Designing a Low Maintenance Garden

It is probably the dream of every gardener in the world to have a garden that doesn't require any maintenance at all. After all, who wouldn't want a garden where all they have to do is go out and look at it every once in a while. While this type of a garden may still be years away from being a reality, it is possible to design a garden that doesn't require a lot of work on your part. Designing a low maintenance garden is surprisingly easy, and can help save you a lot of time and money in the long run. All you need to do is keep in mind a few simple things.

• Budget. The first thing that you need to think about when designing a low maintenance garden is how much money you have to spend on the project. While it is never fun, or particularly pleasant to go over finances, it is a necessary step that will help you determine exactly what you can and cannot do on your project. Not to mention, knowing your budget will also allow you to know what you can and can't have by way of equipment, plants, and other goodies.
• Size. You need to think about how big of a garden you want. While it is not always 100% true that a smaller garden is going to be easier to maintain than a larger one, there are times when it does happen. Not only do you need to think about the size of the garden that you want, you also need to think about the amount of space you have to work with.
• Type. What type of garden do you want to have? If you are looking for a particularly low maintenance garden, then you may want to consider a xeriscape garden. Low water gardens such as xeriscaped gardens can look quite beautiful, and usually don't require anywhere near the amount of work that other kinds of gardens.
• Who will do the work? Keep in mind that you will be doing the work yourself, unless you are going to hire someone to do the work for you. While this means that the garden will be low maintenance on your part, it doesn't mean that there will be no maintenance at all. Frankly, hiring someone to do the work for you would kind of be cheating.
• Look for corners to cut. When designing your low maintenance garden, keep an eye out for corners that you can cut. This means that you need to think of where you can cut any unnecessary expenses, as well as being able to eliminate any labor that you don't want to do. One adage to keep in mind as you do this is to work smarter, not harder.