Low Maintenance Gardening

LOW-MAINTENANCE GARDENING

If you want a lovely garden but don’t have the time or energy to do a lot of work in it, help is at hand. There are countless ways you can minimize the amount of maintenance your garden requires, while still keeping it looking beautiful. I can make suggestions for designing an easy-care garden, as well as give you tips on reducing routine tasks and suggest a wide range of plants that can be happily left to take care of themselves.

Making Less Work

Creating and maintaining a beautiful garden doesn’t have to be time-consuming. there are dozens of ways in which the various components of the garden and the planting methods can be adapted to make maintenance easier.

Gardens should give pleasure and be places to enjoy. If yours takes up so much of your time in routine maintenance that you have little left in which to really appreciate it, you need to think about how to reduce the labour, without losing out on its beauty.

WHAT IS LOW MAINTENANCE?

Low maintenance does not simply mean cutting down on the number of plants that you grow. The choice of specimens and how you use them is more important — many plants require hardly any attention from one year to the next. You can also greatly reduce your workload with imaginative design and landscaping.

THE BENEFITS

A modestly sized, low-maintenance garden may require only half an hour a week to keep it looking good. But a truly low-maintenance garden, in which many labour-intensive components such as the lawn or difficult plants have been dispensed with, could require so little work that even if you took several weeks’ holiday, it would have little effect on the appearance.

ASSESSING YOUR GARDEN

You need to assess which jobs you enjoy and which you dislike, then set about modifying your garden in the order of your priorities and how much time you want to save. If you enjoy propagating but hate weeding, for instance, you need to eliminate the weeds, and if you don’t have time to mow the lawn you need to install other surfaces.

Take into account the style of your house and the existing shape and design of the garden itself to make sure that any new feature will fit in and not look out of place.

Check that new plants will grow happily in the soil and position. Some low-maintenance plants such as heathers and conifers have distinct soil preferences for you to consider.

More on Easy Maintenance and Easy Care Gardens

Special Features for Your Garden Patio

Special Features

Once your patio is built, finishing touches will help to bring it to life. a carefully placed pot, an unusual sculpture or intriguing items of furniture can provide the accents of colour and shape needed to tie the whole scheme together.

FURNITURE

The range of garden furniture available today is wide, and you can choose the type best suited to your needs. You need to consider, for instance, if the furniture is to stand outdoors all year round or if you are going to store it under cover when not in use.

Different furniture fulfils different purposes. A steamer chair is perfect for lolling in the sun with a refreshing drink and the Sunday newspaper but is less than ideal if you are eating a formal meal. If you are planning a barbecue, you might like to dispense with seating altogether, to encourage guests to mingle more freely.

Heavy furniture, such as cast iron and stone, is attractive but difficult to move once it is in place. If your patio is small and has to accommodate different activities at different times, lightweight, and folding, alternatives are more convenient.

Types of Furniture

Top of the range is cast-iron furniture, which is expensive and heavy and is, in consequence, no longer made in great quantities. Antique pieces are extremely sought after and are usually very decorative. Aluminium reproductions are much cheaper and lighter but are not always entirely convincing. Wire furniture, often painted white but more often these days coated in plastic, is highly ornate and perhaps best suited to a Victorian-style conservatory, although it is light enough to carry on to the patio in warm weather.

Wooden furniture is also expensive, especially if it is made of teak (the best wood for the purpose), but it is a sound investment and ages sympathetically. It will need treating with teak ill from time to time to stop the wood drying out and cracking. You should make sure that any teak furniture you buy is certified as having been made of wood from a sustainable source.

Deck chairs and director’s chairs are convenient because they can be folded up and stored flat when they are not in use. They are also light enough to be moved from place to place as needed.

Bamboo, cane and rattan furniture is ideal for creating a colonial look, but it is not especially weatherproof. A coat of varnish can help prevent cracking, but this type of furniture is seldom long-lived.

Plastic furniture is usually cheap and readily available, but you may need to shop around to find a range that is really sympathetic. On the plus side, it is lightweight and can be painted or otherwise customized with cushions made to fit. Pre-formed plastic chairs are often stackable, which makes winter storage easy.

WATER FEATURES

A pool or fountain will add life to the patio, in more ways than one. Not only is the sound of water reviving —most people find it soothing, particularly in the evening — but water will attract a range of fauna into the garden: frogs, toads and newts as well as a host of insects.

Types of Water Feature

A patio or deck that meets or overhangs a pool looks dramatic, while even a small pool set into the paving or decking brings all the pleasures of a pool in the open garden. Formal, geometric pools work best close to a house, and they should ideally be based on the proportions of the house windows or doors and built with the same type of materials as the house.

