10 Steps To An Easy-Care Backyard

Create the ideal low-maintenance outdoor area so you can spend less time weeding and more time smelling the roses

Unless your thumbs are the deepest of forest greens, not many of us like to spend hours weeding and maintaining our gardens. The answer to this dilemma is to be a little more savvy with what we grow and how we manage our gardens. Follow these tips to make your grounds easier to care for and gentler on the environment as well.

1 KNOW YOUR SITE

By learning as much as possible about the weather conditions, sun exposure and soil type of your garden you’ll be able to choose plants that will happily grow there without needing to be cosseted. So grow shade-loving plants under trees, bog-lovers in damp soils and drought-tolerant ones on hot slopes. A bonus is you’ll avoid wasting money on unsuitable plants.

2 DITCH THE LAWN

A smooth, green lawn is a beautiful thing but it can take an awful lot of effort to keep it looking that way. As well as your time spent mowing, feeding, watering and weeding, a lawn has a financial and environmental cost. So unless you have a puppy or children to play on it, do you really need one?

Or could you reduce the size of the one you’ve got? Think about those narrow strips or awkwardly shaped grass areas. Would they look better planted out? Also, lawn doesn’t often thrive under big trees, so create large garden beds planted with shade-loving shrubs and perennials there instead.

3 CHOOSE STRESSFREE PLANTS