Low maintenance please…

…is the citeria, which most garden owners or those, who want to become one, value highly. Whoever has the opportunity here in Germany wants to own a piece of nature, to enjoy a place “outside”. But it should not do any work, since one would like to recover after the deed is done. But in England this is different. People there love gardening and can obviously relax by caring for their beds and cutting their roses. “In this country the value of gardening as a balance to everyday life is still too little recognised”, garden designer Peter Berg has observed.

A garden is a piece of living nature that cannot do without a certain amount of care. An easy-care design is possible, as Peter Berg has already shown in countless projects, but never a carefree one. “It is always a pity when customers are given false promises,” explains Berg. Even on surfaces that have been covered with foil and gravel, nature manages to reconquer them after not too long. Wild herbs are always brought in from the surrounding land or landscape and blossom. Attempts to remove them here often end with the destruction of the foil. Berg recommends gravel surfaces – then with an underlying gravel layer – only for parking spaces or garage entrances.

Blooming gardens are much more pleasing to the eye, but require a well thought-out concept. If you work sustainably, with long-lasting shrubs and grasses and clear separation of different areas by walls or borders, you get a functioning garden. Generously sized grass-perennial areas have a major maintenance advantage over small lawns. Once a year they are cut down and a little weed plucked in between. The laborious weekly mowing does not take place.

A further aspect of the easy-care design is the slowly growing large trees and shrubs. They cover large areas, provide shade and even become more valuable over time. Explosively growing woody plants are not advisable, as the maintenance effort is often considerably higher. The correct location as well as a professional cut are to be considered absolutely. Otherwise the woody plants will grow back uncontrollably.

In order to keep the expenditure low two things are important. Pluck weeds before it sprouts and trim hedges once or twice a year and cut trees. “It’s all a matter of adjustment,” says Berg. “I’d rather spend two hours in the garden than one hour in the gym.” A statement worth thinking about.

Let yourself be inspired by our loving private garden projects!