The customers wanted a decorative garden in the spring. A beautiful low-maintenance garden for the lazy - creation plan from A to Z
As a rule, the creation of a garden begins on a wave of inspiration, the desire to get results instantly. 3-4 years pass and it turns out that there is absolutely not enough time and energy. Looking at the overgrown rose gardens, alpine slides, lush greenery nettles, general desolation, hands down. The owners begin to panic. What to do?
Some people give up on the idea of a garden and stop: the garden becomes a continuous green lawn, which is trimmed periodically. Others try to plant new plants, install new decorative elements: and the garden turns into a warehouse of unkempt plants and unnecessary things. Still others give up on their dreams and turn to help landscape designers. Help from specialists - good idea. But you are depriving yourself of the opportunity to make a fairy tale come true with your own hands. The spirit of the “pioneer”, the creator, the artist is lost.
Diagnosis is an ill-conceived approach. What to do? Start fixing errors. Layout and landscape design worth subduing main goal- obtaining an easy-to-maintain garden. Take into account the motto “Through thorns to the stars.” But don't overload yourself. Remember to enjoy your work.
And in order to solve the problem, you must adhere to the following rules.
Rule 1.
Outline a plan and analyze the possibility of its implementation.
A large number of different plants requires a lot of effort and time. When purchasing plants, remember that each of them should have its place and perform a specific function.
Exotic plants will help travel lovers enjoy dreams of distant lands, modest wildflowers will evoke nostalgic memories of childhood. Some plants can “revive”, for example, the space near outbuildings.
Plan small seating areas. Place benches or stumps there to sit on. Make a mini-pond from an old basin. Even one water lily planted in it will please the eye.
Rule 2.
Place garden elements that are quite difficult to care for compactly so that you don’t have to “run” around the entire garden.
For example, if you plan to come to your dacha only on weekends to relax with friends, arrange a specific corner. Here you can set up a barbecue grill and plan small pond or waterfall. Leave the rest of the area untouched.
It would be nice if the “water features” were visible from anywhere in the garden. Especially from the window of the house.
Take the location of communications seriously. If a fireplace or barbecue is planned, lighting will not be superfluous, since preparing barbecue can last until the evening.
When planning a pond or waterfall, don't forget about the drainage.
When planning a rose garden, also remember that it needs watering. Therefore, having a water tap is necessary: you won’t pull watering hose through the whole garden.
Rule 3.
The main priority is still architectural details.
This does not mean that everything should be primitive: a bench and a flower bed. But a pile of various details will not decorate the garden. Everything is good in moderation.
To prevent the area from seeming “empty,” arrange single flower beds in large flowerpots. Sometimes an old lantern or a small sculpture will liven up a space better than a huge flower bed.
Fawn made from brushwood
Consider the style of garden layout. If you are a supporter of classic “park” ensembles, then the layout will naturally be more straightforward. Small alleys, flower beds, fountains are what you need. Against their background, country style details will look very inappropriate.
And vice versa, if the “rustic” style is closer to you, then “Greek” columns are of no use here. Cozy corners, winding paths, wooden benches, even an old trough will add a unique charm. Some parts can be made with your own hands from plaster, wire or wood.
Rule 4.
Use small architectural forms.
Little things also play an important role: they will add originality and will not require significant maintenance efforts. Plant around unpretentious plants. Small lanterns, arches, decorative stones will make the garden more comfortable and cozy.
Furniture should be chosen that is not bulky or formulaic. Come up with something exclusive: even in old chair or a chair can be given new life.
The highlight of the garden can be small plants, surrounded by emerald greenery. It is not necessary to plant a huge number of flowers that will be difficult to care for. Plant climbing nasturtium or ampelous petunia and it will become wonderful decoration. Old rubber boots or boots can also act as flower pots.
To illuminate paths, alpine slides Small solar-powered flashlights will do.
Rule 5.
It is worth choosing “proven” plants that do not require special care.
Give preference to your favorite plants. But remember that annual plants require care, so plant them compactly. For example, in flower boxes under windows or containers that can be transported if a new idea “visits” you.
Tall plants will hide areas that your hands cannot reach. Goldenrod (Solidago) or small-fruited Macleaia can cope with this. And the tall ones ornamental grasses will hide the flaws of the landscape.
