Do you yearn to harvest your own fruits and vegetables, dream of surrounding yourself with stunning, structural blooms, or wish to attract more native wildlife to your garden, but you’re overwhelmed by the thought of complex plant care and constant maintenance? Don’t panic! Gardening doesn’t have to be complicated or demanding. Here is a handy guide to the best low-maintenance plants to suit every garden, and every gardener!
The key to achieving a beautiful, low-maintenance garden is to select plants that aren’t excessively thirsty, hungry, or unruly. You should also opt for plants that are native or naturalised to Great Britain, since they will be well accustomed to our somewhat temperamental climate, and will require much less environmental intervention than, say, a tropical palm.
Perennials vs Annuals
Opting for perennials that will come back year after year means you won’t have to spend time sowing seeds and planting new annuals each spring, or digging them up in autumn. It’s best to avoid bedding plants such as Petunia, Sweet Pea, and Marigold for this reason. Similarly, avoid fragile or frost-sensitive and tropical plants like Citruses, which will need protecting or bringing indoors over winter, creating extra work at the end of the growing season. Clematis and Hydrangea are great frost-hardy alternatives. Perennial Geraniums, Hosta, Salvia, and Lavender will bring vivid splashes of colour to your borders each summer, whilst tolerating a huge variety of environments, temperatures, and light conditions.
Pruning and Deadheading
Avoid plants that are prone to excessive or unruly growth or floral blooms which need regular pruning. Many shrubs and grasses require minimal, if any, pruning. Some flowering shrubs such as Hebe, Rhododendron, and Camellia will only need a quick annual tidy-up to remove dead stems. Even shrubs that are usually associated with topiary, such as Buxus, are incredibly low maintenance. Their naturally compact growth habit means they add structure and form without the need for any excessive pruning, and lend themselves excellently to boundary hedges or as sectioning elements in a zoned garden. Astilbe, Sedum, and Shasta Daisy are pretty flowering perennials that don’t require any pruning or deadheading at all. Avoid plants like Roses and Dahlias that need regular deadheading through spring and summer.
Fertilising and Watering
Prep your soil in early spring by adding plenty of organic matter, compost, and fertiliser, and working it through the beds so your plants can soak up nutrients without the need for regular summer feeds. Opting for drought-tolerant plants such as Agapanthus or Buddleja will reduce the need for time-consuming daily stints with the watering can or hose during the warmest weather. Winter hardy succulents such as Sempervivums are another fantastic drought-tolerant addition to the garden, with the added bonus that they require no pruning!
Fruits and Vegetables
Whilst certain fruits and vegetables can be quite labour-intensive, some crops require very little maintenance whilst being incredibly productive. Strawberries and Raspberries only need a quick prune in late winter or very early spring and will produce plenty of fruit in mid-to-late summer. Rhubarb almost thrives on neglect, grows just about anywhere, and will return year on year with plenty of tasty stalks. Small-sized fruit trees such as Apple or Plum will only need an annual pruning during their dormancy period between November to March and require little by way of fertiliser.
Most Bean varieties thrive with minimal intervention, they don’t need thinning out, and are less susceptible to ground pests since they grow upwards. They will yield an almost continuous crop through summer and even into autumn so long as you pick the ripe beans regularly. Onion and garlic can be planted from the bulb in autumn or spring and left to their own devices until late summer. When their foliage begins to die back in late summer, they will be ready to harvest.
Wildflowers
If you want to maximise your garden’s ecological value with minimal effort, look no further than British wildflowers. Annual wildflowers are prone to self-seeding, so can spread rampantly and often need mowing, so opt for perennials that require much less maintenance. Native perennial wildflowers such as Foxgloves, Honeysuckle, Oriental Poppy, and the stunning Snakes Head Fritillary will offer height, drama, and colour, whilst attracting bees, butterflies, birds, and other local wildlife. Perennial seeds may take a year or more to come through, but they require almost no maintenance at all once established and will return to bloom each summer for several years.