The Best Low-Maintenance Plants For Easy Gardening
The key to an attractive outdoor space is healthy, vibrant plants. Soft landscaping plays a major role in successful garden design, and no outdoor space is complete without some form of plants, flowers, or even grass.
While plants are a vital part of garden design, they are not suitable for everyone. Plants are a commitment as they require ongoing maintenance to ensure they remain healthy and attractive. This is something not many homeowners can afford, whether they do not have the time, money or care for garden maintenance.
Luckily, there are alternative options in the form of low-maintenance plants, so you do not have to miss out. With low-maintenance plants, you can enjoy a thriving landscape without working for it. In this post, leading landscapers Heath Landscape & Garden Design are sharing the top planting options for a hassle-free garden all year round.
The Benefits Of Low-Maintenance Plants
Maintaining a thriving, attractive garden requires a lot of work. Plants have ongoing demands for feeding and hydration, which can vary with the seasons. The weather conditions, as well as the local conditions of your soil and garden as a whole, can impact what kind of support is needed to keep your plants healthy. In addition to changing environmental conditions, each plant requires specific levels of care, which can make your overall garden maintenance requirements more complex.
This ongoing maintenance takes up a lot of time, effort, and, in some cases, money, which many homeowners can not afford. With busy schedules and endless to-do lists, the last thing most people desire is something else that takes up their time. Gardens should be enjoyed, and with low-maintenance plants, this is a possibility all year round.
With low-maintenance plants, the demands of your outdoor space are much lower. This can free up time and money so you have more for enjoyment. This free time comes without compromising the health and appeal of your landscape, as low-maintenance plants thrive with little to no interference.
As well as being beneficial for you, low-maintenance plants can also benefit the planet as they are often eco-friendly. Without the need for ongoing watering and fertilising using chemical treatments, low-maintenance plants are more sustainable. They do not put additional pressure on the environment.
Those who desire an attractive, but simple and sustainable outdoor space can greatly benefit from low-maintenance plants.
Top Picks For Low-Maintenance Plants
To create a sustainable, stylish and simple outdoor space, you should rely on low-maintenance plants such as:
Perennials: Colour And Seasonal Interest
Perennials are some of the best low-maintenance plants because they return to your garden year after year. A staple in flower beds, borders and containers, perennials add vibrancy and can attract pollinators to your landscape in the spring and summer.
To experience returning colour in your garden, consider low-maintenance plants such as:
- Hellebores: These low-maintenance plants are early bloomers, often providing the first signs of spring with their pink or white flowers. These will remain a constant in your garden design as they return every year, and require minimal care to continue thriving throughout the season.
- Stonecrop (Sedum): A great option for borders and flower beds, the waxy green leaves of Sedum remain a constant in your low-maintenance garden throughout the year. In the spring and summer, these perennials produce beautiful pink flowers even in poor soil and shaded conditions.
- Geraniums: A classic option for flower beds and containers, geraniums are also hardy perennials that produce flowers for a long time. These are a great option for beginners or novice gardeners, as they are incredibly easy to grow and return to your garden every year.
Evergreen Shrubs: Greenery And Structure
Evergreen shrubs provide greenery all year round, as they maintain their foliage throughout the seasons. A great option for garden structure and screening, shrubs can be used in all kinds of outdoor spaces. As they are evergreen, these low-maintenance plants are very easy to care for and keep your garden looking great all year round.
If you’re looking to add lasting structure to your garden, consider low-maintenance shrubs such as:
- Box: These evergreen hedges are a traditional option for UK gardens and are also low-maintenance. The lasting foliage and simple structure provide appeal to your garden all year round with minimal care or pruning.
- Lavender: Renowned for its purple flowers and soothing fragrance, lavender is also a great low-maintenance shrub that provides lasting structure in your outdoor space. A great option for both traditional and contemporary garden designs, lavender is drought-tolerant and hardy to last years.
