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Low-maintenance backyard ideas wanted

Hi everyone,

I have not been able to attend to my backyard for several months due to various reasons. I have got a gardener to remove all the weeds from the grounds for me. If I do not have a lot of time to spend and want something low-maintenance, what do you suggest?

I'm thinking about mulching most of the backyard (roughly 180 square metre) including the veggie patch and leaving a small part as lawn. Another idea is planting ground cover plants as alternatives to lawns, but not sure if it is actually low maintenance and weather resistant (I'm based in Melbourne and often go away for at least a month during summer).

Much appreciated in advance.

Triet

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Comments

EricL

Hello @trietnguyen

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's fabulous to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about your backyard.

Looking at the pictures you posted, it seems that there are some parts that are in brick and concrete. You could in theory leave them alone or remove them and backfill the area with soil. If you wish to have a very low maintenance backyard, I suggest putting in a combination of pavers, bricks, pebbles and artificial turf to create very low maintenance backyard. The best part is that there is nothing to mow or fertilize.

I suggest building a rectangular paved area where you can put in some garden furniture and an umbrella. You can then combine it with a brick pathway with pebbles serving as a design feature on both sides. The best part of your garden is to put down artificial turf and create a backyard putting green. I suggest having a look at this featured project - Backyard golf putting green by @homeinmelbourne. You can create three large putting areas that will be low maintenance and entertaining to everyone who visits you.

Here is a link to ideas and inspiration - Top 10 most popular garden makeovers.

Let me call on our experienced members @Adam_W and @EleventhCoastal for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

Jason

Hi @trietnguyen,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. We're pleased to have you join us.

I trust you find Eric's advice useful.

I just thought I'd add that you have a wonderful space and it would be a shame not to make the most of it. It might seem overwhelming at first but if you tackle this project in stages you could get a fantastic result. I'd also love to see you keeping some lawn. I consider a good lawn relatively low-maintenance.

Let me see if @MitchellMc and @mich1972 might also like to add their experience to the discussion.

Jason

mich1972

Morning @trietnguyen I zoomed in on your photos and noticed part of the yard is paved with bricks. This is just my opinion on what I would do.
Keep the brick pavers and possibly extend that as it will definitely help with being low maintenance.
Then either lay lawn OR lay artificial lawn , again low maintenance. The more paving the better and then you could have a nice outdoor setting with a big umbrella for shade in summer. You could put some nice benching in for more people to sit down and enjoy being outside.
With that separate veggie garden on the side, after you have renovated the main part of the back yard you may be inspired to start it again, otherwise just clean it up. Good luck with what you decide to do. Looks like a big job, I would do it in sections so you don’t get overwhelmed if you are going to do it yourself. Good luck and look forward to seeing your updates on your backyard 😊

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/25713#Comment_25713

Hi @trietnguyen,

I see you've already received some wonderful low-maintenance landscaping options for your backyard. You might like to check out our Top 10 most popular outdoor projects and 10 easy ways to enliven your outdoor space for inspiration.

Here are some other low-maintenance ideas you could consider:

Create a rock garden mixed with native drought-resistant plants and succulents.

Install a pond with a water feature. Once a pond is set up and running correctly, minimal maintenance is involved. Check out this handy step-by-step guide: How to install a garden pond.

Construct some seating around the yard to relax in, and add pebbles as a ground covering over the area. There's a wonderful guide on How to build a Besser block bench seat, or you might like to incorporate the seating with garden beds, similar to this article on How to planter box with bench seats.

Install an outdoor fire pit with seating. Once again, the area can be covered with pebbles, and the fire pit can be used as the centrepiece. It will make a great ambience-filled entertaining location. Check out these Fire pit outdoor entertaining areas. Here's a guide on How to build a fire pit.

Using ground coverings is certainly an option, and I'd recommend you stick with native varieties that will be low-maintenance and resistant to drought. They're an excellent way to cover large areas without resorting to hard surfaces.

Have a play with this garden planner from Gardena. It's an excellent tool for visualising the layout of your backyard, including plantings and hard surfaces. Breaking the area into manageable projects can make the whole backyard seem less overwhelming. Plan out the entire backyard in the planner and then choose a section to start with. This month it might be creating a fire pit entertaining area in the back corner, and next month you could work on creating a garden.

I would like to also point you to this article on How to keep your garden healthy while away. I'm sure you'll find it helpful when you go away on those trips. Installing drip irrigation on a timer will allow you to spend less time in the garden watering and will ensure the plants survive your absence. Here's a useful guide: How to install a drip irrigation system.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

mich1972

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/75539#Comment_75539

Definitely like the sound of an Australian Native garden as well !!!! 😊

trietnguyen

@EricL @Jason @mich1972 @MitchellMc thank you all so much for your extremely passionate responses! I have learned so much from your responses in the last 24 hours. I will also reply to your individual comment where I would like to get more advice.

trietnguyen

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/25713#Comment_25713

Thanks Jason. I'm keen to keep some lawn too if it is low maintenance. What kind of lawn do you suggest? I'm in Melbourne and my backyard is north-west facing.

Taking into account all costs, efforts and result, would you also suggest instant turf or grow from seeds?

trietnguyen

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/75539#Comment_75539

Enough gardening ideas for a lifetime there Mitch! I will go through and implement as needed.

On the ground coverings, what native plants are low-maintenance and drought-resistant? Can you please give me some names? Are they suitable for planting in autumn as well? As I mentioned above, I'm in Melbourne and the backyard is north-west facing, so it gets a decent amount of sun.

Thanks again.

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/75544#Comment_75544

It really depends on your budget and how much time you have @trietnguyen. Personally, I would try growing from seed first as it is a more economical option.

The Bunnings step-by-step guide How to grow grass from seed should have all the advice you need.

Jason

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/101547#Comment_101547

Hi @trietnguyen

If you're looking for a place to start, I suggest drawing it out with pen and paper. Look at some of the links we suggested and get the parts that you really like and feel will line up with your objectives. Once you have a general outline of your garden layout you can begin refining it by writing down the materials you'll need. From there it's just a matter of clearing out your garden and rearranging it to the plan that you've made.

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing the start of your garden makeover.

Eric

EleventhCoastal

Hi Triet,

What an absolutely wicked clean slate you have to play with. I must admit I agree with EricL in the idea of fake grass, pavers and rocks.. you could create areas that are linked with stepping stone pavers as well and still have a low maintenance garden to bring depth and variety to this space.
I personally think mulching a space this big would be a little harsh on the eye and would allow the weeds to run crazy on you again.
I hope you’ll share what you decide to do with us.

Cheers
Kirsty

Akanksha

Hello @trietnguyen,

Hope you've been well. Just wanted to drop in a note to check how your backyard is doing. Did you manage to implement any of the ideas discussed above?

We'd love to see any updates or photos of your backyard. And as always, happy to help if you need any further assistance.

Akanksha

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