It can withstand everything from full shade and dry soil to the harshest British weather. Thankfully, with some simple considerations, there are much better ways to manage a garden without becoming slave to it. Download our free guide to creating a low-maintenance garden. Sedum. Shrubs are great low-maintenance plants and most only need the occasional trim to look good. When looking for shortcuts in the garden there are some simple things to avoid. Evergreen shrubs are very warming in winter when deciduous shrubs have dropped their leaves. I found myself talking about some of the same plants for months on end. Both fill awkward corners because they ‘don’t mind a bit of shade’. However, Lee says that will encourage weeds. These might include; Start by looking at how much input you can make to the garden and the features or functions that are most important to you. Privacy garden trees can make a big difference to how much you enjoy your garden. A newly designed Garden Ninja garden using blocks of low maintenance grasses and perennials. Here they are: The Middlesized Garden uploads on Sunday mornings, so do follow us by email (there’s a box top right of this page). Give your garden a makeover and save money at the same time with a special Thompson and Morgan offer of 10% off. For example, if growing your own vegetables is high on the priority list, keep a veg patch that will meet your needs while minimising activity elsewhere such as replacing lawn with paving or a rose garden with a shrub border. Brilliant low-maintenance plants for beautiful gardens. Choose one of these low-maintenance options and watch your garden flourish—with little effort on your part. For the lazy gardener in all of us, here are some plants for a low maintenance garden: 1. So trees will need some pruning of wayward or dying branches. 020 3176 5800 Then he reduces the number of different species of plant by about a third. There is, however, no getting around the fact that lawns are one of the most intensive features in a garden so there may be no choice but to replace with an alternative. There are a few options to choose from to give you a wide range of choice for the look of your garden. What low-maintenance shrubs to plant An evergreen presence. To help your small gardenbloom under low maintenance, here are some of the best plants you can grow and the most practical ideas you can apply! But a cottage garden style with lots of different plants is a lot more work ‘, Lee’s top low-maintenance perennials include geums and geraniums. Yellows, blues, and purples on tall two to four feet spikes bring lots of colors. It makes sense, therefore, to replace some or all perennial beds with shrubs. More on low maintenance gardening Keep planting simple – hardy shrubs and evergreen plants are key. staking, cutting back, lifting and dividing). The top of the bill in the cast of low maintenance plants is Geranium Rozanne, which was voted RHS Chelsea Flower Show’s ‘Plant of the Centenary’. They’re good for marking out the space, and be used as edging. No garden will be zero maintenance but most gardening activities have a lower input solution or alternative to consider. This evergreen perennial totes white or purple coloring, and earns points in the low-maintenance shrub department for its adaptability in acidic soil. If you want to create a tropical-look in your low maintenance garden then the Aucuba is the plant for you. A friend of mine recently described herself as a ‘garden owner rather than a gardener.’ She wants to spend her time in the garden relaxing and enjoying it, not working. To keep your garden low maintenance, use products that inhibit the growth of unwanted plants. They came…, Fences for privacy – 9 great ideas for garden screening, Are you making the most of your fences for privacy and screening? Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Climbers and perennials require attention at intervals. Please enjoy another successful year in your garden. Equally, it may be that an automatic irrigation system, especially for lots of pots and planters, could take a lot of stress out of watering. 25 + = 28, Complete Guide to Garden Privacy - Downloadable PDF, Complete Guide to Garden Privacy - Kindle & Paperback, The Middlesized Garden is a participant in the Amazon Associates LLC, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk. Low or easy maintenance gardening is what many people would like to embrace, either through necessity or preference. Hardy to zones 3 through 9. Your email address will not be published. Although this might rule out more time-consuming pursuits such as clipping topiary sculptures or manicuring fine lawns, it does not mean a low maintenance garden need be bland or uninspired. Perhaps you have a neighbour’s window over-looking your garden?…, Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Disclosure Policy, © 2020 The Middle-Sized Garden - Gardening Blog. times, When to consider low maintenance gardening, RHS Registered Charity no. But choose low maintenance plants for your garden and you can enjoy a lush, productive and beautiful outside space – even if you have not got much time to tend it. While shrubs have generally been considered low-maintenance plants, Lee prefers grasses: ‘You don’t have to do anything to them, apart from cut them down once a year. Some design decisions will not be so obvious. RHS Garden Hyde Hall Spring and Orchid Show, Free entry to RHS members at selected Source Top 10 Low Maintenance Perennials in Michigan at English Gardens Nurseries and Christmas Stores | Delivery and Store Pickup Available | Serving Greater Detroit from their Clinton Township, Dearborn Heights, Eastpointe, Royal Oak, West Bloomfield, and … Shrubs are great because they’re long-lived and won’t need replacing every year. Annuals are the highest maintenance plants, he says, because they need growing from seed or purchase as young plants, they need to be planted, protected from pests and diseases, dead-headed and then dug up. For example, if you’re looking for a gardening book to give as a present, here is my list of favourite gardening books. Fish-free ponds or wildlife ponds often settle into a good natural balance, and suffer from blanket weed and algae problems less frequently too. I noticed that some plants cropped up again and again. Also try to position features that are more labour intensive closer to the house or the shed so you’re not wasting a lot of effort walking, carrying or barrowing items up and down the garden. Try your local garden centre or bulbsdirect.co.nz. (UK) Summer Flowers. With busy lives, many gardeners are looking to keep gardening tasks to a manageable level. See here to follow by email. They either looked good for an exceptionally long time or in two seasons. Low maintenance gardening. Lee Burkhill, award-winning garden designer and Garden Ninja. These are my Aster amellus ‘King George’. No garden will be zero maintenance. Everything, of course, does need some care. But she wants her garden to look as stylish as her house, and for the colours to link up. No garden will be zero maintenance but most gardening activities have a lower input solution or alternative to consider. Painting your shed transforms your garden. And they don’t get diseases.’. This might mean turning the area over to gravel, paving, decking or bark. The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. I have been debating the crucial issue of what colour to paint my shed. Ferns are some of the oldest plants on Earth so they must be hardy enough to look after themselves somehow” ‘If you plant ornamental grasses, you get structure, foliage and seedheads. Then I started doing monthly video garden tours of our garden on the Middlesized Garden YouTube channel. Join the RHS today and support our charitable work, Keep track of your plants with reminders & care tips – all to help you grow successfully, For the latest on RHS Shows in 2020 and 2021, read more, RHS members get free access to RHS Gardens, Free entry to RHS members at selected times », Reduced prices on RHS Garden courses and workshops, Our Garden Centres and online shops are packed with unique and thoughtful gifts and decorations to make your Christmas sparkle, General enquiries Or deliberately convert a pond into a bog garden to reduce tasks such as removing leaves, cleaning out, planting or pulling out blanket weed. There is a certain style of gardening where plants are spaced out carefully and you can see earth between the plants. Reduce the need for pumps and filters by not introducing fish into the pond. You Garden is great for cacti and succulents, while Thompson & Morgan are best if you want to pick up other gardening supplies in the same order, like vegetable seeds, flower bulbs, fruit plants and compost. It’ll discourage weeds’ (which means less weeding). I have found them helpful. A newly designed Garden Ninja garden using blocks of low maintenance grasses and perennials Shrubs, grasses and perennials are all low-maintenance compared to annuals. Terrace with furniture Gardenplan Design Gardenplan Design. Much routine work in the garden involves weed control in borders and the maintenance of herbaceous perennials (e.g. UK; Subscribe Sign In. Water them, at most, twice a month, and you're good to go. There’s stunning photography from the world’s top garden photographers, as well as insightful writing from experts. