How we British love a beautiful garden. At this time of year, who doesn’t dream of idly taking tea on the lawn, surrounded by sweetly scented flowers? The reality, however, can often be very different – keeping that lawn and sweetly scented flowers in tip-top shape takes a lot of time and effort.

So it’s hardly surprising that time-poor individuals are increasingly turning to solutions that make a garden easier to maintain without compromising its aesthetic quality or charm. Low-maintenance gardens are also a particular draw for tenants who don't have a gardener included as part of their tenancy but want the benefit of a beautiful garden, without the responsibility of looking after it themselves.

Whether you’re a homeowner or a landlord looking to make your letting property less labour intensive, here are five tips that will help:

Plan the design

Think about how the external space is going to be used and design the areas accordingly. A larger garden could accommodate several zones, from a children’s play area to a BBQ station, a sun terrace or a potting shed. Smaller urban gardens will need to be more selective and creative, and will need to rely on more subtle features like potting plants, hanging baskets, feature patios or outside lighting, for example.

Lawns

If you prefer a more manicured look, you could replace fine turf with harder wearing turf mix described as amenity, multi-purpose, hard wearing or low maintenance.Or you might also think about installing artificial turf. If you aren’t worried about retaining a lawn at all, sound alternatives include paving, gravel, decking or bark.

Beds

Choose your plants carefully. It may sound obvious but think about soil type and position, that is, which areas get the sun and which are in the shade. Opt for hardy plants that can be left outside all year round, rather than tender blooms; and consider going for shrubs. Buddleia, camellia, syringa and hydrangea varieties are among my favourites. Bulbs – ranging from narcissi to tulips; alliums to hyacinths – are also a great choice. But avoid plants that need regular or intensive pruning, such as trained fruit trees or wall-trained wisteria. A self-clinging climber, such as a climbing hydrangea, makes a good alternative.

Fruit and veg

Growing fresh produce doesn’t have to be high maintenance. A large pot of herbs can be simple and attractive or, if you fancy something more elaborate, for a kitchen garden with less hassle consider perennial vegetables such as asparagus, rhubarb and artichokes, and opt for ‘bush’ forms of fruit like apples, pears, currants, cherries, gooseberries, plums and apricots.

Hedging

Choose slower growing hedging plants such as yew, buxus or holly when planting or replacing hedges.

Further information

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