It won’t be long until we are all basking in the summer sun. Many people can’t wait to see the end of this winter that has left many gardens deep underwater. The country is starting to dry now, however, and, although many have bigger problems to worry about, thought’s turn to gardening.

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Gardening is a pastime that is enjoyed by a great deal of the population, while it is hated and considered a chore by just as many. There are good reasons why someone may grow to detest their gardens. Times are hard and long hours at work have become the norm, so the last thing a lot of people want to spend their free time doing is weeding and mowing lawns.

We are going to explore in this piece, what everyone can do to minimise the amount of time and energy that is spent maintaining the garden. Some points may need some hard work to begin with, but it will pay dividends in the long run.

Paving

The more of the garden that is covered with paving, the less room there is for plants and weeds. There are a lot of very attractive materials that can be used to pave great areas of your garden if it is required. Materials to consider include:

Block Paving
Printed, Coloured Concrete
Plain Concrete
Natural Stone Slabs
Concrete Slabs
Cobble Stones

There are many more materials, and variations, than those listed above. A trip to your local garden centre or DIY store will give you some great ideas.

Grass

The lawn is arguably the most labour intensive part of our gardens. Weekly mowing takes up valuable time, but you dare not leave the lawn to grow for two weeks during a showery summer, or you will be making a rod for your own back. Would you consider an artificial lawn? They aren’t the cheap plastic material they used to be. Indeed, unless you get down and inspect it closely, it is very hard to distinguish from the real thing. Say goodbye to mowing forever. What a good deal that is.

Zen Garden

Vast areas of the garden could be covered with a weed resistant barrier and a few inches of gravel or stone chippings. This is a quick, low cost solution to your maintenance problem. Combing the gravel with a garden rake can be very therapeutic too. It is a job that never ends and helps you to relax and contemplate life’s ups and downs.

Planting

Where there are existing borders, dense planting will help to keep weed growth down. All that will be left to do is pull out and tall weeds that manage to grow above your plants and bushes.

Alternatively, between the plants, place a layer of weed resistant barrier with a few inches of wood chippings on top. That should keep the little pests at bay for a summer or two.

Pots

Do away with all of the borders completely and use pots instead. A few ornamental topiary examples will look stunning in an otherwise plain garden.

As you can see, it doesn’t take a genius to create a garden that is neat and tidy while virtually eliminating regular maintenance. Lots of people will be horrified at reading this as these methods to tend to suppress nature itself. It takes all sorts of people to make a world though, so chill out!