Every garden requires regular maintenance and care. Homeowners having a large garden know the challenges of maintaining the same. Most people and landscape owners are busy in their daily work routine and don’t find time to maintain their gardens. There are two ways to maintain a landscape or garden.
The first way is to have adequate time to take care of your garden. The second way is to hire a gardener or more people to maintain your landscape. However, many people don’t have time to do so, and they can hire only one or two people to maintain their garden.
Therefore, the best way to maintain a clean and green landscape is to create a low maintenance garden and keep the plants and shrubs to a minimum. Let us find out some tips to maintain a garden.
Choose the right plants
Choosing the right plants is essential for a low maintenance garden as it is the plants that need the most care and attention. Plants need more care then shrubs and trees in any landscape. One should not plant the fast-growing or spreading perennials and choose the easy to grow shrubs like azaleas and heather.
Plant in the right space
To create a low maintenance garden, you need to plant the right plant in the right space. Some plants thrive in moist soil, while others can survive in the dry soil. Know the type of soil in your landscape and plant the plants according to the soils and conditions required.
Plant the shrubs that spread in open areas on in the center of the garden and not close to fencing, wall, or window.
Container gardening
Container plants are easy to maintain than plants in the garden beds. You can put the plants in any type of containers like window boxes, strawberry pots, and hanging baskets. The benefits of container gardens are that you can transfer the containers anytime, as per the conditions.
Moreover, homeowners can create a container garden even if they have less space for a landscape. Container plants are best for people with small homes and garden spaces.
Shrubs and Meadow Plants
Most shrubs are evergreen and easy to maintain throughout the year. All you need is to water them and prune them every two or three months. Meadow plants are native plants for a location and do not require much maintenance other than watering and plating in the right space. You need to plant meadow plants in a space according to the requirements of light and sun.
Sturdy plants
Landscape owners should prefer sturdy plants instead of perennials. Sturdy plants spread less and grow steadily, thereby require low maintenance. You should avoid planting invasive perennials as they grow fast and require high maintenance like watering and pruning.
Evergreen shrubs
Evergreen shrubs are the perfect solutions to a low maintenance garden. They grow on their own, require less water and low maintenance. The watering requirements depend on the type of shrubs and the climatic condition at your location. However, evergreen shrubs require less care and seasonal pruning some times in a year.
Mulch
Mulch is an essential part of your low maintenance gardening. Adding a thick layer of mulch around the plants blocks the direct sunlight to the roots and protects the roots from external temperature. Moreover, it prevents the growth of weeds around the plant and retains the moisture in the soil. Plants with a layer of mulch around them require less watering and experience better growth than without mulch.
Use scheduled irrigation
A scheduled irrigation system is the one in which you can set the timing for watering your plants. Users can set the schedule for water according to the season and climatic conditions. There is a network of hoses that are continuously connected to the flower beds and areas containing plants.
The irrigation system automatically waters your plants as per the set schedule. It reduces the requirement of manual irrigation to a much extent. A drip irrigation system with timers is the best irrigation system for landscapes as it saves water and irrigates your plants as per the schedule.
Grasses and Groundcovers
Less open spaces mean fewer rooting opportunities for weeds. Some ornamental grasses clump and do not spread and add a variety to your garden. Choose the right ones; some are going to spread vigorously.
Consider covering the ground instead of grass, particularly if your lawn is patchy. You’re going to save mowing time, and you may end up with better results. Usually, patchy lawns mean grass struggles with tree roots or lack of sunlight. Groundcovers are a great alternative to grasses and make your garden a low maintenance landscape.
Involve your family members
Teach your kids the benefits of caring for the plants. Grant them the tasks and responsibilities to perform on off days and weekends. A sure way to get children to eat more vegetables is to teach them how to cultivate their own.
Consider giving every child their garden bed in the family plot. Help them to grow what they want and teach them to tend towards their little garden.
Final Words
These are some tips for creating a low maintenance garden. Homeowners can also take help from professionals like landscapers Taringa to make their garden a low maintenance landscape. The best way to a low maintenance garden is to do some research, plant evergreen plants, and create the right mix of soil while creating your garden. Installing a scheduled irrigation system and container plants are an added advantage for a low maintenance garden.