SAVING TIME in the garden

Just like Jamie Oliver can teach us to cook a meal in 15 minutes, there are ways to garden in 15 minutes or less. Here are some of our top time-saving tips to make gardening easier, quicker and more fun.

Plant choice

Choose the fun stuff and add more plants, but also choose wisely. Biennials and perennials are the backbone of any garden. By planting more of these types of plants, you will save time and money in the long run. Some examples of tough perennials are Oenothera (previously Gaura), Plectranthus varieties, Strobilanthes, Chlorophytum saundersiae, and all the salvias, to name just a few.

Next on the list has to be self-seeding annuals. You can choose to let them selfseed and enjoy them the following season, or you can cut the seed heads off before they can seed to have more control and sow them yourself where you want them to be.

Choosing shrubs that don't need pruning will go a long way toward making life easier and saving time. The best choices are shrubs that are naturally compact and don't outgrow their space.

These include Spirea, Buxus, Rhapheolepis indica, Viburnum odoratissimum, Weigela, Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', azaleas, cupheas, Escallonia 'Pink Elle Dwarf', hebes, Loropetalum 'Plum Gorgeous', and Coprosma 'Pacific Sunrise'. There are many more time-saving shrubs to plant for various colours and textures.

Stop weeding

Weeding can be very time-consuming, but there are ways to prevent weeds from ever having to be weeded out in the first place.

The first thing to do is to cover the soil. Place pieces of cardboard on the surface of the soil and then add a thick layer of compost and organic matter to plant in. This will stop weed seeds from germinating under the cardboard, and as it breaks down, it feeds the soil as well.