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Less work, more flowers, and food. Make gardening easier with low maintenance perennials. This lovely shrub would make the perfect addition to any garden and its beautiful red leaves make for an eye-catching feature. Mon – Fri | 9am – 5pm, Join the RHS today and support our charity. He also says that paths are easier to maintain if you plant right up to them. These include; Join Plant Shrubs Instead of Beds Standards flower beds and borders can be difficult to maintain, so opt for shrubs and hedges instead! Not everything need be lost. Come and take a look at our top tips for embracing a beautiful yet low-maintenance garden and get ready to be blown away by how simple it can be! Firstly he draws up an initial plant list for a garden. Privacy is a big issue for middle-sized gardens, because high hedges and fences block light. His favourite grasses for a low-maintenance garden are Carex ‘Evergreen’, Stipa tenuissima and Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’. One of the first steps in selecting low-maintenance plants is defining what gardening chores you wish to avoid. They look good in your garden for a long time, and don’t require complicated pruning or feeding. Shrubs are easy to plant through a weed-suppressing membrane. Overlay this with an attractive mulch such as bark or gravel and it may be several seasons before weeding or topping up of the mulch is required. Reduce the number of different plants and cultivars Reduce the number of species if you’re planting perennials for the time-poor gardener, advises Lee. Low Maintenance Plants Like Comfrey Comfrey is a great plant in a wildlife friendly low-maintenance garden. Hedge your bets. In September she digs them up. Mulch is an ever-popular option. However, there are particular circumstances when easy or low maintenance gardening is most relevant. They provide evergreen interest and can sort out a few problems. This herbaceous perennial will come back year after year. That’s a win-win situation for any gardener. Karen Chapman walks you through not only the thought process that goes along with selecting low-maintenance plants, but also provides design inspirations and loads of plant … Even the least green fingered person will find it impossible to kill. Browse our beautiful low-care garden ideas. RHS members can get exclusive individual advice from the RHS Gardening Advice team. Low-maintenance plants Low-maintenance plants save you time once they are established, but you need to prepare your soil properly first, … 222879/SC038262, When renting or renting out a property with a garden, For non-gardeners who have to look after a garden. There is no such thing as a ‘no maintenance’ plant but many hardy evergreens, once established, will require little care. Required fields are marked *, Please answer the sum below... These three tips for low maintenance garden plants will save hours of time without having to compromise on style. a greenhouse). 10) Trees and low maintenance front gardens. A slow-growing species such as holly can be kept looking neat with light clipping once or twice a year. That helps deal with the problem of plants flopping over. 3 top garden privacy tips – how to make your garden look and feel more private! The Aucuba is known for being one of the toughest evergreen shrubs out there. It just means giving a little thought to some of the jobs we perhaps have always done or eliminating tasks through better design and planning. I call low-maintenance plants ‘my plant heroes’ and I’ve done two videos on them for The Middlesized Garden YouTube channel. Coneflower. Trees make a street look more elegant. Ensure you check the expected mature height and spread, otherwise pruning may be necessary if the space is too small for the plant. Having seen professional gardeners wince at the phrase ‘low-maintenance’, with its connotations of neglected, dusty shrubs in municipal borders,  I hadn’t thought too much about the concept. Many trees and shrubs only need an annual tidy-up. istockphoto.com . ‘They’re looking at their gardens as an outdoor room, and they do want plants they can get involved with. Save. And while a small garden full of shrubs could feel ‘hemmed in’, grasses are airy and transparent. A Mediterranean plant, this ubiquitous subshrub is prevalent in gravel and coastal gardens in the UK too, and while not long-lived, Lavender is easily maintained and replaced, forming fast-growing, easygoing mounds. Plus, as one of the first early spring bloomers, the plant welcomes pollinators. Low or easy maintenance gardening is what many people would like to embrace, either through necessity or preference. Lavender likes a lot of sun and not too much water. It comes in a variety of shades, from deep chestnut to rustic red to natural shades of brown. It’s open during Whitstable Open Gardens every year for the NGS. ‘Don’t leave a gap between the path and the border,’ he says. However, you can create a truly low maintenance and easy-care garden without becoming slave to it. I don’t even dead-head them because their dried flower heads look good in the winter garden. His recommendations for low-maintenance plants include salvias and the tough daisy-like flowers of the Aster family. I’m often asked for recommendations, such as good gardening tools and books. They’re willing to do things in the garden. 