In an ideal world, we’d all have enough free time to spend toiling away in our gardens, keeping them in immaculate condition. However, between work commitments and family time, gardening and general backyard maintenance can fall by the wayside.
Wanting to spend any free time you have entertaining loved ones doesn’t have to mean that your yard becomes overgrown and hard to maintain. Take note of these tips for creating a low-maintenance and easy-care backyard paradise that requires minimal care and effort.
Install Hardscapes
Hardscapes are hard landscape materials used in landscape architecture, such as walls and pathways. You can then search terms like ‘landscape accessories’ and ‘fence lighting low voltage’ and find beautiful decorations to accompany them and tie the look together.
Hardscapes can be an ideal option for time-poor homeowners with large sections they don’t have time to maintain. Rather than mowing lawns, trimming hedges, and raking leaves, you can build patio areas, planter boxes, and pathways out of hard materials requiring minimal care to keep them in excellent condition. Typically, homeowners only need to care for hardscapes by salting pathways in winter and water blasting them in summer and spring to keep any concrete and other hard materials looking fresh.
Hire a Gardener and Landscaper
Being busy shouldn’t mean you have to miss out on having beautiful gardens and neatly manicured lawns. Many homeowners enlist the services of gardeners and landscapers to keep their properties in immaculate condition when they don’t have time for yard maintenance themselves.
Hiring gardeners and landscapers also allows you to keep your spare time free for fun, family, and friends, rather than yard chores. Typically, gardening experts take care of a number of tasks on your behalf, such as:
● Lawn mowing
● Hedge trimming
● Tree trimming
● Edging
● Weeding
● Leaf raking
● Garden tidy-ups
● Waterblasting
● Lawn healthcare
Plant Low-Maintenance Plants
Not everyone has time to tend to high-maintenance plants that require constant care and protection from the elements to thrive. For example, hydrangeas and roses can be beautiful and striking in any garden but require much attention.
Roses typically require constant watering and don’t like having dry roots. Many varieties also don’t like being dug up and moved, so you must be confident in where you plant them. Hydrangeas also require constant watering, while blue hydrangeas need particular soil pH to remain blue. If you live somewhere with an abundance of sunshine, these plants typically won’t thrive.
Fortunately, many low-maintenance plants are available at your local garden store that won’t require much of your time, energy, or effort to thrive. Weigela are beautiful plants that are easy to prune and thrive in standard garden soil and full sun. You might also look at the Oregon grape, an evergreen shrub from the Pacific Northwest that tolerates dry shade. Many time-poor homeowners also purchase ornamental grasses, black-eyed Susan, Hosta, and licorice plants, knowing they rarely need help to look their best.
Purchase Ground Cover Plants
It can sometimes seem like no matter how much time you set aside for weeding, you can never eradicate them permanently. It might even feel like your efforts are wasted just days after you pulled out the last weed.
Not everyone has time to dedicate to regular weeding, so consider introducing groundcover plants to your gardens to give weeds no room to thrive. There are many different beautiful ground cover plants to choose from, such as Armeria, brass buttons, Dianthus, and sweet woodruff.
Armeria is a charming plant fitting for a cottage garden. It forms in green, glossy clusters with gorgeous pink or white flowers that bloom in spring and summer. Typically, Armeria thrives in well-drained soil with full sun and can grow up to eight inches tall.
Brass buttons are also another desirable option, particularly for homeowners wanting a more ‘modern’ look in their gardens. Brass buttons is an evergreen groundcover plant typically found in warmer climes. They have a fern-like, fine texture and dark leaves and generally do well in moist, well-drained soil. Many avid gardeners plant brass buttons around boulders and between stepping stones for a touch of whimsy.
If you want to introduce a burst of color to your garden, consider planting Dianthus as a groundcover plant. They come from the carnation family and form in low, dense, slow-spreading mats. Dianthus is also relatively drought-resistant, ideal for areas that receive minimal rainfall. Alternatively, sweet woodruff might appeal for how easy it is to grow in a shady area.
Sweet woodruff has a sweet smell and small white flowers that bloom in spring. It grows well in areas with plenty of moisture and has no problem spreading out far and wide to give weeds minimal space to grow.
Purchase Easy-Care Outdoor Furniture
Outdoor furniture can be convenient for relaxing in your yard and giving your guests somewhere to sit when they visit. However, it can be labor-intensive to take care of. It can sometimes seem like no matter which furniture you buy, you have to spend a great deal of time maintaining it so that it’s suitable for year-round use.
Wicker, plastic, wood, and metal all require at least a small amount of care, especially if you don’t store your outdoor furniture away during the winter months. However, stainless steel metal alloy furniture might be worth exploring further.
While it retains heat, making seats challenging to sit on without a cushion or blanket, stainless steel is strong, rust-resistant, easy to clean, and long-lasting. If you would prefer another material, such as wood or wicker, consider investing in a garden shed, a cover, or a storage area that you can stow them in when they’re not in use.
Buy Quality Equipment
When you don’t have the tools and equipment to keep your yard in excellent condition, even the simplest lawn care tasks can fall by the wayside. Speed up lawn care tasks and make them much easier to perform by purchasing equipment to help. High-quality lawnmowers, ride-on mowers, line trimmers, and leaf blowers can be must-have additions to the average garden shed.
Busy families won’t always have time for yard maintenance, and it can sometimes feel like you’re in an endless battle against nature. However, by taking note of some of these tips above, there’s every reason to believe you’ll be able to enjoy a beautiful, tidy, and well-maintained yard year-round.