Feature article

Not a green thumb? Here are 5 ways to create a thriving low maintenance garden

A low-maintenance garden lets you toil less and enjoy your outdoor space more. Here are five easy low-upkeep ideas.

20 May 2024

AI summary

Create a thriving, low-maintenance garden with a few clever choices. Consider replacing your high-upkeep lawn with hardscaping like tiles or concrete to extend your outdoor living space.

Embrace New Zealand native plants and shrubs, which are easy-care, budget-friendly, and attract local birdlife. Use ground cover like mulch or creepers to suppress weeds.

Swap high-maintenance flowers for flowering shrubs and native grasses for an effortless, beautiful outdoor area you can simply enjoy.

1. Ditch the lawn

In this alfresco area, hardscaping allows for a beautiful low maintenance space. Image: Simon Devitt

2. Go native

This house, designed by Jerram Tocker Barron Architects embraces the natural landscape of native bush rather than creating a garden. Image: Jason Mann

3. Ground cover

This Westmere landscape design by Strachan Group Landscape Architects incorporates vast areas of ground cover, alleviating maintenance requirements. Image: David Straight

4. Extend outdoor entertaining areas

The landscaping around this house, designed by Jerram Tocker Barron Architects, embraces a mix of hardscaping softened with lush planting around the edges. Image: Virginia Woolf