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

HOME Magazine
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Create a beautiful, low-maintenance garden with less effort. Consider replacing a high-upkeep lawn with hardscaping like tiles or concrete to expand your outdoor living area.

Choose native plants and shrubs over high-maintenance flowers; many are budget-friendly and attract local birdlife. Use ground cover like creepers or mulch to suppress weeds and retain moisture. By extending entertaining spaces and using easy-care plants, you can create a stunning outdoor area that requires minimal work to maintain.

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

5. Swap flowers for shrubs

This landscape design that surrounds a holiday home at Lake Rotoiti incorporates low maintenance garden borders. Image: Simon Devitt

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