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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
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
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
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
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
