Creating stunning gardens looks like it takes a lot of work and time. And, yeah some of them do. The intricacies of what to plan and when, repotting, potting up, protecting your sprouting seeds… it takes care and a keen eye for detail. But if you want a gorgeous garden, with minimal effort, then this is the article for you.
The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul – Alfred Austin
(Photo by Francesco Gallarotti)
Plan It
Think about what you want to use the space for, working in the day time? Friends for dinner? Or just somewhere to sit and listen to the world go by? Whatever it is, make a note of it and let that be the driving force behind each thing that you add and take away.
Fake It
What! Yes, that is correct. You want low effort garden you’re going to have to make a few decisions. Mowing a lawn is one of the biggest contentions in a household usually.  Take all of the fuss out of it and swap to an artificial grass like those from New Lawn.
It will be green, clean and ready all year round, with pretty much no effort required to keep it.
Combine
Combine ample decking space with your fake lawn. This will eliminate much of the room that you don’t want to deal with and look fantastic. Choose plants from the same family – that way you know they need the same care. Combine that with herbs, they are hardy and work for their space.
Ditch
Ditch plants you don’t like, you don’t take care of, and that need trimming and maintaining. Of course, logically, the fewer plants, trees, and shrubs you have the less you will need to do in your garden.
Clean
Yes, you need to take the housework outside. Stunning gardens are usually very well-kept gardens. Have a broom outside to sweep your decking down. Your table and chairs should be wiped down every couple of weeks too.
Pots
Potted plants look fantastic, and require minimal effort. You can buy them pre-potted at more garden stores, all you need to do is take them home and put them outside. A few different sizes make it enjoyable to look at without being overwhelming to maintain.
Tools
You can pick up self-watering plant bottles. Grab a few, as many as the potted plants you have, and set a weekly reminder (more when hot) to top them up. Plant food is a great thing to pop into these bottles too.
Ornaments
Putting something large and pretty like a traditional Buddha, a water feature, or another type of sculpture draws the eye of visitors, and you don’t need to do anything to it (apart from clean to odd bird poop off it).
Stripping things back in your garden is the best way to have a minimal effort but reasonably high impact garden. The design aspects are small but impactful.
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