For many, having a nice outdoor space to retreat into is one of life’s great pleasures. Saying that just like many of the best things that life has to offer, creating a beautiful garden that you love spending time in can require a lot of effort.
Garden maintenance can be tedious, boring, and frustrating, particularly when you’re dealing with weeds that just keep on coming back. Considering this, plenty of homeowners and amateur gardeners look for new and inventive ways to make keeping their gardens pristine as easy as possible. In this guide, we are going to cover some of the most popular techniques people use, saving you time and effort in the process.
Hopefully, these suggestions will help reduce the time you spend working in your garden and increase the time you spend enjoying it.
Invest in Automatic Sprinklers
First things first, let’s tackle watering. Depending on where you live, the time of year, and the plants within your garden, you can find yourself having to water your outdoor space multiple times per week. That’s not always an issue for smaller garden environments as you can whip around within 10-20 minutes but for larger spaces, this watering time can quickly add up.
Fortunately, we’re living in the most advanced scientific age ever, and over recent years, huge leaps have been made in automated technologies. Now, you can invest in completed automated sprinkler systems which will do all of your watering for you based on the needs and schedule of your plants.
Automated sprinklers can come with varying levels of customization and programming options, from simpler choices that just turn on for a set amount of time each day to more precise solutions which let input soil and plant types create a bespoke watering system. Whatever your budget and requirements, there’s sure to be a sprinkler that works for you, it’s just about looking!
Install an Artificial Lawn
Lawns are one of the most time-consuming garden features, with recent studies showing that the average garden owner spends around 8 weeks of their life mowing the lawn. Previously, gardeners may have scoffed at the idea of synthetic grass and immediately thought of the unnatural, vibrant green artificial turf from years gone by. Yet, modern artificial lawns have been developed to look and feel as realistic as possible, providing garden owners with a durable, long-lasting solution that saves on maintenance costs and still looks great.
Artificial lawn installation can vary significantly in cost depending on the size of your garden, the scope of your project, and what type of synthetic turn you want to invest in. Saying that, as long as you prepare your artificial grass correctly and the project isn’t too big, you may even be able to consider laying some for yourself. Regardless, as with all things, getting a professional to help will probably yield longer-lasting and better results.
Many artificial grass suppliers also offer free samples for you to try out too, so if you’re considering making mowing a thing of the past, consider getting a sample to see what you’ll be investing in. Click here for more information on artificial grass and paving ideas.
Plant Perennials
Aside from lawn maintenance, plant care is probably the next most time-consuming aspect of caring for your garden. Whether it’s removing weeds or planting new flowers for the year to come, keeping your soil perfect and caring for your plants can add many hours to your annual gardening tasks.
One of the best solutions to this is to employ the use of perennials. Perennial plants differ from traditional ones as, instead of dying over the winter and relying on natural seed germination to return the next year, perennial plants use the same roots to revive themselves during the summer months. Put briefly, perennial plants survive multiple years and go into a sort of hibernation over winter, as opposed to dying.
This can save you plenty of time by preventing the need for planting, protecting, and caring for your newly germinated seedlings each spring. Additionally, it can remove the risk of birds affecting your planting, which can be common in unprotected areas.
Perennial plants can flower beautifully and come in all shapes and sizes so be sure to research what you like, then pick out some options and try them out. You might find they quickly become favorites due to how little attention they need to survive and look good.
Reduce the Plant Varieties in Your Outdoor Space
Finally, if you’re finding yourself working on your garden for more hours per week than you’d like, consider making it easier for yourself by simply reducing what you have to work with. Every plant likes something different and often, if you have too many different varieties, you can find yourself with too much to do in a limited time. Not only does this increase stress, but it also leads to mistakes that can negatively impact how your plants grow, affecting how much you enjoy your outdoor environment.
If this sounds like you, try choosing your favorite plants to keep and then removing the rest by gifting them to friends or family. With your newly free space, either plant more of what you already have or introduce gravel beds, patios, or other garden additions which can add color and character. This will reduce your total workload and give you more time to sit back and enjoy your handiwork.
With any luck, these recommendations will have got you thinking about how to take your current outdoor environment and make it an easy, low-maintenance space. Good luck with your changes and don’t forget to research what you want to do so that you’re fully prepared for the next steps.
