Collaborative post
If you have a busy life and young children, gardening can end up very low down your priorities list. You don’t need to resort to paving over the whole garden though as there is a growing trend towards low-maintenance gardens, meaning that there is a lot of inspiration out there for your garden. Even starting gardening with children can be low maintenance if you start off small. Perhaps a hanging basket or container of flowers or easy-to-grow fruit or vegetables like strawberries or salad leaves.
How to create a low-maintenance family garden
Start by thinking about your family and what you need and want from your garden. Perhaps you have a young child and would like a play area for them. Perhaps you enjoy entertaining and you want somewhere to eat outside as part of your garden.
Or perhaps your priority is somewhere to store things like bikes or camping equipment. Once you know what functions your garden needs to have, then you can think about how to create your dream low-maintenance garden. Now is also the time to be really honest with how much time you want to spend caring for your garden. It’s also worth considering the physical demands of gardening, particularly repetitive bending, kneeling, and lifting, which can put strain on the hips and joints over time. This will really help you narrow down your options.
Do you want a lawn? We love our lawn but it is a weekly time commitment to mow it each week during the growing season. It also helps to keep it nice if you use an iron sulphate lawn fertiliser.
Perhaps you want the look of grass but without the upkeep? Then why not consider good-quality artificial grass which offers the look of a lawn without regular maintenance. Think about adding patio areas but think about the upkeep of all the options. For example, decking requires regular treatment to keep the wood in top condition.
Consider if you want any planting and if so where you want it and how much time you want to spend on it. The Blissful Place’s large outdoor planters can be an excellent solution for busy families as they contain the plants in one area and make watering and maintenance more manageable.
When we bought our house we only had a small hedge for privacy and a lawn at the rear and front of the house. I would love a garden full of flowers, fruit and vegetable but with a part-time job, a blog to run, two young children and a love of travel time, is not on my side.
We started by adding a small flower bed at the front which I’d love to increase in size when the kids are a bit older. I love the burst of colour these flowers provide. A simple planter can add a lot of colours. Find out how to plant a winter pansy planter here. Last year I added a raised bed in our back garden. In it, I’m growing strawberries and various vegetables with my daughters. They love helping to water and harvest crops. We’ve also added containers to both the back and front garden.
Finally, if you haven’t already then now is a good time to think about adding play spaces to your garden as well as thinking about outdoor toy storage. Play areas need very little regular upkeep. Think about what your children currently enjoy but don’t forget to make your garden future-proof as children change and grow fast. Good ideas are sand pits, mud kitchens, playhouses, chalkboards and space to kick a ball around.