Great ideas for a low maintenance garden.

If you haven’t got the time or inclination to make your garden into the space you want it to be, and it all feels like a bit of a chore, these low maintenance garden design ideas might help you to enjoy your outdoor space with the least amount of work.

1) Patio
Firstly, you could have a large, stone patio or paver that doesn’t need much care and attention. This cuts down on grass and plants, which do. Despite its name, bluestone comes in various natural colours and is durable and hardwearing. It’s available in a variety of square and rectangular sizes so you can customise your patio design – and if it comes in a bit over budget, pea-gravel makes a great alternative.

2) Decking
Even though it sometimes gets a bit of bad press, a deck turns the garden into an extension of your living space. Wooden decking is easy to keep clean and doesn’t need weeding or watering. It’s also a great place to entertain or just sit and watch the sun go down. Yes, a deck does require some maintenance, but it’s usually only a bit of stain or varnish for protection, and you only need to apply it once a year.

3) Stone edging
Crushed stone or gravel is a great choice if you want something more permanent to cover the garden beds. It’ll stop the weeds, it doesn’t need any maintenance, and it isn’t degraded by the weather. You could even use it to connect different areas of your garden, so you only have to maintain the bits you want to maintain.

4) Sort your grass out
In fact, as you may already know, grass requires plenty of maintenance: feeding, watering and mowing – and that’s just to keep on top of it, never mind keep it looking good. If this takes more time than you have to spend, why not remove some of the grass altogether? You could replace any amount of it with wood, pavers or pea stone which all look great and don’t need constant upkeep.

5) Turf it
If you really want your grass but you just don’t have the time, consider artificial turf. It lasts for years, needs no care and attention, and is always a lovely shade of green. Just make sure you have it laid properly so that drainage problems don’t occur.

6) Pave your paths
If you use paving or cobblestones to break up lines and create areas that don’t require any maintenance, there are lots of different designs out there. From rustic to smooth, whatever you choose, remember that gravel underneath the paving stones will keep drainage free flowing, reducing the potential for any problems later on.

Integrating a few of these simple, low-maintenance ideas into your garden means that you can have maximum pleasure from minimum effort.