Remember that it will be difficult (if not impossible) to excavate for a sunken pool on an existing patio. If you are building your patio from scratch and would like to include a pool, allow for the depth of the water in the height of the patio. The alternative is to build a raised pool surround ed by paving, a wooden framework or railway sleepers (ties).

If you favour an expanse of still water, try to site the pool away from trees, as leaves will rot and pollute the water. Most surface-growing water plants do best in sun, but if the pool is purely ornamental a shaded site is permissible, and you can keep the water clear with a chemical cleansing agent.

On a large patio a fountain would be the ultimate luxury, especially in a hot, dry climate. Cascades can be impressive, but for a really imposing fall of water a large reservoir and powerful submersible pump are needed. If you have a small pool in a sunny position and would like a fountain, look for one that is solar-powered. These are becoming more widely available and more attractive. Some models have separate solar panels, but surprisingly they are manufactured with integral panels.

If you have small children most kinds of water feature are best avoided altogether: it is possible to drown even the shallowest water. Installing bubble fountain can be a good compromise because no deep water is

accessible, but remember that the reservoir and pump must be housed below ground level and hidden by cobbles that sit on top of a mesh. Such features involve excavating below the level of the patio, so this must be taken into account during the planning process.

Many styles of ready-made water feature are available from garden suppliers, and these are simple to install. Designs such as a brimming urn or village pump are popular, and if ground space is really restricted, a wall spout that feeds into a basin just below can be delightful. Wall-mounted water features should never be fitted directly to a house wall, and it may be necessary to erect a double wall to house the pipe and pump.

Introducing the electricity needed to power a submersible pump should be considered during the planning stages. Because water and electricity are a lethal combination, seek professional advice about the appropriate switches and cables.

MIRRORS

Not everyone appreciates the use of mirrors in a garden. There is no doubt that they increase the sense of size of a small space, but some people are unnerved by catching a glimpse of themselves. There is also the argument that birds will fly into them, although this is unlikely in an enclosed space such as a patio or terrace, since most birds prefer to keep to the trees if there is no clear runway for take-off.

If you include a mirror, site it with care for maximum impact, angling it slightly so that visitors to the garden do not merely see their own reflections. Placed at the end of a path, it will make the garden seem endless. If you have no paths, put a mirror where it will reflect a particular feature: a statue, a large container or even just a garden door. Mirrors are especially effective in association with water features, but they must be set perfectly upright if distorting effects are to be avoided. Disguise the mirror’s presence by surrounding it with planting to hide the edges.

Use mirrors designed for outdoor use; those made for indoors are not particularly weatherproof and will soon begin to deteriorate.

Lighting and Heating for Your Garden Patio

LIGHTING

You will get the most use from your patio or terrace on summer evenings if you add some form of lighting. If the patio is some distance from the house but is visible from it, lighting it can bring an element of drama that you can also enjoy from the comfort of indoors at other seasons. Floodlighting can be spectacular when the ground is covered in snow.

All electrical lighting systems powered from the mains should be installed by a qualified electrician. Regulations stipulate how deep electric cables should be buried, and these should be adhered to. As with cabling for a pool, the lighting cables should be laid before the patio or terrace is built, but if this is not possible they should be buried where no digging that could damage the wires is likely to take place.

Remember that outdoor lighting should be designed to be seen only within your own garden. Your neighbours may prefer their gardens to be dark at night.

Types of Lighting

The simplest way to illuminate your patio is with candles or flares. Obviously, these are not permanent, and they must be supervised at all times. Both are best in still weather, but flares are much less likely to blow out than candles; you will need to ensure that they can be properly supported in the ground or in stable containers. Candles can be housed in lanterns and distributed around the patio or suspended from trees.

Low-voltage lighting is cheap but is best used to edge a path, since the light shed will not be particularly strong. For safety, paths should always be lit at night if the garden is going to be used then, and solar-powered lights are now available that are ideal for this purpose.

Floodlights are much more powerful, and many dramatic effects can be achieved if they are sited with care. If there is a tree overhanging the patio, it Is a charming idea to festoon it with fairy lights (coloured or not) or individual lanterns.

Underwater lamps can be used to light up a pond and will keep any fish active until well into the evening.

HEATING

Various forms of heating are available to bring a touch of warmth to those evenings when there is a chill in the air after sundown.

Perhaps the cosiest is the chiminea, a Mexican stove, which is open at the front and the top and is usually made of terracotta. These are designed as wood-burners, but you will need to substitute a non-smoking fuel if you live in a smokeless zone. They are made in a range of sizes. They need to be supervised at all times when lit and can pose a hazard if there are small children around.

Gas patio heaters are surprisingly stylish. They are usually fed by bottled gas rather than connected to the mains supply and are lit at the top, the heat being deflected downwards by a small canopy. They can look rather like municipal street lamps, but on a cool autumn evening the warmth they emit will be welcome.

