Low maintenance garden borders are great for those gardeners who, either because of necessity or prefer aren’t able to devote enough time or energy to maintaining their gardens.
A lack of time shouldn’t mean that you cannot still design gorgeous borders and gardens that are full of color and intrigue. If you are careful in planning and designing in your flower bed design ideas It is possible to have a garden with a variety of colors throughout the seasons, with less work required.
10 Low Maintenance Garden Border Ideas
A less hands-off approach to low-maintenance garden borders help a gardener however, wildlife and plants can also benefit from less intervention.
Structure and health of soils can be improved with non-digging gardening; using resilient and native plants which require less food and watering, helps create a sustainable garden as well as attracting pollinators and other beneficial insects improves the biodiversity of a wildlife-friendly garden.
Low maintenance garden borders does not have to mean either sterile or evergreen according to the garden design expert Sheila Jack.
1. Follow The Rule ‘Right Plant, Right Place’
Important for low-maintenance garden borders is selecting the best plants for your garden. Consider the lighting conditions, levels soil, and moisture levels. Then select plants that are suitable for the site.
If your border is sunny, you should look for drought-resistant plants, like those you’d pick if you were you are planning a garden that is dry and can handle some neglect during hot spells. Like Lavandula angustifolia Hidcote and Rosmarinus officinalis for evergreen structures and Echinacea purpurea and Echinops bannaticus to make an impact during the season the Garden designer Alice Ferguson.
A large number of plants that work well in an area with sun is plants that can be used in Mediterranean gardening ideas.
In a border with a lot of sunlight however plants and trees for shade are essential for successful. Think about a more green border using Sarcococca hookeriana Mahonia Eurybracteata subsp. ganpinensis “Soft Caress and a range of deciduous and evergreen ferns, including Dryopteris wallichiana, Polypodium vulgare and Blechnum sharp. Brunnera macrophylla “Jack Frost” and heuchera are ideal for shaded low ground cover according to Alice Ferguson.
Research before you plant. Select plants and shrubs that won’t outgrow the area, so you can determine the size they’ll grow in time, and then allow them to have space. Plant important plants with care because they can be difficult to move if they’re larger are in place,’ suggests the garden design expert Sue Townsend.
2. Include Resilient Plants
The most important thing to consider for low-maintenance garden borders is to incorporate into the design of your plants options that are durable that are consistent and complement one another beautifully.
“Incorporate resilient plants that in their natural habitats can exist as community plants, and grow in a moderate amount,’ suggests Sheila Jack.
“For example, ornamental grasses like Sesleria autumnalis, Helictotrichon sempervirens that have Achillea Terracotta Salvia Nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ Echinops Ritro ‘Veitch’s blue and kniphofia that blend shape and color with a long time of flowering, and very little maintenance.’
The ‘Hardy Geraniums’, like Geranium Rozanne as well as Geranium Psilostemon, are great to knit between plants, providing striking colors in the summer, and filling gaps. Alchemilla Mollus has similar habits, but with a bright lime green color according to Alice Ferguson.
3. Choose Low Maintenance Planting
Select plants that take care of themselves and don’t require a lot of attention.
Avoid plants that require deadheading, like roses and regular pruning or staking as well as feed for extra but low maintenance does not have to be just static plants”, says Sue Townsend.
Many grasses, like Pennisetum Hameln, also known as Chinese fountain grass Panicum Switch grass, shenandoah, ferns and perennials such as white gaura, as well as Hylotelephium Herbstfreude Group’ only require a trim or comb to clean them up every year. Add some evergreen plants which don’t require trimming to provide structure, flowers and scent, such as Hebe rakaiensis Mexican orange blossom, Daphne x transatlantica Eternal Fragrance and other evergreens that bloom and shrubs,’ Sue adds.
Be sure to place the shrubs you want to be in because they can be difficult to move when they’re larger plants are present, while perennials and grasses are relatively simple to relocate.
If you mix other organic gardening methods for example, companion planting with that benefit both plants create an area where plants co-exist happily and take care of the plants.
4. Add A Backbone Of Evergreens
Use a backbone of evergreen plants and a recurring tapestry of tough and durable perennials that can last for long-lasting seasons. Repeating patterns are good for impact, well-balanced design, and is easy to maintain according to Alice Ferguson.
For your flowers to go further, master the art of divide perennials and plants as cost-effective methods.
Bring your evergreen plant towards the front of your border. When your perennials begin to fade, they will be hidden by the evergreen plants. Providing a tidy appearance
The repetition of a plant matrix can provide an attractive and more consistent design than a border that is brimming with numerous variations that could appear chaotic to the naked eye”, says Alice.
