Looking for Low Maintenance Garden Ideas?

Low maintenance garden ideas

Being a modern-day adult is hard. Sure, our problems no longer involve running from sabre-tooth tigers or fighting mammoths for our vegetables, but a new problem has taken their place – and that’s a lack of time.

From working full time to arranging school pick-ups and drop-offs, not to mention sports practices, there never seems to be enough hours in the day. Something has to give, and garden maintenance is usually one of the first things to get the chop.

But having no time for gardening doesn’t mean you can’t have a garden. It just means you need to focus on a low maintenance garden in New Zealand, and preferably one that’s easy to establish and to maintain.

We know it sounds impossible, but with the right ideas and the right team, it’s entirely achievable. Are you looking for low maintenance garden ideas on a budget? Then read on.

How do I make my garden low maintenance?

It’s the million-dollar question: how do I make my garden low maintenance? Well, the trick is to make sure that every component on its own needs little to no work, which equates to an overall area that requires little to no work.

For example, if you have no idea how to take care of your lawns, as many people don’t, then you may not be all that inclined to have a large, sprawling lawn that requires countless hours of your time. In that instance, you can either hire a lawn care company, or make use of gravel, paving stones, concrete, and decking to cut down on the time you’ll need to spend behind a mower.

Making sure you have a low maintenance garden in NZ can also require weed-suppressing materials around gardens, easy-care plants, and a flowing layout that makes it easy to implement low maintenance backyard landscaping ideas.

What are the best low maintenance plants?

The average homeowner can be caught between a rock and a hard place. They want a low maintenance garden, but they also want plants. It can almost seem like you can’t have both. The key is to seek out the plants that won’t demand your time. Believe it or not, such plants exist.

For example, ground cover plants can be lifesavers for the busy homeowner who doesn’t have hours to spend on their hands and knees pulling weeds. Dwarf Agapanthus, also known as Tinkerbell, will fill the gaps, stabilise banks, and offer a vibrant freshness in any garden. It also grows in clumps and is as low maintenance as they come.

If you prefer something with a little bit more versatility, then start looking at photos of low maintenance landscaping ideas for small yards. You will surely find that Star Jasmine features in many of them. Star Jasmine may take a long time to mature, but it can form shapes, climb, or stay put on the ground. It’s also ideal for nearly any part of the country, except for areas that experience heavy frost.

The average homeowner with a garden to fill also can’t go wrong with flax, succulents, New Zealand Cushion Bush, and tussocks. Attaining that low maintenance garden is easier than you might think. And, remember, there is always a gardening expert near you who can be of assistance!

How do I make my garden more manageable?

At one time or another, you may have relished in the opportunity to spend countless hours in the garden. You may not have even had all too many issues with pulling weeds, bringing plants back from the brink of death, and playing around with soil pH levels for the perfectly lush lawn.

But for whatever reason, that may now not be your idea of a good time. Life may have gotten busier, or the aches and pains of getting older may have decided to rear their head. If that’s the case, then you may be wondering how you can make your gardens more manageable.

Fortunately, the changes you make don’t have to be all too dramatic, but it is worth looking at low maintenance garden photos online to see what you may like.

Some popular options can include:

  • Hiring an expert to take care of your lawns and gardens

  • Removing high-maintenance plants and putting easy-care ones in their place

  • Paving a section of the lawn

  • Investing in ground cover plants to minimise weeds

  • Opting for evergreen

  • Choosing perennials over biennials and annuals

  • Selecting garden boxes and container gardens over in-ground gardens

  • Opting for hard landscaping options

Love the low maintenance look

A cottage-style garden in full bloom is the picture of perfection, but anyone with such a garden will be all too aware of the time it takes to make it look like that. A low maintenance garden can be equally as attractive, but just in a different way.

Hire an expert to take care of all the hard work for you, or make a few changes so that you manage your fast-paced life without the stress of an overgrown garden. It’s time to look for low maintenance landscaping ideas today.

Klaris Chua-Pineda