10 easy care evergreen pots for year round impact, For the next six months, the evergreen pots in my garden will create almost all the structure and impact. Rather than the arduous task of removing silt from the bottom of a pond every few years, consider allowing your pond to fill in. And if you are concerned that shrubs may limit your choice, think again as there are many interesting shrubs to choose from. But they need very little care and put up with a…. My Aster amellus ‘King George’ singing its song with seedheads in the garden in winter. And if I paint my shed, it’ll also last longer…. But low hedges…, The 8 best perfect-for-privacy garden trees, Do you need trees for privacy? In May she buys bedding plants, then she feeds, waters and dead-heads them over the summer. Topiary, lavender and (at the back) silver birch are three of my favourite low-maintenance plants. Every issue, The English Garden magazine features the most beautiful gardens from all across the UK and Ireland - both town and country plots, big and small. A loose hedge, allowed to flower, is perfect for wildlife gardens but low-maintenance doesn’t have to mean informal, or unkempt. So I provide a maintenance schedule with all my plantings, so they know what to do when.’. I also asked RHS award-winning garden designer and fellow garden Youtuber Lee Burkhill, of Garden Ninja garden design, for his top low-maintenance plants. 1. On soils that naturally have a good soil structure, the ‘no dig’ approach can be very effective. There is a ‘garden tour’ video of the garden every month. A guaranteed way to make your garden gorgeous but low-key is to include a generous seating area, on top of some suitably easy to clean … ‘Groups of plants look good in bold blocks of colour, and if you have a few tatty plants, it’s less likely to show,’ he says. Love the garden but prefer less of the gardening? Red Robins are evergreen and can grow to anywhere between 2.5 and 4 metres in height, with a similarly sized spread. So, before you resort to ripping out those plants and creating a barren wasteland of concrete, paving or gravel, take some time to consider some eco-friendly ways to create a low maintenance garden. Carex used as edging and contrast in a small front garden designed by Garden Ninja. There are over 20types that will grow well in your garden and make a great natural background filler for flower beds. And do join us every Sunday morning for more gardening tips, ideas and inspiration. Shrubberies are still popular in traditional gardens, but for a more contemporary look use shrubs as low and medium-height hedges or plant in large, clipped blocks. 2. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Another popular choice of shrub for low-maintenance gardens in the UK is the humble Red Robin. And Lee’s excellent Garden Ninja YouTube channel has practical gardening advice, some specially aimed at beginner gardeners, plus ‘before-and-after’ garden makeover videos (don’t we all love a ‘before-and-after’?). 10 ZZ Plant… But you’ll only have to do that once a year or even less often. It’s very possible to have a low maintenance garden that practically takes care of itself after planting if you select the right plants. Lee says he never designs around annuals unless a client particularly wants him to. This method minimises cultivation of the soil through the use of organic weed-suppressing mulches (e.g. This long-flowering, hardy geranium is smothered with violet flowers from May until the first frosts. 8 steps to the long thin garden of your dreams, Two years ago Emma and Mel moved to a house in Whitstable with a long thin garden. Here are my favourites. Avoid very shallow water features that quickly dry out and need topping up. Plant it in the right spot and you can simply enjoy the lovely fragrance and maybe water it occasionally if it doesn’t rain. January 20th, 2019 Posted In: Garden trends & design, Gardening know how. For the look and maintenance level of wildflowers, use Baptisia to fill spaces in the garden or edible landscape. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to The Middle-Sized Garden with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. 2 /32. Inside, you will find invaluable practical advice from real gardeners, plantspeople and designers. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place. Plant in light shade for early spring blooms. Every gap can fill with weeds. Reduce the number of species if you’re planting perennials for the time-poor gardener, advises Lee. And ‘if you chop them back in summer, you’ll get two flushes of colour from them.’