Do you love your garden but prefer to spend time relaxing in it rather than working on it? You’re not alone! For those of you who have a busy schedule, and barely any time for working in the garden, a low maintenance backyard is perhaps the best option for you. Check out these easy hacks to help you achieve the perfect low maintenance backyard.
Lose the lawn
The simplest way to save time on maintenance is getting rid of your lawn and replacing it with artificial grass, paving or decking. This cuts down the hours you need to spend mowing and raking, leaving you to focus on other tasks around the house.
This is not to say that these options are maintenance free – decking will require cleaning and treating yearly, paving will need a deep clean now and again, but you will hardly notice the occasional ten minutes you have to spend doing these tasks.
If you hate mowing your lawn, artificial grass has come a long way over the years and now tends to look more realistic, feel softer and last a lot longer. It is a great surface to have if you have children and pets and want to let them loose without fear of ruining your grass.
Swap hedges for fences
Hedges can look great if they’re looked after properly but they tend to be very high maintenance. Regular trims can be a tricky job to tackle yourself, resulting in many people paying someone to do it for them, which over time can rack up a hefty bill. Swapping your hedge for a fence will need some work to start with but over the years it will save you a considerable amount of time and upkeep. You can make a fence look pretty by festooning them with solar style lights or hanging plant pots from it.
Plants
Planning to have a variety of plants for each season will keep your garden looking great all year round. Classic plants such as Salvia ‘Indigo Spires’ that are a combination of seasonal colours and are a favorite for low maintenance planting, as well as Alumroot.
Borders and containers
Containers are a great choice for your backyard, brightening up your paving or decking with minimal maintenance. Consider adding mulch or bark in them as this will require less effort from you in the future.
Use rocks for landscaping features
Rocks make great landscaping features that require little if, any maintenance. Place them around the yard as strategically placed accents, or if you have areas that are constantly damp, rocks will keep the mud and bugs under control as water will just slide off it instead of building up.
Watering
Deep, periodic watering sessions are a lot more effective compared to a short, daily watering session when it comes to low maintenance. Frequently watering won’t hit deep into a plant’s roots far enough for them to survive a drought period. Watering doesn’t have to be hard labour and, thanks to the many different aids to help with watering such as soaker hoses, timed sprinklers and dribbles that ensure correct amounts of water goes to each plant, there is no excuse for it not to be done.
Give these tips a go and allow yourself to enjoy spending more time relaxing in the backyard rather than working in it.
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Great ideas for decorating the backyard! Thanks for sharing!
Love the ideas. I want artificial grass in my backyard…someday.
Sometimes, its all about coming back to the basics. These points are poignant and materials are readily available. With these tips, we can get started on beautifying and improve our curb appeal. Thanks!
Very true, thanks for the comment, Evelyn.
Great ideas. I’d love artificial grass but am concerned our dog Honey will destroy it. She’s completely decimated the lawn we have now with craters everywhere.
Oh dear, she sounds a lively dog! I do know people who have artificial grass and it seems to be a good combination with their dogs.
I set up a drip system for my potted plants and it saved me a lot of trouble (and the plants’ lives).