How to Create a Beautiful Garden (Even If You Don’t Have Time to Care For It)

October 20, 2015 by Robin Plaskoff Horton

Photo:© Kool Cats Photography, via Flickr.

Some say that there are two types of gardener: the true gardener and the tidy gardener. The true gardener has the time, patience and knowledge to care for a garden on a long-term basis and the tidy gardener is one who likes the idea of a garden, but doesn’t have the time to care for it.

If you’re a tidy gardener with a lovely garden but you just don’t have the time or the energy to care for it, consider planting ornamental grasses that will require minimal upkeep and little fuss.

Ornamental grass are a great addition to any garden. These striking plants come in a wide range of colors, sizes and shapes and just adding a few of them to your front or your back garden can create real impact.

Photo:© Swallowtail Garden Seeds, via Flickr.

Grasses are popular due to their striking look and almost exotic feel, yet they require minimum care and attention. Most species are very tolerant and can grow in most types of soil, and despite their beauty, they are not appealing to average garden pests such as snails, slugs, and caterpillars.

Photo:© Phil Parker, via Flickr.

How to Care for Ornamental Grass
Ornamental grasses require minimum upkeep throughout the year. In fact, they only really need to be pruned with a pair of grass trimmers about once a year when the plant gets too dense. The general rule of thumb is to leave 2 to 3 inches behind when pruning smaller grasses and leave 4 to 5 inches for longer grasses. If you’re looking for grass trimmers, Tesco stocks a large variety to suit every budget.

Every three to four years you might find that the grass has begun to outgrow its plot in your garden. To deal with this, spade off pieces of the plant to make it more manageable and then replant the cuttings as soon as you possibly can in a different part of your garden. In this way, the initial purchase of just a few plants can soon fill your whole garden in just a couple of years.

Photo: © JerPhotography Twentyten via Flickr.

Which Ornamental Grass Should You Choose?
All ornamental grasses have their own unique characteristics, but some of the most popular include purple millet, maiden grass, and zebra grass. Purple millet features a beautiful deep purple foliage which attracts birds. Maiden grass, which can grow up to eight feet tall, features silver blooms. Zebra grass can be grown in pots and features striking yellow foliage.

Having a garden doesn’t mean having to work on it all year round. Just buy some ornamental grass and a pair of grass trimmers and you’ll have a garden to be proud of.

Images under the Creative Commons License.

Category: Creating
Tags: Easy Gardens, gardening, Oatmeal Grasses
Enjoyed this post? Subscribe to Urban Gardens!
share | Email e-mail a friend | comments (19)

19 Comments »

Prepper News Watch for October 20, 2015 | The Preparedness Podcast Pingback said:

[…] How to Create a Beautiful Garden (Even If You Don’t Have Time to Care For It) […]

— October 20, 2015 @ 13:25

Catherine Wachs said:

Grasses are very low maintenannce. But zebra and miscanthus are considered invasive and purple millet isn’t perennial past zone 7. Why not go for some natives like Panicum virgatum? ‘Shenandoah’ is a fabulous grass that reddens in fall. ‘Heavy Metal’ stays upright without flopping and is drought tolerant as are most grasses. None like too much irrigation or shade.

— October 21, 2015 @ 17:35

How To Care For Ornamental Grass In Your Garden | Gardenoholic Pingback said:

[…] Ornamental grass are a great addition to any garden. These striking plants come in a wide range of colors, sizes and shapes and just adding a few of them to your front or your back garden can create real impact. Grasses are popular due to their striking look and almost exotic feel, yet they require minimum care and attention. Most species are very tolerant and can grow in most types of soil, and despite their beauty, they are not appealing to average garden pests such as snails, slugs, and caterpillars. Ornamental grasses require minimum upkeep throughout the year. In fact, they only really need to be pruned with a pair of grass trimmers about once a year when the plant gets too dense. Keep reading the tutorial in the source. […]

— November 12, 2015 @ 13:22

20 Best Urban Gardens Pingback said:

[…] 19. How to Create a Beautiful Garden (Even If You Don’t Have Time to Care For It) The true gardener has the time, patience and knowledge to care for a garden on a long-term basis and the tidy gardener is one who likes the idea of a garden, but doesn’t have the time to care for it. See which type are gardener you are here. […]

— December 29, 2015 @ 20:37

Spring Garden Planning – We Shine Forth- A blog about life. love. and the pursuit of happiness Pingback said:

[…] Don’t have time? Here’s a wonderful article from Urban Gardens called How to Create a Beautiful Garden (even if you don’t have time for it) […]

— March 12, 2016 @ 10:59

Peterglusy said:

kamagra pas cher [url=https://kamagraprix.shop/#]Kamagra Oral Jelly pas cher[/url] kamagra gel

— April 25, 2025 @ 04:37

Peterglusy said:

Pharmacie en ligne livraison Europe [url=https://pharmafst.shop/#]Meilleure pharmacie en ligne[/url] pharmacie en ligne pharmafst.shop

— April 25, 2025 @ 11:05

Peterglusy said:

pharmacie en ligne sans ordonnance [url=http://pharmafst.com/#]pharmacie en ligne pas cher[/url] trouver un m?©dicament en pharmacie pharmafst.shop

— April 25, 2025 @ 17:32

Peterglusy said:

Tadalafil 20 mg prix en pharmacie [url=http://tadalmed.com/#]Cialis sans ordonnance 24h[/url] Tadalafil achat en ligne tadalmed.com

— April 26, 2025 @ 00:04

Peterglusy said:

kamagra gel [url=https://kamagraprix.shop/#]Kamagra Commander maintenant[/url] Kamagra pharmacie en ligne

— April 26, 2025 @ 06:30

Peterglusy said:

cialis sans ordonnance [url=http://tadalmed.com/#]Pharmacie en ligne Cialis sans ordonnance[/url] Achat Cialis en ligne fiable tadalmed.com

— April 26, 2025 @ 12:50

Peterglusy said:

Kamagra Oral Jelly pas cher [url=http://kamagraprix.com/#]Kamagra Oral Jelly pas cher[/url] Acheter Kamagra site fiable

— April 26, 2025 @ 19:11

Peterglusy said:

pharmacies en ligne certifi?©es [url=https://pharmafst.com/#]pharmacie en ligne[/url] pharmacie en ligne fiable pharmafst.shop

— April 27, 2025 @ 01:32

Peterglusy said:

Tadalafil 20 mg prix sans ordonnance [url=http://tadalmed.com/#]Pharmacie en ligne Cialis sans ordonnance[/url] Pharmacie en ligne Cialis sans ordonnance tadalmed.com

— April 28, 2025 @ 01:53

Michaelpat said: