Gardens are a lot of hard work.  We bought a house with a 90 foot garden and it’s a lot to manage.  We’ve changed it considerably, but there is still so much to do to make it look remotely pleasant.  We thought a large garden was a great idea for the kids, which it is, but we didn’t think about the ongoing maintenance of such a large space or the costs.  The lawn regularly needs cutting and grass seeds sprinkling.  We have around 30 fence panels that need treating and painting and many even need replacing.  The patio constantly needs cleaning as the slabs are cheap, light in colour and dirt very easily, so we really need to replace them when we can.  There’s also so much weeding!  I’d much rather a low maintenance garden and have some tips on how to achieve this below.

Luckily there are lots of ways to save money in the garden in the long run and also to future proof it.  This is a particularly good idea for the older generations who may not be able to maintain a garden in the future, or just for us busy folk who don’t have the time to spend maintaining a garden on top of a busy work schedule and hectic lifestyle.

Here are a few ideas of how you can save money and future proof your garden.  Some may require an upfront cost, but then will require little or no maintenance in the long run.

Artificial grass

Back when I was younger the only place I saw pretend grass was the Astroturf at school!  But times have changed and there is artificial grass available that looks ever so real.  It requires no mowing, little maintenance and always looks great.  There’s no need to worry about installing it yourself either as there are plenty of professional artificial grass installers available all over the country who can give you a quote and answer any questions you may have about this booming business.  You’ll save money in the long run as you’ll no longer need to cut the grass which requires a lawnmower and the use of fuel or maintain it which could involve buying grass seed every year.

Metal fences

Don’t be put off by the word metal!  It’s now possible to buy garden fences made from metal that look like wooden versions, but require zero maintenance!  They can be purchased in all sorts of colours and can even have trellis at the top.  They never need treating or painting so whilst there is the upfront cost of buying the fences and installing them, there’s no more costs after this.

Composite decking

Decking is one thing on our never-ending list of things to do in the garden.  We have a roofed veranda that Ben built and we need a visually pleasing floor to complete the outdoor seating area and not the horrid slabs I mentioned in the introduction.  Wood decking can be high maintenance requiring regular treating and staining as well as it’s unfortunate ability to rot, but there is an alternative solution called composite decking.  This decking is also environmentally friendly as it’s made from recycled hard wood and recycled plastic, it also requires little to no chemicals to treat it once installed.  Because of the plastic content it is highly durable and requires low maintenance.  It needs a clean occasionally, but does not need painting or staining.  A bonus is it will not rot either.

If you’re looking for a super low maintenance garden then these three tips will have you well on your way!