5. Use Edging For Tidy Borders
Border Edging and Lawn Edging Ideas is a low-maintenance gardening border that keeps borders neat and tidy. It also stops the creep of weeds from the lawn or paths. If the border is sassy and edging visible, consider an item that is worthy of being visible, such as slate Corten steel, with its aged patina, or mild steel for a modern appearance. If you want to use timber for edging, the plant within its border has a nice finish and looks great according to Alice Ferguson.
Stone, brick or ‘Steel’ edges, if they are adjacent to a lawn, can all are suitable and can be used to create mower strips.
The raised garden bed can be made in a variety of ways using wood, Corten steel, brick or even stone, however be sure to think about drainage and watering in the first place,’ suggests Sue Townsend.
6. Mulch The Low Maintenance Garden Beds
Mulching can help retain water in the soil and reduce the requirement to water borders and garden beds and also keep weeds at bay It is also a technique employed in permaculture gardening to create an organic space.
Make use of peat-free compost home-made compost or go for decorative pebbles, gravel or even building waste materials like crushed concrete, or bricks,’ says Sheila Jack.
Other mulching materials are also available. Alice suggests composted woodchips and bark, which can also add an attractive appearance to the border she adds, organic options include horse manure that has been well-rotted, as well as leaf mulch.
7. Add Bulbs For Seasonal Interest
Include layers of summer bulbs as well as spring bulbs, which will grow and bloom every year,’ advises Sheila Jack.
“Narcissuses and snowdrops can flourish in shade. If you’re blessed with more sunshine the alliums and tulips provide stunning bursts of color. Allium sphaerocephalon Allium Hollandicum ‘Purple Sensation’ are also beautiful seedheads that bloom throughout the winter months,’ explains Alice.
8. Keep A Hands-Off Approach
To ensure that you are entertained throughout the seasons, make a simple cut in the the winter months instead of in fall. In this way, you can take advantage of the dried seedbeds of the flowers and grasses throughout the winter months,’ suggests Sheila Jack.
Let plants die wherever they are, in order that their decay adds to the soil’s richest nutrients. You can also allow plants to self-seed, so that they will naturally populate the garden.
9. Use The No-Dig Method
The easy no-dig gardening technique takes less time, effort and time as gardeners, and should be at the top of the list of low-maintenance garden borders.
“No dig” gardening – which requires the addition of a mulch of well-rotted garden compost and mushroom compost during autumn and spring It does more than keep weeds at bay and keeps garden soil in good health,’ suggests Sue Townsend.
The term “no-dig” as the name suggests, is essentially the process of removing the time that is spent weeding and digging borders. It aids in drainage and aeration, and also garden borders and beds need less watering.
10. Plant In Gravel
Growing plants in a rich gravel mulch is just one of the low-maintenance garden borders ideas that have been a source of inspiration for Sheila Jack.
Instead of planting in topsoil imported or existing and topsoil, plants are incorporated to a layer of fines free gravel that ranges in depth between 10 and 20cm. It is a great gravel garden design idea”, she elaborates.
Like soil, gravel is a good source of no seeds of weeds. The drainage is rapid, which means the surface is dried quickly, which means that the seeds of weeds that fall into the plant are not likely to sprout. Even during the scorching summer heat, when the soil is moist and impermeable, the gravel plants can still absorb rainwater’, she states.
How Do I Make My Garden Borders Low Maintenance?
For your garden to be low-maintenance, you should select the right plant species to ensure that it can grow perfectly in the space with minimal intervention from you.
Methods to design borders that are low maintenance, suggests Sheila Jack, include:
Choose drought-resistant, durable plants.
Assessing your site’s conditions to ensure that the plants thrive in the area
The weeds you’re trying to eliminate – the first thing you do is what you’ll end up with and you should aim to eliminate as much vegetation as you can.
Planting at a suitable density
This includes bulb layers
The mulch can assist in keeping moisture in the soil and can be a way of eliminating plants
The first time we have irrigated for the summer.
Leave seed heads in winter and fall
How Can I Make My Garden Borders Look Good?
To make your low-maintenance garden borders appear attractive make sure you include evergreen shrubs that will provide year-round interest, as well as hardy perennials and bulbs to bring seasons of color and diversity.
Mulching and other no-dig gardening techniques can help stop weeds from growing While edging materials or using raised beds can help keep your plants neat and tidy.
