There are many reasons why someone might have a garden in their backyard. Perhaps they want to grow their own fruits and vegetables. Perhaps they simply want to introduce some colour with a selection of beautiful flowers. Maybe the reason is to grow herbs and other spices they can then use around their home and in their cooking.
Even though there are many reasons to have a garden, they can still be time-consuming if you are not careful. In fact, their time-consuming nature may be exactly why many choose to not plant a garden. They believe they do not have the time to maintain it properly!
The good news is this does not have to be the case. Here is a collection of a few low-maintenance planting ideas for your garden. Reap the rewards and reduce the time you need to cultivate your garden!
Choose Drought-Resistant Plants
What happens when the rain stops? You will have to water the plants, fruits, and vegetables in your garden, of course!
While at least some watering will be unavoidable, you can reduce the amount of maintenance by selecting drought-resistant plants, such as coneflowers, whenever possible. These plants can last a little longer than most when the rain stops and the soil starts to dry. This means you can make it an extra couple of days before you have to water it, whereas some plants need water every day.
Reduce Planting Area
Sometimes the size of the garden is what requires the most maintenance in order to keep beautiful and healthy. Start small instead! Your garden can even be the size of a windowsill box if that is all you think you can manage. A smaller garden means less watering and weeding, which will both save you precious time.
Limit Plant Types
How many plants do you want to have in your garden? Keep in mind what their requirements are in terms of maintenance, including if they need shade or sun, how much water they need, spacing for seeds, planting times, et cetera.
Try to choose plants, fruits, and vegetables from the same family. This means you want ones that will have similar instructions. Similar instructions for plant care is important, because then you do not have to prepare different fertilizer, devise a different watering schedule, et cetera. Think of it this way: cooking a different dinner for everyone in your family will take more time than if you were cooing the same thing for everyone, save for any minor tweaks on taste.
Watch Your Lawn
Do you know how much time and effort it would take to keep your lawn perfect? Some people always want their grass to be an inch and a half, perhaps two inches, and will constantly be cutting it to ensure it stays that length. The paths through their garden might be grass, and thus require additional time to cut if the lawn mower won’t fit on the path.
Consider replacing a grass path in your garden with one made from stone slabs or gravel. Also consider letting your grass grow just a little bit longer. Let the rain water your grass rather than your sprinklers!
Following these low-maintenance planting ideas is sure to help you have a gorgeous garden on your property. Good luck and happy gardening!
Image: alexraths