How do I make a low(er) maintenance garden

[gmaz]

Our back garden has got out of hand, there is tons of bramble, bindweed, other weeds, and general overgrown bushes and borders etc. I don't enjoy gardening, and my wife who used to manage it all is now unable to.

So, we want to get a pro gardener in, spend a few hundred, maybe a thousand if necessary, to drastically lower the maintenance requirements while keeping some greenery. So I'm thinking lots of trimming, digging out, covering in weed fabric and mulch(?).

Any other ideas to help?

Lawn is handled by Patrick the robot mower, to that's not an issue.

[netherfield]

Finding a good gardener might be your first problem.

And if you can be led by him/her

[Vsix and Vtec]

I don't think the problem is a big as you fear. Certainly there's a few scraggly weeds, but you have a lot of mature shrubs and bushes. I'd suggest that simply trimming back the mature scrubs, and replanting the less well kempt holes that are currently occupied by weeds will be much more pleasant to look at than the modern obsession with ripping everything out and having five fuchsias and a Yukka plant sticking up out of a bark mulch and grey slate chip desert in the name of "low maintenance".

[Huzzah]

Vsix and Vtec said:

I don't think the problem is a big as you fear. Certainly there's a few scraggly weeds, but you have a lot of mature shrubs and bushes. I'd suggest that simply trimming back the mature scrubs, and replanting the less well kempt holes that are currently occupied by weeds will be much more pleasant to look at than the modern obsession with ripping everything out and having five fuchsias and a Yukka plant sticking up out of a bark mulch and grey slate chip desert in the name of "low maintenance".

This ^^^^^^^


Cut that lot right back in the autumn then see what you've got.

[biggiles]

The second picture looks like an ideal low-maintenance garden, with the robot mower?

[gmaz]

biggiles said:

The second picture looks like an ideal low-maintenance garden, with the robot mower?

The bushes are way overgrown and overlapping the lawn border. They need to be cut back in a way that will make them controllable, still with some foliage but less than fence height.

[Huzzah]

gmaz said:

biggiles said:

The second picture looks like an ideal low-maintenance garden, with the robot mower?

The bushes are way overgrown and overlapping the lawn border. They need to be cut back in a way that will make them controllable, still with some foliage but less than fence height.

They're mature so don't worry about going in hard, they'll thank you for it and spring back. It won't take long, disposal of the detritus will be the bigger job.

Check for nesting, you don't want to disturb nesting birds. On the safe side wait untill autumn.