Creating a gorgeous garden that doesn’t require constant maintenance can seem like an impossible task. Who wouldn’t want to relax and enjoy their outdoor space without the endless chores?
The good news is, with some smart design choices, having a stylish yet low maintenance modern garden is totally achievable. Follow these simple tips and tricks for an easy-care plot that looks fabulous too.
Opt For Hardscaping
Replacing lawn and traditional planting beds with hardscaping materials is one of the quickest ways to reduce garden maintenance There’s no mowing, weeding or watering required with patios, decking, gravel and paving Just an occasional sweep or pressure wash to keep things looking pristine.
Modern materials like composite decking and porcelain paving are extremely low maintenance options The man-made materials are fade, stain and scratch resistant, so they keep their good looks for years with virtually no upkeep
Embrace Contemporary Materials
Using contemporary materials like weathering steel, concrete and corten steel will lend a modern, sculptural look to your garden. These materials are specifically designed to be left outside and require no maintenance.
Gabion planters, for example, have an industrial vibe and make excellent no-fuss beds for structural plants like grasses and evergreen shrubs.
Choose Drought Tolerant Planting
Selecting plants suited to hot and dry conditions is an easy way to avoid time spent watering. Drought tolerant choices like succulents, grasses, lavender, rosemary and oleander will thrive with little to no irrigation once established.
Grouping plants with similar needs together in the garden makes maintenance even simpler. You can then target watering only where it’s needed.
Embrace Architectural Shapes
Structural planting with bold, architectural shapes and forms lends a modern, minimalist look with little upkeep required. Agaves, cordylines, phormiums and yuccas have striking designs that make an impact planted en masse.
These architectural beauties tend to be low maintenance and drought tolerant too. It’s a win-win!
Add Height With Pots
Dotting a few statement planters and pots around the garden is an easy way to elevate the look of a modern garden. And container planting means you can move things around if a plant becomes too unruly.
For ultra-low maintenance, look for self-watering planters. These have built-in reservoirs to reduce watering frequency.
Design A Mediterranean Garden
Gardens with a Mediterranean vibe combine glossy foliage, silver leaves and drought-loving plants. This exotic look is perfect for modern plots and thrives in warm, dry conditions.
Once established, many Mediterranean plants need little care. Plant olive and fig trees underplanted with lavender and rosemary for an easy-care Eden.
Go For Gravel
Gravel makes a great modern garden material and is an extremely low maintenance alternative to lawns. Opt for a modern look by using white or grey gravel and keep weeds at bay with landscape fabric underneath.
Using gravel as a hard landscaping material increases drainage too. Just give it an occasional rake to keep it looking pristine.
Add Contemporary Garden Features
Sculptures, decorative pots, mirrors and interesting garden furniture can all help to create a modern garden vibe. These types of garden features often require very little maintenance other than the odd clean.
Try adding standalone features like Corten steel planters or concrete and metal sculptures. These can create focal points amongst the planting.
Plant For Year-Round Interest
Choosing a mix of plants that provide interest across the seasons will keep your modern garden looking good all year round. Go for plants with attractive flowers, foliage, stems and seed heads.
Combining deciduous and evergreen varieties ensures there’s always something to enjoy looking at. And less bare patches that need replanting each year.
Go For Low Maintenance Lawns
Minimalist lawns with clean lines fit perfectly with a modern garden aesthetic. But traditional lawns require regular mowing, feeding and watering to keep them in shape.
For a lower maintenance option, try faux lawns, sedum lawns or slower growing grass varieties. Or limit lawns to small geometric patches surrounded by hard landscaping.
Add Height With Climbers
Vertical planting is an excellent way to maximize modern garden designs without taking up precious floor space. And many climbers, once established, need very little maintenance.
Plant fast-growing annual climbers each year for quick results or install permanent flowering climbers like Star Jasmine and Evergreen Clematis.
Embrace Screening
Using screening is a clever way to block out undesirable views and increase privacy in modern gardens. Fences, hedging and walls can all help to cocoon your outdoor space.
For a living screen, opt for low maintenance hedging plants suited to clipping just once or twice per year. Boxwood, Lilly Pilly or Portuguese Laurel are great choices.
Install Smart Lighting
Outdoor lighting not only allows you to use your garden in the evenings, it also adds drama and atmosphere. Installing lighting suited to modern garden designs will elevate the look.
For low maintenance, look for solar lighting or LEDs with movement sensors. These won’t add to your electricity bill and require little maintenance.
Go For Low Maintenance Beds
When planning new beds and borders, opt for simple, classic shapes with clean lines. Avoid creating areas that are difficult to access or maintain.