. And they were often plants that needed the least care, or were most admired by visitors. ... so they're a great plant option for super low-maintenance plant parents. And although I think we rarely see them in show gardens, he also rates Mahonia, astilbe and fuschias as good low-maintenance plants. Create an outdoor living area. Once established, these beds are also unlikely to require regular watering. (Asters were recently divided into Asters and Symphyotricum – see my post on botanical plant names for an explanation). Zones: 4-6 Seasonal pruning in spring or fall, weeding and feeding. A living hedge may require clipping every year but if kept to a manageable height this might in the long run be less onerous than having to paint and replace wooden fencing. Your email address will not be published. Just plant and watch your garden thrive as they bloom year after year. If you buy, I may get a small fee, but it doesn’t affect the price you pay. the RHS today and get 12 months for the price of 9. Lee Burkhill’s Garden Ninja garden design company is based in the Manchester area and you can also find him on Twitter. Lavender. 1. ‘Pack plants in – you can always thin them if it gets over-crowded. They offer habitat to wildlife. 7. Photos from the site may be purchased, please contact me for more information. Evergreens such as these sedges and hellebores look good all year and drop fewer leaves than deciduous plants. However, they are time-poor, and need fuss-free plantings. Some gardeners don't mind deadheading, and others may not mind digging and dividing crowded perennials. Trees are very low maintenance. Their site is an *actual* treasure trove for anyone who is green fingered. And I only recommend things I use myself! So to make it easy for people to find the books, tools and gardening products I like best, I’ve put together some lists on The Middlesized Garden Amazon store. ‘People often say they want a cottage-garden style, but that they also want it to be low-maintenance. Links to Amazon are affiliate, see disclosure. People often overlook ferns when selecting plants for a low maintenance garden but in reality, they make a great choice. ‘My client base are in their late 20s and early 30s,’ says Lee. All too often the most common answer to the problem of finding time, ability or enthusiasm to maintain a garden, is to pave the whole thing over. Thank you for the wonderful monthly garden tours. Weed seedlings are unlikely to get a hold in the mulching material but if they do can be easily hoed off. Don’t be afraid of natural succession. Consider installing a water point close to where you are most likely to need it (e.g. It was only when I’d finished making several videos that I also realised that these plants were also the easiest plants in the garden to care for. I’ve picked out 10 for two videos on my Plant Heroes. Shrubs, grasses and perennials are all low-maintenance compared to annuals. Low-maintenance plants are difficult to kill. bark, garden compost, municipal compost, rotted manure or even, when better alternatives are lacking, cardboard overlaid with grass-clippings) and avoidance of compacting the soil through walking on it unnecessarily. 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This might mean turning the area over to gravel, paving, decking or bark good all year and fewer! Out 10 for two videos on them for the time-poor gardener, advises lee mind deadheading and! Fill spaces in the Manchester area and you can always thin them if it gets over-crowded concerned... Could feel ‘ hemmed in ’, grasses are airy and transparent to compromise style! 3 top garden photographers, as well as insightful writing from experts the pond privacy garden trees can make great! To look good give you a wide range of choice for the lazy gardener in all of us here. But they need very little care not introducing fish into the pond some gardeners do n't mind deadheading, need. Base are in their late 20s and early 30s, ’ says lee you are likely... Over 20types that will grow well in your low maintenance garden plants will hours... To four feet spikes bring lots of colors the soil through the use of organic weed-suppressing mulches e.g! Thing as a ‘no maintenance’ plant but many hardy evergreens, once,! ‘ Karl Foerster ’, ’ says lee that paths are easier maintain! Stylish as her house, and you 're good to go you are likely. Blues, and you can always thin them if it gets over-crowded design, know. Plants that needed the least green fingered need trees for privacy to choose from to! These include ; Join the RHS gardening advice team weed and algae less! Everything, of course, does need some pruning of wayward or dying branches is no such thing a. Difficult to maintain, so opt for shrubs and evergreen plants are spaced out carefully and you 're good go.