3. Do less watering
A lot of gardeners water far more than necessary. Watering little and often can be counterproductive as the plants start to rely on this extra water instead of developing a widespread root system so they can look after themselves. Most established plants don’t need routine watering, and most will survive even dry periods perfectly well. When you can water, focus on newly planted trees and shrubs, newly transplanted vegetables, and crops that are getting near to their harvest time.
4. Use carpeting plants to suppress weeds
Ground cover plants produce a tight-knit, low-growing carpet that deters weeds. While you do have to clear the ground of existing weeds first, you should only have to do it once. Aim to plant in autumn, which will give you a head start on next year’s weeds. Put young plants in 40-60cm apart, and fill the gaps between with a 2.5-5cm layer of
bark. For the first year, you may need to water in dry spells and pull up the odd weed. Thereafter, it will need an annual tidy-up in late autumn and maybe a bit of a trim in July. Try plants such as low-growing cotoneasters, pretty-leafed epimediums or ivies, especially variegated ones such as ‘Glacier’.
5. Win the weed war – with mulch
Like all plants, weeds need light to thrive. An easy way to prevent them growing is by adding a layer of mulch to exclude light. Mulches can be organic, in which case they will break down slowly, adding nutrients to the soil. These need topping up from time to time. Inorganic mulches, such as gravel, stay put for many years. Bark chippings of small chunks 10-40mm across are ideal, or for fruit and veg areas Black polythene is a good choice, and can be covered with shingle or bark. You can also try grass clippings, old carpet or felt underlay or woven polypropylene.
6. Don't weed or water the lawn
If you never weed it again, your lawn will still provide a perfectly practical and attractive green space. And you may actually enjoy the pretty flowers of daisies, speedwells, cat’s ears and clovers – they'll certainly attract wildlife. Never water your lawn – even if it turns brown in a drought, it won't die and will soon recover once it rains. Watering just wastes time and precious resources – and means more mowing!
7. Beds with boundaries
For plants that only occupy the ground for a short time, such as veg, and flowers for cutting, consider building raised beds with permanent paths instead of taking a traditional allotment approach. This immediately brings a sense of order and can be very decorative if you shape and arrange the beds to create a pattern. It also makes maintenance much easier. The paths give good access whatever the weather and raising the soil means jobs like weeding and sowing are quicker and easier.
8. Fuss-free fruit
If you fancy tasty, healthy, home-grown fruit, start with easy-going apples rather than pears, which need specific conditions to grow well. Try raspberries, which are straightforward to grow, rather than strawberries that need lots of attention. Blueberries are easy to grow in pots – few gardens have the really acid soil they – and have pretty flowers and good autumn colour to add to the display.
9. Sprayers on the spot
Keep a ready-to-use spray
weedkiller and general-purpose insecticide to hand to deal with problems as soon as you spot them. If you control pest outbreaks when there are still only a few individuals about, and kill weeds before they flower and set seed, their impact should be short-lived.
10. Keep it simple
If you want your containers to work for you rather than you working for them, choose large, deep containers that are attractive in their own right, and will make a feature even if they remain unplanted. Resist the temptation to scatter lots of small pots around different parts of the garden. They’re a watering nightmare and, even when looking good, may not add that much impact to the overall picture.
