Gardening Easy-care

CHARLIE ALBONE’S tips for a luscious but low-maintenance backyard

Ioften get asked to create a “low-maintenance garden”, which feels strange as I’m a real gardener who just loves to be outside with my hands in the dirt. However, you can still enjoy the beauty of a garden without all the work. Follow these 10 simple rules to achieve a garden for the time poor...

1 PLAN PROPERLY & DO YOUR RESEARCH

Every plant will need some form of love and attention to thrive and look its best, however there certainly are some that need more than others. Find out how big plants get so once they mature they fit together rather than get cluttered, as this leads to unnecessary and time consuming cutting back.

2 GO FOR EVERGREEN STRUCTURE

Choose this over a flowering meadow. Although you will need to hedge to keep the garden looking its very best, it will be more time efficient than constantly deadheading and pruning to maximise blooms.

3 USE MULCH

Mulch garden beds to keep down the weeds, slow water into the soil and for slow feeding as it breaks down. I don’t like the use of weed mat as it does not allow water to penetrate into the soil properly, and if you are using gravel, take note that weeds love to grow there.

4 GET RID OF YOUR LAWN

Grass is the most maintenanceheavy plant in the garden with its constant cutting, feeding, aerating and top dressing. If you simply can’t live without your lawn, consider fitting an automatic robotic mower to cut the grass for you and save time.

5 STICK TO ONE SPECIES

Mass plant large areas with a single species of plant as this covers the ground and prevents weed growth. A single species also means you only need to know how to look after one plant rather than lots of different ones. Native violets are a great choice as they grow very quickly and can handle both sun and shade.

6 DO AWAY WITH POTS...

And containers too! Both products and their plants require a lot of watering due to the nature of the free-draining potting mix used. As they dry out quickly, they often leach out nutrients too, so they require a lot of feeding to look their best as well.

7 INSTALL AN IRRIGATION SYSTEM

This will look after the watering of your plants so you don’t have to. Modern irrigation systems are clever enough to turn off when it rains and stay on longer when it’s hot so you don’t need to worry about anything!

8 OPT FOR TREES

They’re one of the least maintenance heavy plants you can have. After establishing they shouldn’t need pruning for years, and they require a lot less additional food for growth.

9 USE LOWMAINTENANCE ‘FLOORING’

For example, composite decking boards can give a great designer touch as well as not needing constant oiling like timber. It’s also a good idea to seal stone paving to protect it from staining.

10PUT

A PLAN IN PLACE

Work out your maintenance regimen so you make time for the garden. Half a day once every two weeks should be enough, however leave it too long and it always takes longer to cut back. Sticking to a routine also forces you to keep a tidy outdoor area.