Zia Allaway - Grow Low Maintenance: Essential Know-how and Expert Advice for Gardening Success

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Author Zia Allaway

AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many thanks to Marek Walisiewicz at Cobalt id for commissioning me to write this book and to Paul Reid for his inspirational designs. Thanks also to editor Diana Vowles, and Amy Slack and Ruth ORourke at Dorling Kindersley for their help in focusing my ideas and fine-tuning the words.

PUBLISHER ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
DK would like to thank Mary-Clare Jerram for developing the original concept, Margaret McCormack for indexing, and Paul Reid, Marek Walisiewicz, and the Cobalt team for their hard work in putting this book together.

PICTURE CREDITS

The publisher would like to thank the following for their kind permission to reproduce their photographs:

Alamy Stock Photo: A Garden; Ammentorp Photography; Andi Edwards; Andreas von Einsiedel; Anne Gilbert; Annie Eagle; Avalon.red; Bailey-Cooper Photography; BIOSPHOTO; blickwinkel; Dave Bevan; Deborah Vernon; Derek Harris; Ellen Rooney; Gavin Dronfield; GFK-Flora; Ingrid Balabanova; John Gollop; Mim Friday; Nigel Cattlin; Oleksandr Sokolenko; Panther Media GmbH; Paul Hobart; Pavol Klimek; Photiconix; Rebecca Erol; Ros Crosland; Sabena Jane Blackbird; Simon Dack; SOPA Images Limited; Steve Taylor ARPS; STUART WALKER; Tim Gainey; TMI; Valentyn Volkov; Yon Marsh Pipdesigns; Zoonar GmbH.

Dorling Kindersley: 123RF.com: Yuliia Sonsedska; Alan Buckingham; Bethany Dawn; Brian North / RHS Chelsea Flower Show; Brian North / RHS Chelsea Flower Show; Brian North / RHS Chelsea Flower Show; Brian North / RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2010; Brian North / RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2012; Brian North / Waterperry Gardens; Dreamstime.com: Alexander Sidyakov; Dreamstime.com: Dmitri Maruta; Dreamstime.com: Sarah2; Getty RF: mikroman6; iStock: PeopleImages; John Glover / Cambridge Botanic Gardens; John Glover / Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; John Glover / Savill Garden, Windsor; Mark Winwood / Alpine Garden Society; Mark Winwood / Ball Colegrave; Mark Winwood / Crug Farm; Mark Winwood / Dr Mackenzie; Mark Winwood / Hampton Court Flower Show 2014; Mark Winwood / RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2014; Mark Winwood / RHS Malvern Flower Show 2014; Mark Winwood / RHS Wisley; Peter Anderson; Peter Anderson / RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2009; Peter Anderson / RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2011; Peter Anderson / RHS Hampton Court Flower Show; Peter Anderson / RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2009; Peter Anderson / RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2010; Peter Anderson / RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2014.

GAP Photos: ; Clive Nichols - Design: Charlotte Rowe; Howard Rice; J S Sira - Designer: Ian Hammond. Sponsors: Squires Garden; John Glover; Mark Winwood; Michael King; Nicola Stocken; Visions.

Getty Images: Kelly Mitchell 100cr.

Illustrations by Cobalt id.

All other images Dorling Kindersley

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WHERE TO START?

There are many easy ways to keep garden maintenance to a minimum, although you will need to do a few jobs now and again, just as you would to keep a house clean and tidy. Learning about the conditions in your garden will allow you to choose plants adapted to thrive there, saving you time and money spent on planting replacements. And by planning carefully how you want to use your outdoor space, you can ensure it suits your needs, as well as the time you have available to care for it.

Grow Low Maintenance | WHERE TO START?

An easy-care tree surrounded by drought-tolerant plants and paving in various colours and sizes is pleasing to the eye and helps to keep maintenance low.

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PLANTING A BED OR BORDER

Having purchased your favourite plants, it is time to start installing them but before you put a spade in the ground, set them out to make sure youre happy with their positions. Each will need space to grow to its full potential without overshadowing or out-competing its neighbours. Plant them with care and they will reward you with a beautiful display that should grow and flower unaided once established.

After a year these easy-care plants should need very little care apart from watering during severe droughts.

WHAT TO PLANT WHERE

Whether you are designing a new bed or adding to an old one, group your plant purchases according to their type and final sizes by checking the details on the labels. Then water them thoroughly before placing each group in order on your bed, setting them out while still in their pots to check that you are happy with the final composition. Consider the placement of any trees first: make sure that they will not cast too much shade over the bed, unless you are planning a woodland theme. Next, , positioning them for maximum impact and seasonal interest, while ensuring that the tallest are behind shorter plants. Shrubs are generally planted singly, but you can use a row of small ones to edge a bed or pathway.

Finally, place the perennials and annuals, which can be woven in between the shrubs. Plant later-flowering types, even if they are slightly taller, in front of the earlier flowers (those that bloom before midsummer). This placement means that as the early blooms die down and their leaves start to look a bit tatty, plants that flower later, whose leaves will still be in prime condition, will cover them up.

Set out your plants in their pots on your bed to check that they are in the right position before planting.

PLANTING TO PERFECTION

Once you are happy with the layout of all the plants, you can begin planting. To plant trees, see . For shrubs, perennials, and annuals, dig a hole twice as wide and about the same depth as the root ball most will prefer to be planted at the same depth as they were in their original pots, so dont be tempted to bury them deeper or leave the roots exposed above the soil surface. A wide hole will allow the roots to expand easily. If the roots of your plants are twining round the edge of the root ball, gently tease them out with your fingers before planting.

You can add some mycorrhizal fungi, available in packets from garden centres and nurseries, to the planting hole. These help to increase the size of the plants root balls. If you have chosen your plants carefully and they are suitable for your soil, you should not need to include any additional fertilizer at this stage. However, if you think your soil is particularly infertile, add a balanced organic fertilizer such as bonemeal or blood, fish, and bone. After planting, gently press down the soil around the roots with your toe to remove large air gaps, and use a hose with a fine spray or a can fitted with a rose head to give each plant a long drink.

Carefully prise out roots that have coiled tightly around in the pot to help them grow away into the soil more easily.

CARING FOR YOUR PLANTS

Water new plants every few days during dry spells until you see fresh leaves and stems emerging. At this point, you can water less frequently, but do not leave them to dry out during their first year. Pay particular attention to new trees and shrubs, which demand plenty of water to sustain their growth during the first two or three years, but then become quite independent and almost maintenance-free. Other easy-care perennial plants or bulbs suggested in this book should be fairly well-established by the second year after planting and will need far less watering or no watering at all, unless you experience a long period of drought in spring or summer.