Garden and modern care for it. No hassle

If you want to have a cozy one, neat area, but there is not enough time to care for it, there are ways reduce volumes main works: maintaining the surface (lawn) in good condition, weed control, preserving the decorative appearance of plants.

It is important to choose correctly grass mixture for lawn. Grass that is regularly walked on must resist trampling so that the lawn does not have to be rebuilt. Stable and not requiring much attention - a park lawn, it does not need mowing every 10 days, it is not afraid of lack of moisture.

Read also: Indoor flowers for the lazy

At irregular mowing the lawn will begin to become lumpy. If there is no need for a perfectly flat surface, the frequency of mowing can be reduced. No need to mow at all Moorish lawn, blooming in early summer. It is better to plant it along the edges of the site.

So that the ground is not visible and weeds do not grow, they plant ground cover plants, for example ayuga (also suitable for shaded areas).

Free sites are available mulch bark, pebbles, crushed stone, sawdust, pine needles. They will retain moisture in the soil and reduce the amount of watering. Geotextiles are placed under the mulch layer, which makes the coating more durable and prevents the growth of weeds, reducing weeding work.

There is little time for work, but an extra hour for rest

Why do many of us have dachas? So that you can go with your family and friends in good weather and have a pleasant rest, or to change the city environment for an ecologically clean natural landscape during the summer holidays and also indulge in blissful idleness.

However, we often fail to do this, because there are always a lot of urgent matters on the site, and if the garden is also decorative, it may require even more effort and time to care for it. And instead of the required rest, you simply have to change the type of work activity. However, things may not be so sad if you approach your gardening activities wisely.

The main thing is to properly organize your site so that it looks beautiful and does not require special care. That's why low maintenance garden- This is, first of all, a properly organized garden. All plants in it are selected and arranged in such a way as to create the illusion of a natural landscape. Naturally, with this approach, green spaces are given maximum freedom for life, and gardeners, in turn, have a lot of free time. This “a la naturel” landscape will require a lot of effort only at the creation stage, but then you will need to pay very little attention to it as needed.

Great Green Settlement

The first year of a garden’s life is especially labor-intensive: from its establishment to the beginning of winter “hibernation” of plants. Here we can highlight several important stages: marking the site into zones, selecting green spaces, their zonal placement, initial watering and fertilizing, monitoring growth and development, removing unestablished elements, autumn cleaning and temporary shelter winter cold. Undoubtedly, the most difficult of these is the stage of selecting green tenants. It must be carried out carefully, slowly and with skill, otherwise the minimum care garden risks never being born or will require too much care.

The best place to start is by creating a hedge - the sooner you plant it, the faster it will grow and obscure the work going on in your garden while the rest of the plants develop. In addition, it will well protect its more delicate counterparts from wind, dust, street noise and harmful exhaust gases, thereby creating a comfortable microclimate. Viburnum, mountain ash, lilac, mock orange, honeysuckle, and climbing species: maiden grapes, climbing rose, ivy. In addition to practical ones, they will also have aesthetic benefits - many of them bloom beautifully and smell fragrant, and rowan and viburnum will delight the eye with bright fruits.

By retreating from the fence deeper into the site, we can take care of the more delicate green inhabitants low maintenance garden- flowers. Beautiful, but capricious gladioli, tulips and hyacinths are not suitable for us; among bulbous ones, we should prefer no less attractive, but more unpretentious daffodils, crocuses, scillas, galanthus - they can live in the same place for many years and do not require weeding and feeding, and the variety of varieties allows you to admire their flowering from the very early spring until late autumn. It is worth choosing a sunny piece of land for them, as they are light-loving.

To include in the list flower crops, suitable for planting in low maintenance garden, you can also use lilies - some of their varieties do not require increased care and frequent replanting. Also suitable are lilies of the valley, irises, delphiniums, and phlox. And in order to protect yourself from weed control, the soil between the plants should be mulched.

Perennials will fit perfectly into our time- and energy-saving garden: they are beautiful, bloom most of the year, and do not require special feeding or special replanting. These are representatives of the flora such as hostas, lungwort, fern, bergenia and many, many others, because their list is quite wide.

Less work, easier worries

There are a few other tricks that will allow you to reduce energy costs when caring for your garden. For example, it is worth remembering that it is better to plant plants in groups, connecting them according to similar preferences for soil conditions, the level of its acidity, humidity levels, the degree of shading of the area, etc.

In addition, it is better to opt for varietal adapted types of flora or local green spaces. Exotics, as a rule, are too capricious and demanding, and in low maintenance garden no good.

To avoid having to level the edges of flower beds and lawns every time, it is best to line their borders decorative stone or tiles. And it looks more beautiful and neat. And if you experiment with different materials, then you can make a very original composition, which will also require only basic trimming from year to year, and not any drastic transformations.

