Gardening is something of a national pastime in the UK, and one experiencing a resurgence in younger generations in recent years. Gardening was previously the haunt of suburban grandparents and allotment enthusiasts, but that enthusiasm has crept back to younger generations in unprecedented ways.
But that enthusiasm isn’t quite felt by everyone. Having a nice garden is one thing, but having to look after it is another thing entirely. If you’re someone who doesn’t want to have to worry about their outside spaces, what can you do to keep them low-maintenance?
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Hardscaping
One of the simplest ways in which you can take the effort out of your garden is to remove any grass lawns altogether. The aesthetic benefits they provide can often be overshadowed by the sheer energy required to keep them well-mowed and in good shape. One way you can do this is by replacing your grass with artificial grass like AstroTurf.
There are some environmental issues with this approach, though, so some alternative ideas may be better suited. For example, rather than trying to approximate grass, you could lean fully into ‘hardscaping’, or the usage of hard materials such as rock aggregates in the construction of your garden. Water features and expansive paved areas reduce the amount of plant life you need to keep in check, and can result in a very clean, pleasant environment for you to enjoy.
Create a Patio
Hardscaping doesn’t have to become an overriding facet of your new garden, though. Instead, you can take some of its principles and use them to create low-maintenance, usable and accessible spaces in your garden that also reduce your gardening workload. Cracking out your tool boxes and putting together some light decking for your back garden can make a world of difference when it comes to usability, while limiting the amount of turf you’ll need to look after.
By this same token, you could partially pave the area by your back door to create an accessible patio area. This can extend as far into your garden as you’d like, and give you more space to control without having to battle plants and weeds.
Make Low-Maintenance Flora Choices
You might be a plant-lover, though, and looking for low-maintenance ways to hang on to your lush garden paradise. Whether you’re struggling for time, energy or accessibility, there is a whole host of directions you could take to keep your garden the beautiful space that it is.
Certain genetically-engineered grasses are much slower-growing than others, and can be left to their own devices for much longer than conventional grass. In terms of plant and flower beds, alpine flowers are a strong choice – both figuratively and literally. They are used to harsh conditions and rarely require watering as a result, meaning you can populate your garden with interesting plants without having to tour your beds with a watering can every three hours.
