Whether you’re a gardening beginner or just want more weekends free from plant chores, there are plenty of ways to create a low maintenance garden. By choosing the right plants and using the right tools, you can have a lush and beautiful garden with less effort.
Try these tips for creating a low maintenance garden of your own:
Lose the lawn
One of the best ways to begin your low maintenance gardening practice is to get rid of your lawn. Lawn maintenance takes a tremendous amount of time and resources you could spend on other things.
If you don’t want to lose the lush greenery, there are plenty of sustainable lawn alternatives you can plant for the same effect and zero effort. Some of the best low maintenance ground cover options include clover, moss and the flowering creeping charlie.
Pick perennials
Perennial plants are an excellent choice for low maintenance gardening. Perennials only need to be planted once and will return every year on their own with limited maintenance.
Some of the best flowering perennials for easy gardening include Shasta daisy, coneflower, perennial geranium and catmint. For a non-flowering perennial, try planting hosta and ornamental grasses. Native plants will also be easy to care for, as they naturally adapt to your local climate.
Mulch for moisture retention
Watering your garden is definitely a time-consuming chore, but it doesn’t have to be. One of the best ways to reduce the time and effort spent in your garden is to protect soil moisture with mulch.
By adding a hefty layer of natural mulch, you’ll help the soil hold on to the moisture from your last watering session. This leads to happier plants, more leisure time and less water waste. Mulch will also help suppress weeds and keep pests away, removing two more gardening chores from your list.
It’s possible to have a beautiful garden without spending all your spare time caring for it. With these low maintenance gardening tips, you can truly have it all.