5 Tips for Creating a Low-Maintenance Green Space - Walls of Plants

5 Tips for Creating a Low-Maintenance Green Space

5 Tips for Creating a Low-Maintenance Green Space

One of the most common misconceptions about having a flourishing green space is that it requires constant upkeep.

Whether you’re a busy gardener who doesn’t have the time to check in with your plants as often as you’d like, or you’re a complete novice who just wants something simple and easy to tint your fingers green, there are a multitude of ways to create a low maintenance green space that brightens up your garden.

At Walls of Plants, we know that having a beautiful garden is an attainable feat, as long as you know what to look for and how to arrange things. And, when you apply our top tips and tricks, you won’t even need to compromise on variety or charm. Just sit back and watch your herbage grow.

1. Choose Native Plant Species

Plants have evolved over millions of years to survive in the climate of their origin country. For example, cactuses have developed a unique shape, root structure and spines in order to live comfortably in the desert. That’s why they are considered high-maintenance plants when you buy them from UK flower shops: they are not adapted to English weather.

However, there are plenty of species that are native to the UK that require very little care due to the fact that they have specific features that allow them to thrive in the often turbulent British weather.

If you are looking for low maintenance plants, then these species are where you need to look.

We recommend:

  • English ivy
  • Geranium
  • Catmint
  • Aloe
  • Rosemary
  • Money plants

Alternatively, plants that have adapted to live in adverse/rainforest conditions such as Peperomia, Monstera and Boston Fern are hardy and resistant to unexpected changes in the climate. This makes them perfect for English gardens where the weather is not always consistent.

2. Integrate Insect Hotels

When creating a low-maintenance green space, you absolutely can’t afford to miss out on any opportunity to make it pollinator friendly. Pollinators don’t just take pollen and fertilise your plants: they keep them thriving and healthy so you can be sure that they regrow as healthy as possible every year.

To attract pollinators to your green space, try:

  1. Integrating a small wildflower patch:

Wildflowers are amazing for pollinators, and you don’t need to have a large meadow to find a way to integrate them into your green space. In urban areas, or beside plant walls, you could invest in hanging baskets or large flower pots with marigold, poppies and daisies.

These seeds are easy to sow and can be bought at any garden centre.

  1. Buy an insect hotel:

Insect hotels encourage pollinators to nest and hibernate in your garden. They can be attached to most surfaces including trees, fences and even brick walls. Placing them next to or near your plants or living wall will give them a reason to stick around and continue to pollinate your plants.

Integrate Insect Hotels

3. Compost From Day One

Compost is rich organic matter that improves the quality of your soil and helps seedlings and already established plants grow into healthy, strong shrubs. With the right compost, your plants will require far less maintenance over their lifespan.

Composting might seem like a hassle, but with a good multi-purpose compost, your plants will have:

  1. Improved soil health: By incorporating compost into your soil, you’ll enrich it with essential nutrients, improve its structure, and enhance its ability to retain moisture. Healthy soil means healthier plants that are more resilient to pests, diseases, and environmental stressors.
  2. Reduced watering needs: One of the biggest challenges in maintaining a green space is keeping plants adequately watered, especially during hot and dry periods.

Compost helps improve water retention in soil, reducing the frequency that your plants need watering. Additionally, the organic matter in compost acts as a natural sponge, holding moisture around plant roots and preventing it from soaking straight through and dripping away.

  1. Weed suppression: One of the more time consuming tasks in garden maintenance is weeding. It’s messy, frustrating and often tedious, and even plant walls aren’t immune.

When you spread compost as a thick layer over soil, it can act as a natural mulch, suppressing weed growth by preventing germination.

  1. Natural pest control: Whilst compost won’t entirely prevent pests on your plants, the beneficial insects and microorganisms that it attracts can help deter them. It is also true that healthier plants are more resistant to infestations, and compost goes a long way towards ensuring you have thriving, resilient shrubbery that requires little upkeep.

Start composting from day one to ensure that your soil is healthy and fertile from the beginning.

4. Try Companion Planting

Companion planting is a gardening technique that involves planting different species of plants together to benefit each other. For example, planting aromatic herbs like basil and mint alongside vegetables can help repel pests and improve overall plant health.

Similarly, planting nitrogen-fixing legumes like peas and beans alongside heavy feeders like tomatoes and peppers can improve soil fertility and reduce the need for additional fertilisers.

This technique will vary depending on the plants you choose, so it can be wise to consult a specialist before settling on the plants you want in your green space.

5. Invest in a Green Wall

Green walls are a fantastic way of bringing greenery to urban areas whilst reducing the need for intervention from green fingered gardeners.

Living walls are made up of plants that are attached to a vertical structure, such as a trellis or wire mesh, allowing them to grow vertically rather than horizontally. Green walls not only add beauty and interest to your garden but also help improve air quality, reduce noise pollution, and regulate temperature.

Invest in a Green Wall

If you’re looking to spice up the appearance of your space with the addition of a living wall, but you don’t want the added responsibility of excessive plant care, look no further than Walls of Plants.

Our GreenWalls are designed for low-maintenance planting so that you can get the luxury look without the trouble. Our battery powered manual feed system is designed to automatically feed and water your plants, so you don’t have to, and our horticultural expert can advise you on the best low-maintenance plants and arrangements to keep both garden and gardener happy.

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