Is it possible to plan a garden that will not require work? Let’s be realistic, unfortunately not. But it is possible to plan it so that it does not need too much of our attention. How to do it?
If you don’t have time to work in the garden or you just don’t like to do it, it’s worth implementing solutions that will minimize the time needed for its maintenance. The solution can also be of course buying a subscription from a company providing gardening services, but this solution is expensive and not suitable for everyone. So how to plan your garden to be easy to maintain? We suggest!
Before you start gardening consider what gardening equipment can take care of the work for you. Automatic watering system? A self-propelled lawn mower? Decide what equipment you’ll need and what you can afford. It’s a good idea to do this before the garden is established as, for example, installing automatic irrigation often involves putting some of its components under a shallow layer of soil. It is definitely easier to do this before the garden is established.
This rule sounds trite, but it’s easy to get carried away in garden stores and come back with an overabundance of plants. Moderation is important because the more plants you plant, the more time you’ll have to spend tending them – weeding, pruning, covering sensitive plants before winter, watering in case of drought, and so on. The list of necessary chores can be much longer if you plant a lot of plants. Fewer plants mean more free time.
If you choose to plant native plant species in your garden then a lot of items such as winter cover and digging up and overwintering in the cellar or garage will disappear from your ‘to do’ list. It’s especially worth betting on native coniferous tree and shrub species (e.g. spruce) so you won’t have to rake up fallen leaves. For a hedge, choose shrubs that grow slowly and don’t need frequent pruning.
Don’t like to weed? Sprinkle a few centimeters of bark over the spaces between plants. This has many advantages. It not only significantly reduces the growth of weeds, but also prevents the soil from drying out (water evaporates less, wind does not dry out the soil). In addition, the bark which decomposes over time is an excellent fertiliser for plants.
No time for lawn care? Mowing, fertilising, watering, weeding and raking – keeping a lawn in good condition is very time-consuming. If you don’t like doing this or simply don’t have the time, then give up on a lawn. A flower meadow is a great alternative. Ready-made seed mixes for a flowerbed are available from the stores. All you need to do is prepare the soil, sow the seeds and soon you will be able to enjoy the beautiful sight of a meadow in bloom. Is it completely maintenance-free? Not really, it needs to be mown several times over the season (by comparison: A lawn in May, when the grass is growing the strongest, needs to be mown at least every week). Another advantage of a flower meadow is that it attracts pollinators and butterflies, so your garden literally comes alive.
main photo: unsplash.com/Emiel Molenaar
