A low-maintenance garden might sound like a garden with fewer plants, less colour and very little to do. But a well-designed low-maintenance garden can be so much more than that.

To have a brilliant outdoor space, you don’t need to spend hours a week sweating in your broad-brim. Low-maintenance gardens are carefully planned to suit how people actually use their outdoor space, the level of maintenance a client is willing to commit to, the local climate and the characteristics of the site. They can be beautiful, interesting and full of life while reducing the amount of time, money and effort required to keep them looking good.

It’s not easy to put your finger on what makes a great garden – a garden’s success doesn’t come down to a single factor. They are more than a collection of plants, just as a building is more than a collection of rooms. A garden that makes you linger balances aesthetics with structural elements that make it practical, polished and a great place to be. That’s what a skilled designer can bring to a garden.