It should also be remembered that there is no such thing as a garden without any maintenance. If you don’t devote at least a little of your time to him, then even the most correct organized site will soon turn into impassable jungle. So isn’t it better to put in just a little bit of effort - the very minimum, so that you can then enjoy a well-deserved and pleasant vacation against the backdrop of a naturally beautiful natural landscape, with the pleasure of knowing that you also had a hand in creating this beauty.

Basic principles of a low-maintenance garden

As experience shows, organize the territory suburban area and starting a garden is not that difficult. However, subsequent care for it often turns out to be an overwhelming task. How to make the site pleasing to the eye, but not turn into a place of hard labor?

It is clear that the “garden with minimal care“does not at all mean the absence of owners on the site. Without systematic work, any, even the tiniest, piece of land will quickly turn into a real breeding ground for weeds and pests. Nevertheless, labor costs on the site should be rational - such as to free up additional time for rest and other easy activities.

Berry from the bush

If you want to relax at your dacha, then you should not plant fruit trees and shrubs. It is better to avoid raspberries and strawberries right away.

Caring for raspberries is not a pleasant task, but strawberries are an extremely labor-intensive crop. Regular pruning mustache and fertilizing - this is the least that a gardener will have to deal with. Trees require less hassle, but they will also have to be regularly protected from pests and ensure that the crown does not thicken.

In addition, the harvest that these crops will produce will need to not only be collected in a timely manner, but also processed. This means that you will have to sort and wash the berries, cut the fruits and stand at the stove all day and evenings to prepare preserves and jams. And here, you see, there’s no time for rest at all.

On a note

If you are determined to lay down a small orchard, then the basis of the assortment should be varieties adapted to growing in a given area. If you really want to pick a southern apple at your dacha, then it is better to graft a cutting of this variety into the crown of an ordinary “Antonovka”.

Less is more

The basis of the garden should be practically maintenance-free decorative foliage trees and shrubs, as well as conifers. But they are also not the same in terms of labor costs.

Thus, caring for a birch tree will be somewhat more difficult than caring for a chestnut tree, due to the difficulty of cleaning up the numerous falling leaves, drying out twigs and winged seeds. Shrubs such as elderberry, derens, bladderworts, barberries, snowberry, and Tatarian honeysuckle do not require any care at all.

On lilac, mock orange, spirea and hydrangea, you will need to periodically remove faded inflorescences and carry out anti-aging pruning. Privet, cotoneaster and hawthorn will be included in the black list - these shrubs require strong formative pruning.

Always beautiful

Those who do not want to work hard, but dream of beauty in their plot, should turn their attention to tree hydrangea and M. paniculata. They easily tolerate partial shade,
They do not get sick with anything, but delight their owners with lush flowering from mid-summer, maintaining their decorative effect until the very frost.

Today the choice of hydrangeas is very large.

Varieties vary in height, shape and density of inflorescences, surprising with a variety of colors and shades - from white, creamy and Pink colour up to dark burgundy. The bushes look great both in solitaire and group planting, for example in a mixborder next to lilacs, white-edged derains or dark cherry vesicles.

Which plants require less care?

The ranking of plants from least to most demanding care (from top to bottom) is as follows:

1. Coniferous trees
2. Lianas that do not require shelter for the winter
3. Decorative deciduous trees, bushes
4. Free growing hedges
5. Trimmed hedges
6. Fruit and berry crops (except raspberries and garden strawberries)
7. Perennial flowers and annuals that do not require annual digging
8. Perennial flowers that require annual digging and grow aggressively
9. Vegetables
10. Ground lawn
11. Garden strawberries and raspberries
12. Alpine slide and semi-aquatic plants
13. Plants in pots and hanging containers outdoors
14. Greenhouse and greenhouse plants

What's blooming in your garden?

No matter how much we dream of a garden that does not require our participation, without a flower garden we still cannot make do. If you do not want to bother with seedlings and constant watering, then it is better to abandon annuals, giving preference to perennial plants. But their choice will need to be approached with special attention.

Candidates for the blacklist are tulips, dahlias and gladioli.

They need to be dug up annually, dried and carefully stored. Roses also don’t fit well with the concept of “minimal care.” The queen of the garden responds with lush blooms only to tender care. Phloxes and peonies, loved by everyone since childhood, require considerable effort and time.

All sorts of containers and hanging baskets. Plants in them dry out quickly and need systematic watering. Who will take care of them during your vacation?

Reasonable compromise

So what remains? Arrange a wide mixborder along a well-lit fence and feel free to include ornamental shrubs. An ideal addition to them would be daylilies, hosts and astilbes.

