For some people, gardening is the most rewarding hobby. They love to be out in the sun and working in the soil. They love to plant seeds and watch them grow into something beautiful. The dedication that gardening takes is rewarding and exciting, and yet there are days where they would rather just be lazy in the sun instead of working in it.
The good news is that you don’t have to love being a gardener if you don’t want to be – especially if you prefer to enjoy the outdoors and you just don’t have the time. Below, we’ve got a list of tips to ensure that you can be as lazy as you like with your garden.
Ground Cover
Plant ground covers and avoid weeding. These take up the space between the plants and it’s the same space that the weeds would grow. Weeding takes a lot of time, but the right research will tell you which ground covers you can get for your garden.
The right ground cover is suitable for your climate so it thrives well with little care, but also non-evasive. You don’t want taking over and get out of control.
Go Artificial
Swap out the sweeping green lawns for an artificial turf installation and you can save yourself the time you’d spend on the upkeep of the grass. You won’t have to worry about watering the grass or keeping it trim: you’ll have a gorgeous lawn all year around. You not only get a break from mowing, you also save precious water.
Automation
You can build in self-watering systems for the flowers in the garden. You can use sprinklers or modified systems for the borders of the garden and even in the front yard. Whatever will work for you and your garden should be what you install. If you want to save even more money and time, just let nature do the watering!
Better yet, choose low watering plants that thrive without constant watering. Xeriscaping is landscaping that requires little no irrigation. This method is great for lazy gardening and great for saving on your water bill.
Use time release fertilizers to feed your trees, bushes and plants. It often comes mixed into potting soils or shaped into stakes to easy feeding over time.
Long Lasting Plants
Choosing the plants that last longer and are tough is a good idea for your garden. If they last all year around, you don’t have to put much effort into keeping them alive. They’ll do it themselves in how much they last for you. If they’re independent plants, they will take less care to stay alive.
A combination of evergreen bushes, grasses, and perennial plants chosen correctly gives your gardens year round beauty without a lot maintenance. Xeriscaping, as mentioned before, supports this method of garden planning creating a natural, low maintenance landscape.
Compost
Composting can take a lot of time, but if you don’t have that time to put the work in, just take the scraps of food straight to the garden. You can dig small trenches near the plants and add food to them as you go. It’s not as nice or pretty, but it does work! Or, start a compost bin in a corner of the backyard.
Don’t Forget Gloves
Whenever you are gardening, wear gloves every time. Even the smallest tasks should require gloves as you don’t want to spend time constantly nail scrubbing. It also protects your hands from cuts and scratches.
Involve Family
Get the kids involved and help out with the gardening chores. They will benefit from learning where their fruit and vegetables come from and they will enjoy being able to choose and plant your own seeds.
Don’t be worried about the way that it looks – a lazy garden is simpler than most. A simple garden is easy to maintain and where there may be a few uneven patches in the garden, don’t worry about it! Garden is for your enjoyment and as long as you’re happy with it that’s all that counts.