Plant densely to supress weeds and apply a thick mulch layer. Raised beds also make maintenance easier.
Add Water Features
The sound of running water can make a garden feel peaceful and serene. Modern water features like rills and lined pools have a pared-back look that complements contemporary spaces.
Many modern water features recirculate water so don’t require much topping up. And most are designed to need only low maintenance.
Create A Courtyard Garden
Enclosed courtyard gardens with hardscaping offer a secluded, modern feel. Being able to view the entire space allows you to appreciate the design.
And having defined boundaries makes courtyards easier to maintain. Less edges to keep tidy! Formal boxwood hedging and decorative containers work beautifully.
Choose Modern Garden Furniture
Sleek outdoor sofas, dining sets and loungers lend a contemporary vibe. Choosing furniture in a neutral color palette helps create a cohesive modern scheme.
Many modern materials like weatherproof wicker, teak and aluminum need little maintenance – just the occasional clean or wipe down.
Plant In Pockets
Rather than traditional borders, try using planting pockets packed with architectural plants. This technique lends a modern, minimalist look and the pockets are easy to maintain.
Stick to one or two plant varieties in each pocket for a bold, graphic effect. Or fill gabion cages and wall planters.
Limit Lawn Areas
Large expanses of lawn are high maintenance and not very modern looking. To reduce mowing and watering duties, limit lawn areas to geometric shapes or stripes surrounded by hardscaping.
This will create the look of a manicured lawn with only a fraction of the maintenance required for larger areas.
Add Modern Garden Structures
Sleek structures like pergolas, gazebos and outdoor kitchens help zone modern garden designs. And they provide useful shade and shelter when relaxing outdoors.
Opt for durable materials like powder coated aluminum that can withstand the elements and won’t need much maintenance.
Install Automatic Irrigation
Dragging hoses around the garden or moving sprinklers is tedious. Automated watering systems apply just the right amount of water where it’s needed.
Drip irrigation installed under mulch targets the soil around plants. And timer-controlled systems mean you don’t have to be home to water.
Wrap Up
With some strategic design choices, it is possible to create a low maintenance yet uber-stylish modern garden. Combining contemporary materials and drought tolerant planting with simple lawn areas and minimal beds will reduce time spent on upkeep. That means more time relaxing and enjoying your chic outside space!
Frequency of entities:
low maintenance – 27
modern – 27
garden – 27
design – 10
planting – 7
materials – 6
water – 5
lawn – 5
pots – 4
gravel – 3
climbers – 3
beds – 3
hardscaping – 3
features – 3
furniture – 2
courtyard – 2
lighting – 2
soil – 1
mulch – 1
irrigation – 1
walls – 1
hedging – 1
screening – 1
Go large with pots
As a general rule of thumb, big pots are easier to look after than small ones. The smaller the pot, the quicker it dries out and the more watering it will need. Group plants together in big pots or use raised planters if you don’t have much or any garden soil, like in many city gardens.
Search out award-winning plants
Look out for the Award of Garden Merit (AGM) label in garden centres and online. That’s an independent stamp of approval from the RHS that the plant is a good type that should do well in a normal garden. The scheme covers everything from trees and shrubs to fruits, flowers and vegetables.
22 Cheap No Grass Backyard Ideas For Low-Maintenance Garden
FAQ
What is the best low-maintenance garden?
What is the most low-maintenance landscaping?
How do low maintenance garden ideas work?
Here’s how it works. Low maintenance garden ideas will help your outdoor space have impact year round, without an exhausting amount of upkeep to go with it. Ideal if you don’t have the greenest of fingers (or thumbs for our US readers) but still want to enjoy a stylish outdoor space with all the best garden ideas on display.
What are some low-maintenance garden ideas?
After all, a clean and minimalist style can be just what the style doctor ordered in terms of low-maintenance garden ideas. White walls, simple shingle and some seating will look just as great as endless greenery! Need help with your home project? Get in touch! 7. Cordon off a wild area.
Are low-maintenance plants a good idea?
‘These low-maintenance plants can make your yard look magical while benefiting your local ecosystem,’ she adds – they’re great plants for attracting pollinators. What’s more, ground cover plants can help suppress weeds, meaning less work is required to keep a space looking its best.
What is a good low-maintenance plant?
“It is important to read plant labels and plant descriptions carefully before making the investment of time and money,” she says. Her low-maintenance shrub suggestions include boxwood, spirea, and hydrangea; for easy-care trees, she opts for redbuds, serviceberries and Japanese maples.