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I do believe that many gardeners spend time in the off season from gardening planning on what to garden. They read, they watch videos, they learn from gardening shows, they talk to other gardeners so this hobby is one that never knows it all and gardeners are always ready to try new things. I spend lots of time doing all of these things to help you the gardener with gardening and YOU. With the blog, the radio show, the newsletters I write, the programs I give I am always learning. Here are some different ideas for a low maintenance garden. Some I would try, some I wouldn't but that is why gardening is an interesting hobby because it is basis on individual interest and experience.
How to Plan a Garden That's Low-Maintenance
1.Small or awkward-shaped areas of lawn take longer to mow. Make life easier by straightening or smoothing edges, and use wide, straight paths with edges flush to the lawn for quick mowing.
2.Use a mulching mower and leave the clippings on the grass to avoid having to dispose of them. It will help feed the lawn too!
3.Consider replacing your lawn with a wildlife-friendly wildflower meadow that only requires occasional trimming. Grow a native wildflower mix that is adapted to your local conditions.
4.Make garden beds straight or gently curved. Raised beds help to bring the growing area closer to the gardener, so they’re easier to tend and reduce bending.
5.Layout your garden so that the parts that require more maintenance are closer to where you need to access them, or next to your tool store or shed so you spend less time moving tools and equipment around.
6.Grow thirsty plants that need regular watering near a water outlet, or install an automatic watering system.
7.Containers need a lot of watering and feeding, but by grouping pots together, or using fewer, larger containers, watering will be much quicker. This also slows the rate at which pots dry out, so less watering overall is needed.
8.Plant low-maintenance vegetables and fruit, including
•winter squash,
•corn,
•perpetual spinach or
•Swiss chard;
•soft fruit such as currants and
•fall-bearing raspberries; or
•apples, pears and other hardy free-standing fruit trees.
9. Also, plant easy-care trees, shrubs, and ornamentals.
Hardy trees and shrubs suited to your soil and climate are usually lower maintenance options, such as:
•euonymus,
•berberis, or
•magnolia.
Many grasses require cutting back just once a year, such as:
•such as miscanthus or
•carex
while ground-covering perennials help crowd out weeds such as:
•bergenia and
•geranium
Bulbs are often very low-maintenance too. For spring bulbs, simply take half-hour in the fall, and plant a bag of bulbs! Daffodils and Lily-of-the-Valley are great choices for our zone, not to mention deer-resistant.
10. Reduce the amount of weeding you need to do by covering any areas of bare soil with thick mulches of organic materials such as bark chippings, which will gradually rot down and help to improve the soil.
taken from https://www.almanac.com/video/how-plan-garden-thats-low-maintenance
till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net
How to Plan a Garden That's Low-Maintenance
1.Small or awkward-shaped areas of lawn take longer to mow. Make life easier by straightening or smoothing edges, and use wide, straight paths with edges flush to the lawn for quick mowing.
2.Use a mulching mower and leave the clippings on the grass to avoid having to dispose of them. It will help feed the lawn too!
3.Consider replacing your lawn with a wildlife-friendly wildflower meadow that only requires occasional trimming. Grow a native wildflower mix that is adapted to your local conditions.
4.Make garden beds straight or gently curved. Raised beds help to bring the growing area closer to the gardener, so they’re easier to tend and reduce bending.
5.Layout your garden so that the parts that require more maintenance are closer to where you need to access them, or next to your tool store or shed so you spend less time moving tools and equipment around.
6.Grow thirsty plants that need regular watering near a water outlet, or install an automatic watering system.
7.Containers need a lot of watering and feeding, but by grouping pots together, or using fewer, larger containers, watering will be much quicker. This also slows the rate at which pots dry out, so less watering overall is needed.
8.Plant low-maintenance vegetables and fruit, including
•winter squash,
•corn,
•perpetual spinach or
•Swiss chard;
•soft fruit such as currants and
•fall-bearing raspberries; or
•apples, pears and other hardy free-standing fruit trees.
9. Also, plant easy-care trees, shrubs, and ornamentals.
Hardy trees and shrubs suited to your soil and climate are usually lower maintenance options, such as:
•euonymus,
•berberis, or
•magnolia.
Many grasses require cutting back just once a year, such as:
•such as miscanthus or
•carex
while ground-covering perennials help crowd out weeds such as:
•bergenia and
•geranium
Bulbs are often very low-maintenance too. For spring bulbs, simply take half-hour in the fall, and plant a bag of bulbs! Daffodils and Lily-of-the-Valley are great choices for our zone, not to mention deer-resistant.
10. Reduce the amount of weeding you need to do by covering any areas of bare soil with thick mulches of organic materials such as bark chippings, which will gradually rot down and help to improve the soil.
taken from https://www.almanac.com/video/how-plan-garden-thats-low-maintenance
till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net