These plants are quite unpretentious, do not require frequent division, do not get sick and grow prettier year after year. The hosts will be especially pleased. But we need to find a place where they will feel comfortable. However, if you can’t imagine a garden without lush flowering peonies or the intoxicating aroma of roses - be sure to plant them.

At the end of the day, what counts as bereavement and what doesn’t is up to you to decide. As for vertical gardening, virgin grapes or honeysuckle honeysuckle would be a reasonable replacement for tender clematis. They will no less effectively decorate the wall of a house, gazebo, veranda or pergola, but will not require so much work.

Our advice

If you decide to plant conifers, then choose those species that do not burn in winter and do not need shading from bright spring sun. These will mainly be junipers with a brome-shaped crown, which overwinter under the snow, and thujas (the latter will have to be tied up for the winter).

Lawn without hassle

The lawn is not a pleasure for the lazy.

Properly preparing the soil for a lawn requires a lot of time, effort and patience. But in the future, the lawn will require systematic care. You will have to cut it every week, especially in rainy summers when the grass grows back very quickly.

And you will also have to constantly fight with dandelions - no matter how much you mow them, they grow back again and again. In general, you should think carefully about whether you need this headache? An alternative would be a clover lawn. Only you need to sow not pink clover, but white. It is not tall, does not lie down, creates a dense turf, does not get trampled and winters well.

Less weeding!

Weeding is a real scourge of any summer resident. To reduce the intensity of your weed battle, don't leave bare soil in your flower beds.

Mulch the areas between plants with shredded tree bark - no weeds will break through such a thick “blanket”. You can buy ready-made mulch at a garden center, but for large quantities it will be expensive.

To make bedding with your own hands on the farm, you will need a garden shredder, which is used to crush branches. Instead of mulch, you can add ground cover plants to your flower garden. Over time, they will cover the free areas with elegant carpets that require virtually no maintenance.

How to reduce labor costs and time for garden care - tips

• Select adapted species and varieties that do not require care
• Provide plants with the right conditions for them
• Carry out care activities in a timely manner
• Do not clutter the lawn with benches, stones, plants so that there are no obstacles for the lawn mower
• Lay a dividing strip of paving between the lawn and flower beds
• Mulch all free areas of land
• Pave part of the area: the more paving, the less maintenance
• On slopes near the steps, lay gentle ramps for the passage of wheelbarrows and lawn mowers. Take care of plants in the morning or evening.
• Avoid random and temporary plantings
• Combine various operations: digging - with the application of fertilizers, spraying - with foliar feeding

Also interesting articles you can read about the low maintenance garden

Bright flowering shrubs, easy-to-care perennials, multi-layered compositions... How to make your garden beautiful with your own hands: photo ideas.

A beautiful colorful garden from spring to late autumn is not a dream. But not everyone wants to spend all their time on the property, planting flower beds and caring for the lawn. How to make your garden beautiful and cozy with a minimum of effort - to enjoy the colors of the garden while lying on a chaise longue with a book or swinging on a garden rocking sofa? Firstly, plan the landscape correctly and, secondly, select plants that require a minimum of care. We tell you how to do it beautiful garden do it yourself - photos and ideas included!

Think about which garden is easier for you to keep neat - regular French, requiring frequent trimming garden forms, flower beds that exclude even a hint of weeds, or slightly neglected English with its free layout? Logic dictates that English version more convenient.

The fewer flower beds in the garden, the easier it is to care for. Choose colorful shrubs that change their appearance throughout the seasons. But it’s still difficult to imagine a luxurious garden without flowers. How to beautifully decorate a garden without putting in a lot of effort? Lay out large areas for lawn or a picturesque lawn with clover, daisies, and tenacious. Weeds are not so noticeable on it - just mow them. By the way, daisies easily tolerate pruning and bloom wonderfully, very low above the rosettes of leaves.

A picturesque lawn with wildflowers will help you easily create a beautiful garden with your own hands (pictured)

A beautifully blooming front garden filling the space in front of the house’s facade will create the feeling of a painstakingly cultivated garden. But the rest of the area can be left as a lawn surrounded by bushes. Instead of flower beds of geometric shapes, create mixborders with a free layout different plants. They look more picturesque and even look good when overgrown with weeds.
Choose plants that are resistant to our climate and can tolerate frost. Combine plants with different foliage in height, shape and color, so that even in bloom the garden remained decorative and beautiful. Arrange mixborders at the intersection of paths to complicate the image of the garden.

How to beautifully decorate a garden without flowers? — Plant ornamental shrubs!

When deciding how to decorate your garden, give preference beautiful compositions from unpretentious plants and various decorative elements

If there is a difference in the landscape on the site, do not be afraid to create terraces and retaining walls - they will enrich the picture of the garden and make it more picturesque.

