Your yard is often the first impression people get of your home. The good news is that you don’t need to empty your wallet or spend countless hours on upkeep for it to look its best.
Gone are the days of sacrificing weekends to mowing, weeding, pruning, and watering your garden. Instead, embracing thoughtful plant choices to joining sustainable movements is bringing the joy and beauty back to these spaces. Here’s how you can create a stunning and low-maintenance yard affordably that will make you smile every time you step outside.
Fall in love with native plants: Plants that are well suited to your area’s climate and soil conditions need less care. With these hardy options, you can save a ton on watering, fertilisers, and pesticides. It’s also right on trend; meadowscaping transforms your garden into a meadow, drawing from native grasses and flowers to attract birds, butterflies, and bees.
Trust in pretty perennials: While generally more expensive than annuals, perennial plants will come back season after season, giving you more bang for your rand. Agapanthus, clivias, and lavender, for example, are popular perennials and will thrive in most gardens, creating a beautiful landscape. A good idea is to spread them throughout your garden and use annuals in high-traffic areas where they will be seen and admired.
Cover your soil with mulch: This is the number one weapon of the easy-going gardener. Adding a layer of mulch helps soil retain moisture, insulates plants, helps stop weeds from sprouting, and fertilises as it breaks down. It also prevents soil erosion, provides a buffer to rainfall, and gives a finished look to your yard and garden. Really, is there anything mulch can’t do?
Shrink your lawn with zones: Having a stretch of lawn space demands extra care. Consider dividing it into different zones and reducing the need for grass. For example, you can create a patio, vegetable or herb patch, firepit, succulent garden, or a play area for the kids. This makes your yard more functional while also cutting time on the maintenance.
Go potty for pot plants: Adding potted plants adds pops of colour and intrigue to your yard. Because they’re self-contained, they are easier to maintain and can be moved around to offer plants optimal sunshine or rain cover. The mobility also lets you position them in places where you are entertaining. You can easily repurpose an old storage bin or watering can for a plant home.
Install an automatic irrigation system: With programmable times, this system ensures your yard receives the right amount of water at the optimal time for a space that isn’t over or under-watered. Besides cutting down on the stress of lugging around a heavy watering can or clumsy hoses, it reduces wastage.
Define your pathways: Creating walkways in your yard ensures visitors have an easy way to navigate your oasis without damaging plants and delicate grassy areas. Using gravel, pebbles, bark, slate chippings, or adding in paving reduces your lawn space and also makes your yard easier to explore and enjoy.
Opt for “no-mow” ground cover: An inexpensive way to improve your yard landscape without breaking the budget is through ground cover. Instead of putting time and money into grass upkeep, rethink your turf with gravel, bark, rocks, clover, or artificial turf. You can even mix faux turf with natural grass for the best of both worlds.
Kill weeds the kind way: Instead of relying on pricey chemical herbicides, opt for natural weed control methods that are easier on the environment. A mixture of white vinegar, salt, and liquid dish soap can reduce the need for constant hand-pulling while landscaping fabric can suppress their growth. And don’t forget the mulch!
Cultivate with care: By watching YouTube videos, reading gardening magazines and books, consulting with a gardening expert, or doing a course, you can improve your skills. There’s plenty of free advice available that can make you a better gardener. This will help you get the most out of your plants and cut down on the need for costly replanting. You’ll even pick up on shortcuts to get your work done faster.
Make everyone green with envy
A fabulous garden will impress all who spot your yard or pay a visit. It creates a welcoming feel that will add value to your home. And with these helpful tips, you can do it affordably and with less effort. The added benefit is having your home ready for an easy sale, letting, or simply to enjoy in the future. For real estate help, pull off your garden gloves and get in touch with Seeff through a quick call or email.
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