How to create a lowmaintenance garden

Chris Moorhouse from Wickes on how to pull together a garden that looks great and is easy to look after

When choosing what to grow, limit the plants in your garden to five-10 varieties as the fewer you have, the easier your garden is to look after. Conifers, grasses (favourites include Zoysia, Blue Rescue and Fountain) and certain varieties of shrubs such as Red Robin (Photinia) and lavender are not too demanding of time but together will add texture, height and colour for a great-looking garden. Myrtle, daffodils and ferns are good choices too. Plant them in groups of three or five and in conditions that suit the plants (these will be on the label; for example, put those that like sun in a position that gets full sun).

Another option is planting in pots and containers as this keeps your plants tidy, limits the growth of weeds and, if you go for flowering plants such as hydrangeas, adds pops of colour.

Raised beds made with garden sleepers are another great option – they keep pathway weeds away from the soil and the plants inside the beds, provide good drainage and serve as a protector against pests. A good way to slow down weed growth is by applying a thick layer of mulch (bark, wood chips, leaves, grass clippings or straw) over any bare soil.

For lawns, a mulching mower makes life much easier – there are no clippings to dispose of and your lawn should look healthy and green. The mower works by re-circulating and re-cutting grass clippings within the mower, producing a fine mulch that is then spread over the lawn, putting precious nutrients back into the soil.

Finally, adding a wooden deck to a garden provides a neat and tidy space for a dining set or sunloungers.