A paved patio will also do an excellent job of creating a backdrop for flowers, and at the same time it will less problems with mowing the lawn - a tiring task, even if you use a self-propelled gasoline lawn mower.

By the way, high-quality equipment will greatly simplify garden care. In addition to a lawnmower suitable for open, flat areas, stock up on a gas trimmer to trim grass and weeds around bushes and trees.

Lawn advice

As soon as the grass grows above ten centimeters, weekly trimming (or at least once every two weeks) will accompany your time in the garden. Remember that proper mowing of the lawn involves mowing with a “snake”, so that the grass crushed by the wheels falls under the blade of the mower moving in the opposite direction.

The shape of the lawn and the organization of the surrounding plantings are very important. The more separately growing plantings in the middle of the lawn, the more time you will spend. The border between the lawn and continuous plantings is another important solution for simplifying maintenance.

Optimizing lawn mowing is not a reason to completely abandon tapeworm in the middle of it. If we're talking about about a tree, form its crown at such a height that you can walk under it freely. Plant plants that must be spaced apart from each other no closer than the width of the lawn mower wheels, otherwise you will have to trim the grass with a trimmer, which is quite tedious.

To avoid soil contamination between off-lawn plantings, cover the soil with decorative mulch (such as bark). Between young plantings, it is worth covering the ground with non-woven material and sprinkling with gravel - this will eliminate weeding and the ubiquitous grass. Or if fresh plantings Shrubs and perennials require filling the space between young plants; bright annuals can be used. These simple techniques will help you not only save time on garden maintenance, but also decorate your garden.

What to plant in the garden

Refuse to plant annuals through seedlings - choose those that easily develop without care, do not require preliminary germination, bloom for a long time and brightly, and also self-sow the next year: Eschscholzia, self-seeding poppy (Papaver rhoеas), annual flax ( Linum grandiflorum), cornflower (Centaurea), toadflax (Linaria vulgaris), calendula (Calendula officinalis).

If you do not have the time or opportunity to take care of your site, then you can entrust this to the professionals of our plant nursery, or initially plant plants taking into account their needs. Fastidious plants need regular loosening of the soil, watering, fertilizing, pruning, weed removal, and protection from diseases and pests.

When creating a low-maintenance garden you need to choose unpretentious plants, not requiring special care. But in order for it not to look too “rural”, you need to find a reasonable balance between wild plants and plants that require minimal care.

For creating beautiful flower beds that do not require constant weeding and watering, you should once properly prepare the soil and select perennials, based on the microclimate of your area. Wrongly chosen plants will die without having time to please you with their beauty.

For hedges, you can select slow-growing species, and some of the annuals can be replaced with perennial, long-flowering plants.

For a low-maintenance garden, plant grasses and self-seeding flowers.

Of course, there is no complete replacement for a lawn, but small lawns can be replaced with pebbles or turned into wild lawns that require minimal maintenance. Ground cover plants and creeping perennials form dense, low carpets above the soil surface. Ferns, cotoneaster, Fortune's euonymus, balsam fir, common juniper, yew - all of them are suitable for an area that does not require a lot of care.

Yew berry

Fruit trees and berry bushes are undemanding plants. Given the optimal location, they develop and bear fruit well. The main prerequisites for this are fertile soil, lots of sun and protected from strong wind, but ventilated place. Caring for dwarf forms in the garden is less complicated. At a lower altitude, it is easier to see pests and diseased parts of plants, and it is also easier to deal with them.

When planting new trees, it is necessary to provide them with support until they are firmly rooted. U fruit trees And berry bushes Growth, flowering and especially fruiting takes a lot of effort. Therefore for them great importance has constant replenishment nutrients in the soil. In spring, introduce into the soil organic fertilizers, mulch the soil, and also water it abundantly. The rest of the time, quality trees planted in good location, will require almost no maintenance.

It is enough to plant various bulbous flowers (crocuses, daffodils) only once, and then season after season they will develop larger areas without moving additional requirements to care for their owners. Only after the snow melts will they need a little compost and, in dry times, watering.

Climbing plants are well suited for a garden that requires minimal care - they are unsurpassed decorators and at the same time completely unpretentious, and ivy grows well in the shade.

The most important thing when creating a garden with minimal care is to choose high-quality planting material. When buying plants, pay special attention to their quality. The shoots must be strong and free from blemishes or damage. Much can be said from the leaves of the plant. By the location of the branches and main shoots, you can immediately determine the plant’s capabilities in forming a beautiful crown of the correct shape.

Choose strong varieties plants well adapted to temperate climate conditions, resistant to freezing and disease.

In our garden center you can count on the highest quality plants grown in the best nurseries in Europe, as well as in nurseries Leningrad region, and for professional advice from our specialists in