Garden Ornaments for Your Patio

GARDEN ORNAMENTS

A well-chosen ornament can bring a touch of distinction to a patio, especially in winter when there may be a shortage of plant material to bring the area to life. They can be given a position of some prominence or be hidden among plants or pots to make a personal or witty reference. Reflected in water or a mirror, their impact will be doubled. At best, they give a sense of permanence to the garden.

Make sure the ornament is in scale, but err on the large side if you are in doubt. Too small an ornament will look mean and lost, but one that is large will look grand and imposing and will make a considerable impact in a small patio.

Types of Ornament

Garden statuary is a matter of taste. Top of the list would be a work (possibly abstract) from a sculptor’s studio, but this is likely to be beyond the purse and aspirations of most gardeners. Garden centres stock a wide range of mass-produced ornaments, and whether your preference is for stone animals or abstract designs such as obelisks or balls, you will probably find something to suit your patio.

For something a little more individual, go to a reclamation yard, where you can often find old statues and other ornaments. A rusted piece of agricultural equipment can make an appealing objet trouve. Ceramics can be beautiful, though the production process limits their size. If you are naturally creative, you could try making your own abstract piece.

Materials

Bronze is beautiful and ages sympathetically, but the price is likely to be prohibitive. Nowadays, synthetic resins provide a convincing substitute at a much lower cost. Stone ornaments are heavy, and reconstituted stone pieces often have a tell-tale seam left from the mould that betrays their manufacture. However, they weather beautifully, acquiring an attractive covering of moss in time.

Plastic ornaments are light and tend to blow over, so they are perhaps best used among plants rather than as stand-alone features. Ceramics need to be securely placed, since they can crack or even break if they fall over.

Special Features for Your Patio Design

AWNINGS AND SHADE

If the patio catches the midday sun you may find the glare and heat all but unbearable in summer. If there is no tree nearby, an awning or overhead screen can cast the necessary shade.

Types of Awning

Some awnings are designed to be attached to a house wall and are operated either manually or electronically. This restricts both their use and their design: they are an option only if the patio abuts a house wall; there must be a sufficient stretch of wall to accommodate them, and they must be rectangular or square in shape. If placed just above a sitting-room window or a pair of patio doors, they will have the dual function of shading the room. This type of awning is traditionally made of striped fabric with a scalloped or fringed edge. If you want something a little more individual, you could have a bespoke canopy made of canvas or sailcloth, to sling between poles or the patio walls.

If the patio is some distance from a suitable wall, a stand-alone awning will be required. At its simplest, this could be a large parasol; these are often designed to be used in conjunction with a table, and they have the advantage that they can be moved around as the direction of the sun changes. A rectangular gazebo, like a tent with open sides, will keep sun or rain off a larger table and chairs.

No awning is fully weatherproof. If accidentally left in the rain, they should be allowed to dry out fully then stored dry under cover.

Pergolas and Arbours

If you are building a completely new patio that is likely to be in full sun for most of the day, consider building a pergola to provide shade over part of it. A pergola is simply a framework of wooden posts with cross-pieces, but when it is clothed with climbing plants in summer it can become a shady room. A free-standing pergola constructed some distance from the house and built over a paved area will be a private, shady place.

A well-built pergola will be strong enough to support a large wisteria or fruiting vine, but it is also a perfect structure over which honeysuckle, roses and clematis can be trained. The deciduous hop (Humulus lupulus) will provide reliable summer shade but disappear in winter to admit all the Available light.

An arbour is smaller in scale than a pergola but also offers opportunities to create a hideaway covered with fragrant climbers. Even a simple rustic arch, set against a hedge, will provide sufficient shelter for a table and two chairs, and a larger area, perhaps with a gazebo or summerhouse, will be a delightful retreat on a hot day.

CREATING A FOCAL POINT

A focal point is an important aspect of any garden design, providing a resting place for the eye in much the same way as a fireplace in a sitting room, even though there may be other objects of interest present.

It need not be a permanent fixture. If, for instance, your patio is some distance from the house but visible from it, a well-positioned chair might be used to draw your attention to it.

A more permanent focal point can be provided by an ornament, a large con- container or an imposing plant, and other elements on the patio can be arranged to lead the eye toward it. A series of linked focal points can be useful in a large garden to draw different elements together, but they should be positioned so that they are not all visible simultaneously. Only when you arrive at one focal point will you be aware of the presence of another. Conversely, a single object can do double duty at the axis of two paths, providing the focal point for both. There is no limit to the number of visual games you can play.

Mark out the position of focal points with string stretched between pegs, and move them around until you find the right spot for the object. If the intended focal point already exists — for instance a garden door or a tree — use the string to determine the lie of the paths.