A garden is a wonderful place of rest and relaxation where you can enjoy a drink, a book or a quiet moment in solitude. It is also a place where we can play, have fun and make memories with children and pets, hold barbecues and garden parties with our friends or enjoy our own little piece of nature. Gardens do not just look great, they are excellent for your psychological wellbeing too! Spending time in a garden is a great way to alleviate stress, anxiety and depression by getting a healthy dose of sunlight, fresh air and communion with nature.
Beauty vs convenience: a false dichotomy
While we all want a serene and beautiful garden, many of us simply do not have the time, energy and resources that garden maintenance and rejuvenation tend to require. Mowing the lawn, planting, bedding, weeding and all of the typical activities required for a stunning garden may be easy and fun in the summer months when the weather makes just about everything more enjoyable. When the leaves start to fall and the rain clouds come out, however, it is only natural that many of us retreat inwards to the creature comforts of our homes.
Thus, here are some ways in which you can create a garden that is beautiful and serene but requires little or no maintenance. While you may need to enlist some help from experienced professionals on Snupit and lay out some initial overhead costs it still represents a great investment. The money and effort you would save on maintenance and the benefits of a beautiful garden all year out make it well worth the outlay.
The lawn must go!
Sure, we all associate a lush, verdant lawn with a perfect garden but it is hardly the be all and end all. If endlessly prepared for mowing, clipping and weeding your lawn on a weekly basis is anathema to you then there are many equally gorgeous alternatives. Paving your garden gives you far greater control over the look of your garden due to the huge variety of colors, shapes and materials on the market. While paving slabs go over an impervious membrane, weeds can still occasionally peek through the gaps but the amount of maintenance-paved gardens require is negligible.
Gravel is a nice median between a lawn and a paved garden as it still affords one the ability to plant. Growing drought resistant plants like lavender lends a lovely splash of color to graveled gardens while preventing weeds and providing pollen for local insects.
Those who want the appearance of a grassy lawn without the maintenance can always opt for a synthetic multiturf that offers a neat and lush appearance all year round with absolutely no maintenance required.
Choose the right plants
Whatever your garden’s surface, the right plants (be they potted or bedded) are vital to ensure a sense of color and vibrancy in the garden. A zero maintenance garden requires hardy, perennial plants that require minimal intervention from the gardener. Evergreen shrubs such as lavender, daphne and holly are always good bets while the Japanese barberry, ribbon grass and ‘Jules verne’ peonies are great for lending a dash of color and warmth.
Whatever your tastes, a beautiful low maintenance garden is both easy and affordable to construct.
