Very often we are asked to create a low-maintenance garden. At the some time, customers expect gardens that flower uninterruptedly. Realistically, those two wishes are hard to combine. One can fit only one plant into one spot. Most high-performance bloomers need a lot of attention from the gardener, are often short lived, and in many cases look sadly unattractive in the winter. And one needs to pack a lot of these together to have that great look like in the 'Red Double Border" at Hidcote Manor, where professional garden artists and their assistants sweat year round. These are not low-maintenance gardens!

We would describe 'low-maintenance plants' as having the following characteristics:

• they are long-lived and do not need to be replaced every year

• they do not need frequent pruning, division, fertilizing or watering

• they do not have invasive tendencies or grow to disproportional size

• they are reliable, even under less-than-ideal conditions, and should not be prone to diseases and pests

• they should be beautiful or at least not untidy to look at even when their main show is over.

Fortunately, there are plants that meet these conditions: Many flowering shrubs offer grandiose flower shows in the spring or summer and also have an attractive presence year round. There is also a good number of perennials that offer multi-season beauty, but normally not all the way through the winter. 

The more low-maintenance plants one uses, the more low-maintenance the garden will be. But as for me, I would like some of that Hidcote look after all!

The perfect garden with lots of enjoyable flowers in the spring and summer, and an attractive appearance even in the fall and winter, is achieved by combining "framework and highlights". Multi-season plants provide the structure and background year round, and help to organize the garden. Short-lived high-performance annuals and perennials are added as highlights as it pleases the gardener.

Plants that structure the garden and also look appealing in the winter are mostly evergreen shrubs, as well as deciduous shrubs that might have attractive berries and striking bark colors, or the branching structure might be particularly attractive.

A list of recommended low-maintenance shrubs will be added soon.