Practise ‘right plant, right place’. If you locate plants where they will be happy, there will be less need to intervene, and you will save yourself time and money. Choose plants that have a long season of interest, for example, trees that change colour in autumn, or grasses that hold their shape in winter. A garden that includes evergreens will retain its structure and look good all year round.