Choose a place for indoor plants, after all Fresh air it won't hurt them. But remember that you should first carry out preventive protection against insect pests (aphids, caterpillars).
Use plants native to your area. For example, primroses dwarf irises, lungwort, and clover will contribute to decorating the garden. Just don't mix wild growing plants with garden plants. You can organize a corner of “wild” nature. Moreover, wild plants require virtually no maintenance.
By following these rules, you can always have beautiful garden without much hassle.
Beautiful, well maintained garden With early spring until late autumn - here it is, a dream! But spending all your free time digging in the garden and caring for the lawn every weekend is a dubious pleasure.
However, you can make your garden attractive and cozy without putting in too much effort. The main thing is to plan wisely garden landscape and choose plants that are ideal for each other and do not require special attention.
Editorial today "So simple!" will tell you how to plant a beautiful garden with your own hands. All necessary instructions and photos are included!
Garden for the lazy
It is much easier to maintain a neat, well-groomed garden english style. A little careless, as if slightly neglected, with its free layout it is much easier to maintain than an impeccable French one.
The fewer flower beds there are in the garden, the easier it is to care for the garden. There are many colorful shrubs that change foliage color with the seasons. Their colors change from early autumn until the onset of cold weather.
Such shrubs include Thunberg barberry, cotoneaster, cinquefoil, and holly mahonia. Mahonia is valued not only for its beautiful foliage, but also for its tasty small berries, which are good both in baking and in compotes.
A garden without flowers is not a garden. Lay out a large area of \u200b\u200bthe plot for a lawn on which you can mix clover, daisies, tenacious - all those unpretentious flowers that cover the ground with a carpet. In addition, these flowers tolerate cutting well, so you can get rid of weeds with a lawn mower.
A front garden blooming in lush colors will create the impression of a richly landscaped area. The rest of the area can be planted with bushes and sowed lawn grass. In an atmosphere of slight negligence, mixborders with a random arrangement of plants look great.
For mixborders, select plants that are well adapted to the conditions of our climate. Combine shrubs with foliage different color and size so that the garden is good even when not in bloom.
Terraces and retaining walls diversify appearance plot with a difference in landscape. Pave part of the lawn decorative tiles- another great solution. The hassle of caring for the area will be much less.
High-quality ones will make gardening easier and faster. For example, a gas trimmer will cut grass and weeds where a regular mower would necessarily cut through low-growing bushes.
To prevent the soil from becoming clogged between plantings, cover it with decorative mulch (for example, bark). Non-woven material sprinkled with gravel will cover the ground and solve the age-old problem of weeding.
Annuals planted as seedlings are a waste of time. Pay attention to self-seeding flowers such as eschscholzia, poppy, cornflowers, toadflax, calendula and flax. These flowers bloom brightly, wildly and do not require prior germination.
The natural shapes that characterize the soil in your region will give your garden a rustic charm. The most common garden chamomile will decorate any garden and additionally bind the soil, thereby protecting it from being washed out. Chamomile blooms for a long time and is resistant to heat and drought.
Flowering shrubs will relieve you of the need to care for your garden almost completely. Bushes planted around the perimeter of the garden, near fences and buildings will create a picturesque view. Lilacs and rose hips will fit perfectly into any garden, the only thing is that lilacs require pruning of faded clusters.
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 a “minimum care garden” 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 the 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 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:
- Coniferous trees
- Lianas that do not require shelter for the winter
- Decorative deciduous trees, bushes
- Free growing hedges
- Trimmed hedges
- Fruit and berry crops (except raspberries and garden strawberries)
- Perennial flowers and annuals that do not require annual digging
- Perennial flowers that require annual digging and grow aggressively
- Vegetables
- Ground lawn
- Garden strawberries and raspberries
- Alpine slide and semi-aquatic plants
- Plants in pots and hanging containers outdoors
- 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 refuse annuals, giving preference 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 “ 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 bonfire-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 the 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 volumes 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 it to the flower garden ground cover plants. 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 maintenance 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
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 should be able to withstand trampling so that the lawn does not have to be resurfaced. 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.