- Hebe: A compact evergreen shrub, Hebe is one of the best low-maintenance plants for both structure and colour. In the spring and summer, this shrub produces pink and purple flowers, but its foliage lasts all year round. As it is a compact shrub, these plants can thrive with little to no pruning throughout the seasons.
Ground Covers: Weed Suppression And Colour
Ground cover plants are great options for low-maintenance gardens because they cover a lot of ground space and can provide lasting colour without much interference. Many ground cover plants are low-maintenance as they can thrive in a range of soil conditions, low sunlight conditions and do not require regular pruning.
As well as being low-maintenance, ground covers can offer additional benefits to your landscape through weed suppression. By planting ground covers, you can reduce the amount of weeds in your garden and keep the rest of your planting displays healthy without additional work.
To experience these benefits, choose low-maintenance plants such as:
- Bugleherb (Ajuga): This is a hardy perennial that produces vibrant purple flowers and will return to your garden every year. As a dense, low-growing plant, Bugleherb is an excellent weed suppressor to make gardening even easier.
- Pachysandra: These low-maintenance plants produce a lush, dense green carpet in key areas of the garden. It is a great alternative for traditional lawns or to provide border colour without the need for ongoing watering, pruning or fertilising. It is important to note that these low-maintenance plants can be invasive, so they will need to be monitored during their early growth stages, but they provide lasting appeal once established.
- Thyme: Thyme is more than a valuable herb, as it is also one of the best low-maintenance ground covers for weed suppression, colour and fragrance. A low-growing and hardy plant, Thyme can thrive in a range of soil and light conditions.
Ornamental Grasses: Modern Texture And Movement
When it comes to low-maintenance plants, ornamental grasses are some of the best options as they are hardy, drought-tolerant and evergreen. These plants can provide texture and movement to your garden all year round with little to no interference.
While they are a staple in contemporary outdoor spaces, ornamental grasses can be used to complement all kinds of garden designs. There are various options to suit your needs, such as:
- Silvergrass (Miscanthus): This tall, ornamental plant is a great way to add height and movement to even the simplest planting displays. The lush green grass remains throughout the year, with additional appeal coming in the spring as pink flowers bloom.
- Festuca glauca: These low-maintenance plants provide unique visual appeal to outdoor spaces with the blue grass and dense texture. It is a compact plant that requires little to no pruning throughout the year and can thrive in a range of conditions.
- Mexican Feathergrass (Stipa tenuissima): This tall, feathered grass adds visual appeal and movement to your garden without ongoing maintenance needs. It will sway in even the slightest breeze and continues to offer the same visual appeal in all seasons.
Conclusion
Maintaining an outdoor space can require a lot of work and money – but this does not always have to be the case. With low-maintenance plants, you can create a garden that looks amazing and remains healthy all year round, even with little interference from you.
Using plants such as hardy perennials, ground covers, and evergreen shrubs, you can create a diverse landscape that is easy to manage. Whether you simply don’t have the time or are not interested in gardening, low-maintenance plants allow you to enjoy an attractive outdoor space without the effort.
For additional support regarding your landscape, consider working with professionals such as Heath Landscapes & Garden Design. Our team of landscape gardeners and garden designers can help bring out the best in your outdoor space, no matter your requirements.
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To learn more about our services or to request a quote, please contact the team today.
FAQs
What is the easiest plant to grow in UK gardens?
Perennials such as lavender and geraniums are some of the easiest plants to grow in UK gardens because they thrive in most soil conditions and require little care throughout the year.
How do I keep my garden low-maintenance all year round?
Using a combination of low-maintenance plants such as drought-tolerant species, evergreen shrubs, and low-growing ground covers provides a consistent appearance to your garden all year round, even without working for it.
Can a low-maintenance garden be colourful?
Absolutely! By using a range of perennials, flowering shrubs, and ornamental grasses, you can create a diverse, engaging garden that is easy to care for throughout the year.
