LOW MAINTENANCE DOES NOT MEAN NO MAINTENANCE

We all live busy lives and maintaining our homes can detract our energy from other priorities. We can help you. Whether it's providing regular maintenance or better design solutions, we can help.

THE PROBLEM

Common low maintenance branded solutions, such as; hard landscaping, weed-suppressing membrane, artificial turf, decking, all require regular maintenance; sweeping, jet washing, weeding, treating, repointing, replacing and leaf picking to avoid discolouration. A garden is a living environment and will continue to grow. Weed seeds are airborne, roots come under boundaries, weeds can be dormant for years in the soil and birds transport them in. So the minute you disturb soil, leave a bare section, put material down, weeds will be germinating and grow. When common low-maintenance branded solutions arn't regularly maintained, the space will begin to look like some of the examples below.

INFORMED DESIGN SOLUTIONS

So what can you do? First and foremost remember low does not mean no, maintenance. The garden is often the largest room in a house. Budget for it, if you want a nice garden, it will require regular effort, either by you or paying someone else. So budget time, money or both.

LAWN

A lawn-only garden may look like a football pitch, but can reduce the time you have to dedicate to it. To make a manageable lawn, reduce obstacles, have structured hard borders that are level with the lawn, so the mower can run across without need for a strimmer. 

PLANTING

You can reduce weeds by packing your borders and beds with volumes of slow-growing established shrubs, rather than those that require regular pruning. The plants will starve new weeds on the soil of light and inhibit their growth. Consider evergreen shrubs, fruit bushes, perennials and ground cover. Three to six species creates repetition and more continuity.

Level hard edging can make the lawn easier to mow and slow down lawn creep, making the garden look crisper and neat. Membrane with a thick mulch application (bark or stone) can slow down weed germination and retain water in the soil for your plants but will require replenishing.

ALTERNATIVES

On hard surfaces use a pressure washer on a low setting as to not disturb the pointing. The bigger the slab, the less maintenance it may attract. For example, the maintenance of a tarmac driveway is likely to be edging, pressure washing and moss growth. 

Adapt, in some cases downsizing, to a property without/with a more manageable garden may be the best solution. Be informed by your values, health and age.

Here are some alternatives which we wouldn't actively recommend:

Some people prefer to hard landscape their whole garden and planting in pots only, under the premise that no borders or lawn, means less mowing and weeding. Pots require more frequent watering and will require regular weeding, hard landscaping also requires the latter. 

Spray weedkiller regularly. Weedkiller has a very limited temporary impact and can be destructive to your health, the health of others and the environment.

With some informed design and regular care by you or paying us to do it, you can keep your space looking it's best.