A lawn may seem the perfect way of covering most of the ground in your garden, but if you want to reduce the time spent on garden maintenance there are various options to consider. For example, where a well-kept, 'bowling green'-style lawn might require 100 hours of maintenance a year, a similar area covered by a tough family lawn which contains hard-wearing buffalo or durban grass would claim about 50 hours of your time. If the area were covered in ground-cover plants or a wildflower meadow, however, you would need to allow only about 10 hours to maintain it. Gravel would take less than 5 hours of raking and weeding each year, while paving could cut maintenance time to almost nothing.
To create low-work garden like this in a cooler climate, combine split-level decking with borders of easy-care shrubs, such as Acer palmatum and non-running bamboo underplanted with hostas. Cover bare soil with mulch.
Although a completely paved garden would be very stark, you can achieve a satisfying overall effect by combining paving with a small, carefully designed lawn, and low-maintenance borders, beds and ground-cover plants. Or combine paving with a range of other surfaces and containers to construct an easy-care, courtyard-style garden.
The main benefits of grass are that, if kept trim, it looks good for much of the year, requires little skill to maintain and is an all-purpose covering for most situations. Paving, bricks, stones and gravel do not need so much maintenance, but may be less appealing than a well-kept lawn. Decking is more interesting, but more expensive.
Grass is troublesome when growing conditions are not ideal: even if you put in many hours of extra work maintaining the lawn, the result is likely to be disappointing. In deep shade, for example, the grass will struggle to compete with shade-loving weeds and moss, especially if the ground remains wet for long periods. Either replace the lawn with a hard surface or plant the area with a mixture of shade-tolerant ground covers and perennials, including native violets - or, in cooler areas, bluebells, or a carpet of moss or baby's tears (Soleirolia). Where the grass does not thrive in a hot, sunny spot, a herb lawn of thyme or chamomile is a low-maintenance alternative, although it must not be an area that is often walked on.
Once established, a gravel garden featuring drought-tolerant plants such as blue grass (helictotrichon), iris, phorium, pinks and sempervivum needs little care other than debris removal.
Heavy wear is a common reason for a poor-quality lawn. If constant trampling is the problem, you could put up a barrier, such as a small, linear shrub bed, to prevent people taking short cuts across the lawn. If the route between the back door and a washing line is creating worn tracks that need regular repair, install a hard path or sink a row of stepping stones. Protect the turf from rough treatment by children or pets by reinforcing it with stiff, plastic mesh with 3cm holes or by creating a special hard-wearing play area.
On banks and slopes that are tricky to mow, use evergreen ground covers. They can be low and spreading, such as Convolvulus sabatius or Chinese star jasmine (Trachelospermum), or taller, such as cistus or Indian hawthorn. Plant them in sufficient density to smother any weeds. For extra weed protection, grow them through mulch matting.
To create low-work garden like this in a cooler climate, combine split-level decking with borders of easy-care shrubs, such as Acer palmatum and non-running bamboo underplanted with hostas. Cover bare soil with mulch.Although a completely paved garden would be very stark, you can achieve a satisfying overall effect by combining paving with a small, carefully designed lawn, and low-maintenance borders, beds and ground-cover plants. Or combine paving with a range of other surfaces and containers to construct an easy-care, courtyard-style garden.
The main benefits of grass are that, if kept trim, it looks good for much of the year, requires little skill to maintain and is an all-purpose covering for most situations. Paving, bricks, stones and gravel do not need so much maintenance, but may be less appealing than a well-kept lawn. Decking is more interesting, but more expensive.
Grass is troublesome when growing conditions are not ideal: even if you put in many hours of extra work maintaining the lawn, the result is likely to be disappointing. In deep shade, for example, the grass will struggle to compete with shade-loving weeds and moss, especially if the ground remains wet for long periods. Either replace the lawn with a hard surface or plant the area with a mixture of shade-tolerant ground covers and perennials, including native violets - or, in cooler areas, bluebells, or a carpet of moss or baby's tears (Soleirolia). Where the grass does not thrive in a hot, sunny spot, a herb lawn of thyme or chamomile is a low-maintenance alternative, although it must not be an area that is often walked on.
Once established, a gravel garden featuring drought-tolerant plants such as blue grass (helictotrichon), iris, phorium, pinks and sempervivum needs little care other than debris removal.Heavy wear is a common reason for a poor-quality lawn. If constant trampling is the problem, you could put up a barrier, such as a small, linear shrub bed, to prevent people taking short cuts across the lawn. If the route between the back door and a washing line is creating worn tracks that need regular repair, install a hard path or sink a row of stepping stones. Protect the turf from rough treatment by children or pets by reinforcing it with stiff, plastic mesh with 3cm holes or by creating a special hard-wearing play area.
On banks and slopes that are tricky to mow, use evergreen ground covers. They can be low and spreading, such as Convolvulus sabatius or Chinese star jasmine (Trachelospermum), or taller, such as cistus or Indian hawthorn. Plant them in sufficient density to smother any weeds. For extra weed protection, grow them through mulch matting.
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