Low maintenance garden design

Busy households want to sit in the garden, not spend the weekend keeping it. Mowing, pots and a bit of pruning are reasonable. A border that needs a day a month is not.

Low maintenance does not mean a yard of concrete. It usually means more patio, paving, brick, gravel, slate, decking and pergolas, and turf kept where children actually play.

The practice designs family and child-friendly gardens, courtyards, and both formal and informal layouts. A regular short routine should be enough to keep the result in hand.

What this covers

• Family and child-friendly layouts, including space for play
• Courtyard gardens
• Formal and informal designs
• Paving, gravel, slate and decking where a bed would only add work
• Planting chosen so it does not need constant attention