Maintaining a successful flower garden can be a time consuming chore, as it can take a long time to make your flowers blossom beautifully and keep them looking amazing. There is no such thing as a no-maintenance garden, unless it’s made up of faux flowers, but you can achieve a flower garden that reduces maintenance as much as possible through strategic design.
Low-maintenance flower gardens aren’t for lazy gardeners, as you still need some maintenance. However, you don’t want to be spending countless hours on your garden as it should be a space where you can relax and unwind. At the same time, maintaining your garden can be a relaxing activity that invokes positive emotions so it’s important to have a healthy balance.
This guide will explore how you can create a low-maintenance flower garden that gives you the chance to still have a level of maintenance while giving you a space where you can unwind.
How to Create a Low-Maintenance Flower Garden
Limit Flower Bed Size
The size of your flower bed will determine the required levels of maintenance with a larger flower bed needing more than a small one. Bigger flower beds, around 3 or 4 feet, can increase the chances of it turning into a tangled mess. Whereas, smaller flower beds about 1 or 2 feet wide will be much easier to manage.
Plant Smart
There are smart planting methods that you can utilise for your flower garden to help ease the maintenance process. For example, there are “pocket beds” where you add in strategic breaks in the hardscaping to add a small bed area. This will help you with keeping control of each section and avoids any overgrowth while still filling the bed.
Implement Top-Dressing Beds
If you have limited time to care for your garden and need a solution for this, you should consider top-dressing your flower beds. This is the process of covering the soil with a layer of something such as chippings, slate or gravel, as these will keep weeds at bay. It can also look great aesthetically rather than having exposed soil.
Avoid Certain Plants
For easier maintenance, you should avoid having certain plants in your flower garden. Some plants need a lot of care, such as catmint, coneflower, lavender, agapanthus, zinnias and geraniums. You should instead go for flowers that are easy to take care of and maintain like succulents, bulbs and iris flowers.
Use Raised Beds
To have better control over your plants, you should consider using raised flower beds as it prevents you having to get down low to take care of them. This is especially beneficial for older or taller individuals who have a difficult time crouching down. Extra height in your flower garden can also prevent them from spreading and causing a disruption to other plants. They can also make for the perfect floral stand for any event.
Don’t Use Potted Plants
Potted plants require more regular maintenance than plants in the ground, they must be watered and fed regularly and individually rather than in bulk. This is far more time consuming and requires more effort to maintain. Overwatering can cause the roots to rot, so it’s important to water regularly but avoid making the soil soggy which requires extra maintenance.
Add Wildflowers
Adding wildflowers into your flower garden can be very beneficial if you are willing to embrace their messy nature. They can take care of themselves and be left to their own devices, as wildflowers will stop growing to a certain point and somehow look good while being messy. Wildflower roses are especially great for the environment, as they benefit bees, butterflies and other wildlife which can create a lovely garden atmosphere.
Install a Pergola
Pergolas can support climbing plants, turning your outdoor space into a verdant oasis. They can permanently shield delicate plants from extreme weather conditions, so you don’t have to take measures into your own hands. With a retractable roof, you can simply put a roof over your plants with the press of a button. On the other side, you can remove the roof just as easily in the summer so that your flowers get the optimum amount of sunlight.
If you want help with constructing your pergola, you can enlist the help of plant hire machinery that is specifically designed for construction.