There’s no denying that maintaining a garden is a commitment if you want it to look great. However, there are lots of ways to manage your garden that will keep things simple and no-fuss, leaving you all the more time to sit back and enjoy your surroundings. In this article, I’ll share with you my top low-maintenance gardening hacks.

If you’re after some professional low-maintenance gardening tips that are specific to your plot, why not book a Zoom garden consultation with me? Click here to book your slot.

Use lots of evergreens

Evergreens do what they say on the tin: staying lovely and green year-round with generally little upkeep required. Small and large evergreen plants and shrubs are available which can be planted out in beds or as privacy hedges, or planted along with other plants and bulbs in containers. Evergreens are a great, easy way to bring no-fuss interest to your garden all year round.

Read my article on evergreens for container planting here.

Lose the lawn

I’m a huge fan of grassy space in the garden, and when a lawn is in great shape it can look wonderful. However, life tends to happen – and in practice, lawns are pretty high maintenance. If your lawn gets lots of traffic, particularly from scampering children or even visits from the dreaded moles, it takes a great deal of work each year to restore its neat and tidy glory. Rather than opting for a lawn, why not choose paving or decking for your low-maintenance garden? This can be spruced up with raised beds or planters. Raised beds and planters have the added benefit of being off the ground, so they’re easier to access and tend if you have any mobility issues.

Plant in containers

If you don’t have space or the desire to get digging, planting some favourites out in pots and containers is a great choice. Container plants are easily moved around, rotated and tucked away as needed, as well as being really easy to water. They look lovely popped next to the back door, and will instantly brighten up a space with really minimal fuss.

Many container plants will come into leaf and bloom year after year, growing and getting more and more impressive as they go. Watch my video on planting a contemporary container here.

Succulents – the gardener’s friend

Succulents are generally about as low-maintenance as they come, as long as they are provided with good drainage and plenty of sunlight. The only thing they won’t tolerate is being soggy. Plant them out in a sunny rockery garden or in porous terracotta containers, and watch them grow and spread year after year. There are some beautiful varieties in a wide range of shades from palest sage Echeveria elegans green to rich purple Aeonium arboreum.

Plant some perennials

It’s hardly a closely-guarded secret, but planting perennials just once will allow you to enjoy their blooms year after year. Hardy geraniums are an excellent choice for their bright, joyful flowers and Erigeron karvinskianus will grow like the clappers, covering beds with sprays of green leaves and pretty daisy-like flowers. Although the flowers will die back over winter, the greenery will remain and brighten up your garden through the colder months.

Bury some bulbs

Planting bulbs is a bit of a job, but it means you can get really creative with colour schemes and plant types – and once it’s done, it’s done. Many bulbs will flower amazingly in the spring and summer, then die back and lie dormant through winter before flowering again the next year. In this video I’ll show you how to mix a ‘bulb trifle’ – layers of bulbs in a container that will flower at different times throughout the year. Set aside some time one weekend for planting, and enjoy an amazing show for years to come!

I hope you’ve found these low-maintenance garden tips helpful – now it’s time to pour yourself a glass of something nice and take a well-earned rest in your no-fuss garden! Katie x