The most unpretentious plants for the garden
The dream of many summer residents is a garden that grows and blooms “by itself”, without requiring care, without any worries about fertilizing, pruning, and watering. And the point is not that we are lazy – there is simply not enough time, but we want to not only work hard at the dacha, but also relax, gain strength. Well, let’s try to create a “lazy” garden – as they say, “plant and forget.” And then you just wonder how beautiful it turned out. If you like more extreme entertainment than plant growing, then we suggest you try playing in a casino – in almost all casinos today you can get a bonus casino.
General principles and rules
In fact, we need to solve 2 tasks: choose the right plants and plant them successfully. This means, first of all, taking into account the requirements of the plant itself and the characteristics of the territory that we can provide it with; combine with each other only those flowers that prefer the same or similar conditions. It is clear, after all, that by planting, for example, a shade-loving plant in the sun, we doom it to death, even if it is such a tenacious and undemanding garden dweller as a host.
As for the choice, of course, preference should be given to unpretentious and undemanding creatures of nature and breeders. There are many. We have already examined in detail 27 unpretentious flowers for beginner gardeners (and this list, I note, may be of interest not only to beginners). This time we will supplement the list a little and talk in more detail about how to organize a garden that will remain well-groomed and beautiful with little or no participation from its owner. Our task is to create conditions and not interfere.
Our enemy is weed
Few things poison the summer life of a summer resident more than weeding. We have already discussed in detail 9 ways to deal with weeds, but I want this problem to not exist at all. Therefore, in the “lazy” garden, we will simply outlive the weeds. How? That’s how…
1. Leave no room for them
Weed, as we know, appears where there is free land. No, no weeds. Mulch, groundcover, dense, dense plantings – all this does not leave our enemy the slightest chance.
True, you should not hope that everything will work out by itself, “at the behest of the pike, at my will.” In the first year, however, you will have to make some efforts. Firstly, prepare the soil well, try to remove the rhizomes of perennial grasses so that they do not disturb them later. Secondly, while the planted plants are still very small, help them in the fight against weeds.
Here the mulch is very useful to us – it will decorate the flower garden, and it will help to save moisture in the soil (which will save us from watering), and it will fight weeds. Groundcovers will also be of help, just do not plant them under the plants that you plan to cover for the winter – many groundcovers will rot under cover.
2. Let’s turn into friends
Some types of rather aggressive wild herbs can serve us well: do not weed them out, but, on the contrary, cultivate them. Veronica is oaky, soft cuff, ivy-shaped budra, erect cinquefoil – these and many other herbs will decorate your garden, displacing weeds, but not interfering with cultivated plants. In addition, they are all medicinal.
Wild plants constantly settle in some gardens. Sometimes, when cultivating another piece of land, I do not weed them ruthlessly, but transplant them into flower beds. So under the young viburnum Veronica settled, and under the spirea – ivy-shaped budra; the cuff keeps the hosts company, and the juicy plantain leaves “work” as a border.
The tenacious creeping is a full-fledged participant in many flower arrangements, both varietal and wild-growing – from the nearest meadow. In the spring they bloom wonderfully, and then hide in the shade of their cultural “partners”. And competitors, like quinoa and wood lice, are simply being squeezed out.
Style matters
When creating a “lazy” garden, it is important to follow the prompts of nature as closely as possible, so a landscape, natural style would be ideal for implementing such an idea. Country-style options are also possible, but the classics will have to be abandoned: strict forms and orderly lines do not fit in with our idea of \u200b\u200ba garden that does not require maintenance.
If you dream of setting up a rocky garden, also give preference to rockeries, as if repeating the outlines of a natural rock scree or other natural landscape. Attractive Japanese rock gardens and other stylish “oriental delights”, like the classic rock garden, require careful maintenance and regular attention.
It all depends on the conditions
As trite as it sounds, it’s true. If you got a low-lying, wet, swampy site, plant moisture-loving plants. In the sun, place heat lovers, and on sandy or stony soils – those flowers that grow in nature on dry rocky areas. If you fulfill this (not so difficult, you see!) Condition, the flower beds will require minimal care – after all, the plants fall into their usual environment, where they are able to take care of themselves.
A very simple example to illustrate this idea. Astilbes and brunners are two exceptionally unpretentious plants that can grow and bloom luxuriantly without any care at all. There is only one “but”: they need partial shade and plenty of moisture. And if I can provide them with the first, then it can be difficult with the second on our sandy soils. And I understand that it will be impossible to do without care at all – either water it in dry weather, or refuse to grow these plants.
Let’s not forget seasonality
When creating a garden, we want to admire it from early spring to late autumn, don’t we? So, when choosing plants, it is worth making sure that they reach the peak of their beauty not simultaneously, but one by one. Moreover, they hid each other’s shortcomings (if any).
For example, all flower growers know: small-bulbous ones are good in early spring, as soon as the snow melts, but by the end of May they lose their attractiveness. And it’s true – what can be beautiful in withered foliage … But you can’t cut it ahead of time. So you need to disguise! Hostas, astilbes, aquilegia, cuff – a lot of unpretentious plants will do the job perfectly.
In general, plants with decorative foliage in the “lazy” garden are simply irreplaceable! And if the conditions allow you to plant unpretentious conifers, then the beauty will remain in winter. Do not forget also about cereals: they place accents, and their spikelets fluttering in the wind enliven the landscape.
Plants for lazy people
So, what should we plant in our “lazy” garden that will not require our vigilant attention and constant worries later? Let me remind you once again the link to the article about unpretentious flowers – there you will find a detailed description of bulbous, flowering perennials and the easiest annuals and biennials to grow and care for, each of which is quite suitable for our purpose. We will not repeat ourselves, we will recall those plants that were not mentioned in that material – unpretentious ground cover and decorative leafy crops.
Ground covers
Ground cover plants are absolutely indispensable where you need to quickly occupy empty spaces. But many of them are good on their own, so they can be used as full members of the composition. It is only important to keep in mind: most ground covers are aggressive, grow well and take up a lot of space. Even in a “lazy” garden, which implies a free layout, such activity is not always appropriate. The article Stop the aggressor: how to limit the growth of plants will suggest ways to solve this problem.