Gardening can be tricky business, no matter how green your thumb is. In that spirit, today’s segment of The Marc and Mandy Show: Ask An Expert features some tips and tricks from a renown Outdoor Design and Lifestyle Expert. In this segment of the show, HGTV’s Carson Arthur shares his advice on choosing low maintenance plants for your garden.
Q: What are the best low maintenance plants for my garden?
A: There’s no such thing as a low maintenance plant. Every plant in the garden needs some sort of care. But there are some simple rules can employ in your own garden to ensure that you have less-work-plants.
Opt for plants that have grey leaves. These types of plants tend to do better in drought situations, meaning they require less watering.
Opt for plants with bigger green leaves in areas that have a lot of shade. They can take what little light is available and convert it into food to feed the roots. As a result, they need less care.
If you only have a small garden bed to work with, consider dwarf varieties or naturally small plants.
Finally, avoid flowering plants. When a plant produces a flower, it takes a lot of energy to do so. Energy means it needs either a lot of water or a lot of fertilizer. Both mean more work for you.
Best practices for setting up your low maintenance garden:
When scoping out your outdoor space, observe the soil, light, moisture and wildlife in your area. If you want to go the extra mile, consider testing your soil as well. This will help you to decipher the right plants to suit your outdoor space, which can mean less time spent watering, weeding, pruning, and fertilizing in the long run.
Consider how the plants in your garden will work together. Plants naturally form relationships and they can help or hinder each other, so do your research before you plant anything.
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Love this! Very helpful tips as we will be landscaping our new home in Spring.
I am bookmarking this for the Spring! I can’t ever keep my plants and flowers alive, this video was meant for me lol!
The video isn’t working; however, the tips below are excellent! It would never have occurred to me that the colour of the leaves would be an indicator. This makes shopping a little easier, thanks.
Interesting – I will now have better suggestions for hubby when he gets inspired.
Thanks! Carson always has helpful tips!
Love this! Very helpful tips as we will be landscaping our new home in Spring.
I am bookmarking this for the Spring! I can’t ever keep my plants and flowers alive, this video was meant for me lol!
The video isn’t working; however, the tips below are excellent! It would never have occurred to me that the colour of the leaves would be an indicator. This makes shopping a little easier, thanks.
Interesting – I will now have better suggestions for hubby when he gets inspired.
Beautiful plants and flowers!