October 10, 2024, 11:08 am | Read time: 5 minutes
Spending all day pruning roses and trimming the lawn? Very few people have time for that. myHOMEBOOK author Marike Stucke explains how to turn a garden into a beautiful and relaxing oasis even with little time and work.
Whether it’s a new build with bare outdoor areas or a house with a mature garden, a well-tended garden not only looks attractive but also invites you to linger, play, and relax with family or friends. However, well-maintained does not necessarily mean that the garden has to be a lot of work. If you create or redesign the green areas with low maintenance and practice a few tricks, you will spend more time in the hammock than in the flower bed. Read below how to create a low-maintenance garden.
Overview
1. The right lawn in the garden makes little work
Lawns need to be watered, mowed, fertilized, and scarified to grow nice and green and thick. But not every area in the garden needs to be covered with grass. In most cases, it is sufficient to sow grass in large areas that are frequently used for sports and games or sunbathing.
You can also grow grass substitutes in the front garden that can be walked on. This includes, for example, field thyme, which also grows between paving slabs and no longer requires additional water after the growth phase. A prairie garden can also be a low-maintenance substitute for lawns. Here, a thin layer of gravel and sand is laid down, and dry-resistant plants such as various grasses and perennials are planted in between.
The type of lawn can also have a significant impact on the amount of maintenance required. If you want to have less work, you should opt for dry turf or play and sports turf and make sure the seed is of high quality. The lawn will then grow more slowly and more densely. These types of lawns are also very hard-wearing and can withstand long periods of heat.
2. Create sustainable paths
Even if gravel or mulch paths are inexpensive and quick to lay, weeds can find their way more quickly, or heavy rainfall can wash hollows and gullies into the paths. Paths made of firmly embedded stones such as clinker or natural stone are much more durable and can also be used by bike. The lawn edges are also usually easier to keep short. As long as the substructure of the path construction is stable, garden owners will have virtually no work for a long time with a stone path.
3. Planting perennial beds
Many amateur gardeners plant pansies, primroses, and other spring-flowering plants in their beds every spring. However, these only show their best side for a short time and soon have to be replaced. If, on the other hand, you opt for perennials and plant them in the plants’ preferred locations, after one or two years, they will only need a little pruning and occasional watering. This is because perennials sprout anew every year. Here, too, there are drought-resistant varieties that require little or no additional water and are perfect for a low-maintenance garden.
4. Trees and shrubs that do not require pruning
Fruit trees like cherries, apples, or plums are very popular, as they bring pretty flowers and tasty fruit to the garden. However, they also need pruning every year to ensure that they continue to produce rich yields and do not lose their shape. The pruning techniques for this are sometimes complex and time-consuming. However, if you don’t want to do without a dense planting of trees or shrubs, you can opt for species that do not require pruning. For a low-maintenance garden, these include, for example:
- Magnolia
- Chinese flowering dogwood
- Robinia
- Witch hazel
- Smoke Tree
- Flowering quince
5. Gabions instead of hedge plants
Hedges provide good privacy and a green habitat for birds and insects. However, most hedge plants also require a lot of work. A well-maintained hedge must be trimmed at least two to three times a year. Longer hedge sections can take up a lot of your arm muscles and time. Lazy hobby gardeners can opt for gabions instead. These are wire baskets filled with stones that can be adjusted in height and width as required. Once they have been set up, they require no further maintenance. So that the gabion privacy screen doesn’t look quite so barren, it can be conquered by climbing plants such as vines, hops, or clematis.
Note: Wooden privacy screens are also a good and, above all, quick alternative to hedge plants. However, they need a new coat of wood preservative every few years.
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6. Growing vegetables in pots for less work in the Garden
A magnificent vegetable patch can be the pride and joy of any garden owner. However, a lot of work precedes the harvest: preparing the bed, sowing and growing the plants, weeding, watering, fertilizing and so on. But it doesn’t always have to be a large garden bed. A small raised bed or even just two or three pots, each with a tomato and cucumber plant and a little lettuce, can enrich the kitchen with fresh vegetables and take very little work.