Garden Inspiration: How can I create a low maintenance garden?

When it comes to our gardens, some of us love nothing more than spending hours outside at the weekend – doing all things from researching gardening ideas to weeding, planting, and watering in an effort to maintain our outdoor spaces. 

However, some lean towards a more ‘low maintenance’ lifestyle – still wanting beautiful garden designs that require a bit less upkeep for those without green thumbs. 

And with plenty of garden ideas out there, our team at Grass247 wanted to share some simple garden ideas, covering the best low maintenance plants, simple design features, and ways to make your garden easy to maintain this summer and beyond. 

Easy garden ideas for low maintenance lawn

1. Get rid of your grass

One of the main upkeeps when it comes to gardening is your lawn. Grass needs regular cutting, and even sowing and watering if you haven’t been maintaining it well, so those wanting easy garden ideas should consider whether they want to keep their grass in the first place. 

Creating a decked area or looking into gravel garden ideas could be a key way to cut down on your garden’s maintenance, creating different zones and spaces for you to use in your garden. 

For those wanting the appearance of fresh green grass, without all of the upkeep, artificial grass can be a key way to keep the ‘look’ without keeping the maintenance needs. While it may need a bit of brushing now and again, artificial grass is the perfect way to save not only on time, but also water bills and expensive products such as grass feed and chemicals. 

Artificial lawns can also be the perfect option for smaller gardens as you don’t need to keep a shed to house any bulky tools, such as lawnmowers. 

2. Add edges to any lawn

If you’re set on keeping your natural lawn, it’s best to install an edge to your grass to create an easy maintenance garden.  

When considering different garden designs, adding an edge to your lawn will bring visual appeal to your garden and allow you to create more clearly defined areas in the space. 

Not only beneficial for their looks, an edge using a run of bricks, paving stones, or even small-sized gravel will mean that you don’t have to trim the edges of your lawn. This is a perfect way to save time on gardening, as you won’t have to spend any more precious time making any stubborn edges of your lawn even. 

Getting rid of difficult angles on your lawn (such as harsh 90 degree corners), will also make maintaining your lawn’s height much easier when it comes to mowing, saving you time and keeping your grass looking manicured. 

3. Go for oversized pots

In general, when it comes to simple garden ideas, adding potted plants to your space is a great way to add visual appeal in an easy way. 

Potted plants are perfect for those wanting a low maintenance garden as they are a more flexible option than planting into the ground – you can move them around the space easily, use your pots to accessorise your garden, and you’ll be able to grow plants that may not be suited to your local soil. It’s a win, win, win!

Plants in large pots are easier to maintain than small ones. In general, smaller pots will dry out quicker and will need more regular watering. So if you’re wanting low maintenance outdoor plants – the bigger pot the better. You can even group plants together in larger pots to create a perfect mix of flowers and shrubs. 

For those wanting a low maintenance classic garden, you can use pots in varying colours and textures to create an organic feel in your garden – perfect for a natural, easy to maintain look. 

When it comes to low maintenance modern garden ideas, you should instead use sleek, minimalist potted plants. Mirror these throughout your garden to create a sense of symmetry and balance in your outdoor space. 

4. Look for evergreen plants

Another way to create a low maintenance garden is to think about the type of plants you’re choosing. Usually, spring and summer time mean we have to get out and replant anything that’s died during the winter – instead, look for shrubs and evergreen plants that will survive year-round and won’t need replacing regularly.

Some low maintenance garden plants include flowering shrubs, such as daphnes, sedges, and rhododendrons, all of which have long lives without much upkeep, making them some of the best plants for pots all year round. 

5. Prevent weeds with mulch

Another key area of garden upkeep is the dreaded task of having to deal with any sprouting weeds. Any areas in your garden with bare soil are a gold mine for weeds, which increases the time you have to spend gardening – unideal when looking for a low maintenance, easy garden. 

A way to stop this happening is to fill any soil gaps with plants, but if you’re wanting a minimalist garden, you should try a technique called ‘mulching’. 

Use an organic-based mulch such as wood or bark chippings, gravel, or even garden compost to cover your soil and deter any weeds from taking root. Mulching will stop weeds from growing and any water from evaporating, so you’ll also have to do less watering around your garden too.