5 Low Maintenance Garden Tips

Here at Bradford Retaining, our job is to create backyards and environments for our clients to use and enjoy. However, we know very well that not everyone loves maintaining a backyard or garden. You could go to one end of the spectrum and just lay concrete everywhere, but where’s the fun in that! We’re here to offer some alternatives so you can still enjoy the beauty that mother nature provides without the heavy lifting.

Ditch the lawn

Admittedly, we love lawn.  It can instantly add curb appeal to any house but… it comes at a cost.  Lawns require incredible amounts of water and not to mention the mowing and feeding all costs time and money.  How about another form of ground cover?

Instead of lawn around your trees, why not plant some native or regional bushes or shrubs that can thrive in shade. In areas where you walk, you could try combinations of large boulders, mulch, gravel and shrubs. In areas where there’s a lot of foot traffic, you could lay down gravel paths and create small seating areas. Gravel is excellent at improving draining and stopping weeds, and applied smartly, can add much-needed definition to a garden.

Levels

Working with flat-level areas is always easier so we suggest striving for a seamless indoor-outdoor connection. The easier and more frictionless it is to get outside, the more your backyard will feel like another room in the house. If you’re working with an area that is sloped, then make sure you have a look at our retaining wall options to get everything level!

Love your mulch

The number one trick to make any garden prettier AND healthier is mulching it. Mulch is one of the best garden maintenance timesavers because it suppresses those pesky weeds and cuts down on water loss/watering. It will save you hours and hours of weeding in the garden. With a few bags (or trailer loads) spread over your garden, it will instantly look manicured and maintained with very little effort.

Create living areas

More outdoor space means more chances to entertain in warm weather — and less work for you. Patios, decks and terraces all cut down on planting space and the size of lawns to maintain. Not only do these gathering spaces tempt you to head outside and enjoy your garden more often, they also generally require less maintenance than garden beds.

How about artificial lawn?

It might not be your cup of tea but artificial lawn offers a tremendous low-maintenance alternative to real turf. It’s a way to quickly dog-proof and kid-proof your yard because they can’t run around and tear up your lawn that you’ve slaved over. Consider it if you’re looking to hop off the mower and back in to the hammock!

We hope you enjoyed these tips! Feel free to contact us if you’re looking for some help creating usable areas in your space with our retaining wall solutions.