EASY PLANTING

If your idea of a dream garden is one where you spend time sitting down enjoying it, you need our guide to low-maintenance gardening...

Cut down on weeding

Choose materials such as slate and chippings to cover areas of bare soil that can quickly turn into weed beds. On planted areas, opt for a heavy duty weed control fabric that can be cut to fit around any planting and cover it with a thick layer of bark chippings to smarten up the space. As well as looking professional, it will save time and effort as it creates an effective barrier to weeds. want things to look good. With a few easy switches, you can transform your garden into more of a relaxation zone.

Go faux

You could even take it one step further and choose artificial plants. There are some realistic-looking ones around now that will look fab dotted in among your real plants.

Low effort

If you don’t have a lot of spare time, you’ll want to get the most out of your space with minimal effort. It could be time to step back and look at how to make your garden more hassle free, especially if summer was an endless loop of watering, weeding and dead-heading, This means a space where you can unwind instead of keeping on top of endless chores if you

Instant results

Look out for ready-planted containers from the supermarket or garden centre you can bring home and slot into gaps. This is the best low-maintenance planting of all, where it’s already been done for you.

Try supermarkets for a range of seasonal offerings. Opt for plants that are hassle free, will bounce back if you neglect them and quietly do their own thing for months on end.

Easy containers

Choose the largest pots you can find and group them together. As well as making an eye-catching statement, watering them and tidying up is easier as it’s all in one place. Another benefit is that there’s only so much growing plants can do in a pot, which cuts down on the amount of pruning needed. Always choose containers you can plant then forget about. Avoid wood – which needs regular maintenance – ceramic and terracotta, which aren’t always frost-free so can crack. The latest maintenancefree styles are made from weatherproof resin that looks just like stoneware. Even better, they are lightweight and some have discreet wheels to make your task easier.

STEER CLEAR OF PL ANTS THAT…

● Need training up an obelisk or staking for support. ● Require regular dead-heading to keep the flowers coming. ● Only thrive with specialised feeding, spraying or complicated pruning such as wisteria. ● Slugs like to demolish such as hostas. ● Quickly run out of control such as rampant Clematis montana grandiflora and ‘mile a minute’ Russian vine.

Long lasting interest

Evergreens tend to be a good choice as they add year-round interest and as long as you give them a quick tidy with the secateurs every now and then, won’t get out of control. If you want height and screening, opt for a non-invasive variety of black bamboo that will thrive, even if you completely ignore it.

Viburnum ‘Aurora’ is easy to look after

Grow herbs near your kitchen Black bamboo can thrive, even if ignored

TIPS FOR A FUSSFREE GARDEN

1Avoid leaving patches of bare soil at all costs as they will soon fill with weeds. Plant as densely as you can.

2Garden organically to increase biodiversity and manage problems with pests and disease the natural way.

3Think about storing rainwater by collecting it from the roof of your house, shed and any other outbuildings. Have several water butts around the garden to maximise the benefits without having to trek to a tap.

4Plant perennials, which come back year after year. Once established, they can be divided to fill empty spots and prevent weeds spreading.

5Always design a lowmaintenance garden according to aspect. If your garden faces north don’t waste time and money trying to cultivate sunloving plants.

6Grow vegetables, herbs and salad crops near the kitchen door for easy access when you’re cooking.

7Keep your tools prepped. Blunt shears and secateurs will make your pruning tasks a slog.