Surprising benefits of a low-maintenance garden
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.
People sometimes feel that because they are not a gardener, having a lovely green space to enjoy isn’t possible. But this isn’t the case. While a formal parterre garden does require a lot of ongoing maintenance, there are many styles of garden that do not.
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.
There is the obvious benefit of a lower-maintenance garden: you can spend more time enjoying it. For those with gardens that require more ongoing effort, we know that it can sometimes be a struggle to resist the urge to pluck out that weed or snip that overgrown branch – we can’t sit still long enough to rest and soak it in.
By taking a little maintenance off your plate, you can stay on top of the weeding and entertain friends, watch the birds or appreciate the view.
Here are some other features of a low-maintenance garden that might surprise you.
Less maintenance doesn't mean less beauty
There are some misconceptions about low-maintenance gardens. One is that a low-maintenance garden is sparse or boring. However, the best of these gardens do not come across as bland.
In reality, good garden design can create a garden with plenty of colour, texture, structure and seasonal interest without requiring constant attention. The key is choosing plants that suit the climate and the conditions they are growing in – as well as your personal preference! Plants that are well matched to the soil, aspect and available moisture are generally more likely to thrive without much help.
Using a considered combination of trees, shrubs, grasses, groundcovers and feature plants can create structure and seasonal excitement that help a garden look good throughout the year.
The right plants can help you save on your water bill
Plant selection has a significant impact on how much water a garden requires.
Choosing plants suited to your site can reduce the need for supplementary watering once they are established. This is particularly useful in areas where water availability varies throughout the year. It should also be a consideration in places where rainfall is becoming less reliable due to climate change.
Native and endemic plants can be particularly valuable. However, being native doesn't automatically make a plant low-maintenance. Australia has a huge variety of climatic conditions and landscapes from which native plants have been selected and grown – this means it is important to understand the individual growing conditions of plants. The right plant still needs to be matched to the particular conditions of your garden.
Good soil preparation, appropriate irrigation, mulch and sensible planting design can also help make watering more efficient.
A low-maintenance garden can help support wildlife
Low-maintenance and wildlife-friendly gardening can work remarkably well together. Now, this doesn’t mean that a low-maintenance garden will inevitably resemble natural areas, either. A garden will always look its better if it is given some degree of care (even native-only gardens require work to make them shine).
However, a garden doesn't need to be completely manicured to be beautiful and inviting to local birds, insects and other garden visitors. In fact, incorporating a range of plants, such as flowering species, shrubs, groundcovers and small trees can provide food and habitat.
For example, in gardens that are meticulously trimmed, flowers are often removed, which means a plant doesn’t get a chance to produce seed. By leaving these flowers on the plant, the seed they produce can provide additional resources for wildlife. The seeds or spent flowerheads can provide food or shelter – and so a garden designed with local ecology in mind can make a small contribution to the wider landscape.
Less lawn can mean less work
Lawns are wonderful when they are used. They're great for children to play on, for entertaining and for creating open areas within a garden. But a lawn that isn't being used can become one of the most maintenance-intensive part of a property.
Reducing unnecessary lawn and replacing some areas with a groundcover, taller planting, paving, gravel or other functional surfaces, can significantly drop the mowing, fertilising, watering and edging needed in a garden.
By questioning how you really want to use a space and what’s important to you, a good garden designer will be able to advise on the structure and planting of your garden.
It can make a garden easier to manage as life changes
A garden that works perfectly today may become more difficult to maintain over time. Work commitments, family life, changing mobility or priorities can all affect how much time you have available to spend gardening.
Designing with the future in mind can make an outdoor space more adaptable. This might mean choosing plants that don't require frequent pruning, creating accessible paths and garden beds, reducing difficult-to-mow areas, more robust edging along a bed, or making irrigation easier to manage.
Some people choose to stay in the family home for many years – even decades. A garden doesn't have to be designed for a single moment in time, but a low-maintenance garden can provide enduring joy, with less required of its owners.
Less maintenance can mean a cheaper garden over time
A garden that requires constant intervention can also require ongoing expenditure. Regular mowing, pruning, fertilising, pest management, watering and replacement of plants that didn’t make it through summer can all add up.
A considered design can reduce some of these costs by making better use of the conditions already present on the site. Durable materials, appropriate plants that have a long life and efficient irrigation can all contribute to a garden that is more economical to maintain.
Investing in a design that suits you and your site, and quality materials, at the beginning can help reduce unnecessary work and expense later.
Your garden can become more resilient
One of the greatest benefits of low-maintenance garden design is often overlooked: resilience. A garden made up of plants that are suited to its conditions is generally better equipped to cope with the realities of the local environment – and climate change.
Rather than constantly trying to make unsuitable plants survive, a well-designed garden and a planting plan will work with the site that exists. That might mean selecting plants that tolerate dry conditions, choosing species suited to shade, or improving drainage in wet areas at the start.
There is no such thing as a garden that never needs attention: all will benefit from some knowledge and care. But with a good garden plan, it’s easy to create one that works with its environment and will become a place you love to be in.
It can encourage you to use your outdoor space more
Ultimately, the greatest benefit of a low-maintenance garden may be that you're more likely to use it. A garden that is easy to look after, comfortable to move through and designed around the way you live can become a genuine extension of your home.
A place for morning coffee. Somewhere to eat dinner outside. A space for children to play. A quiet corner to read under dappled shade. A place to entertain friends.
Being in the garden becomes less about upkeep and more about living.
A garden designed for the way you live
If your garden has become a source of constant maintenance, it may not need more work – it may need better design. Speak to us for help identifying issues, developing a planting and layout strategy that works with your property, lifestyle and local environment.
The result of implementing a low-maintenance landscape design is a garden that is easier to care for, more resilient and, most importantly, more enjoyable.