NO-MOW GARDEN Easy-care options

Emily’s choice: NO-MOW GARDEN

Swap the time and effort of looking after a high-maintenance lawn for these easy-care grassless garden alternatives

From creating the perfect patio to delightful decking spaces, these grass-free garden ideas are perfect for those who don’t have the time, space or energy for a lawn. After adopting one of these no-mow schemes, you can sell or give away that mower, freeing up space in the shed.

Pile on the patio tiles

For a contemporary way to cover your garden, use extra-large paving slabs. You will cover the ground fast, with minimal gaps between where weeds might grow. If you want to take a patio further, run limestone paving slabs throughout, with paths leading to individual areas for dining, sunbathing and pottering with plants. Use flower beds to soften the landscaping.

Opt for easy-care decking

If a small garden is something you’re struggling with, choose easy-to-care-for decking. Hard landscaping can leave some feeling a little cold, so combine timber decking and gravel for a warmer feel that will soften a garden without grass.

Lay gravel or shingle

You don’t need a long rolling lawn to achieve that English country garden look – nestle a variety of different flowers in pots among deep gravel to give the space that well-tended feel. Alternatively, create a perennial beach vibe with a shingle landscape – think deckchairs as seating and plant rosemary, sea kale and cabbage palms, among others.

Widen your borders

Losing a lawn doesn’t have to mean sacrificing greenery. Take your borders deep across the width of your garden, leaving small channels of moss or wood chippings so you are able to easily tend to plants and shrubs.

Go faux with fake grass

Swap the lawn mower for a vacuum cleaner – yes, a vacuum cleaner – and lay artificial grass. The latest designs are far more realistic than you might imagine.

IDEA TO STEA L Include a raised bed to add height to borders

Laying decking at a 45-degree angle makes Emily’s 57sq m garden feel much more expansive