There is no such thing as a NO maintenance garden, but you can with careful design and product selection create a low maintenance garden.  There are a variety of reasons why you would consider a low maintenance garden, and clearly the most appropriate product selection will depend upon your own reason and requirements.  Gardenstone has a wide selection of products suitable for use within a low maintenance garden.  Here are some things to consider:

  1. Style- at the design stage it is useful to consider the style of your garden.  Formal or Informal.  If you like straight lines and neat borders then a formal layout is likely to suit you more than the casual design an informal style will create.  Are you looking for a modern contemporary style or are you more comfortable with a traditional design.  This choice of style will influence your product selection, but more crucially your overall layout.
  2. Product selection- here is a list of products regularly used within a low maintenance garden:
    1. Porcelain paving
    2. Gravels and Pebbles
    3. Stepping stones and log sleepers
    4. Circle features 
    5. Cobble setts
  3. Good product combinations- mix up different hard landscaping products, such as stepping stones and gravels with a cobble sett border.  Provide height by using rockery and cobbles.
  4. Avoid- you do want to avoid planting that requires a lot of weeding, pruning and watering in a dry summer.  You will want to avoid cleaning a patio every few months or picking out leaves from a gravel border.  No one minds a bit of sweeping, but having to remove algae from your paving can be a difficult and regular job.  Choose paving which does not need regular cleaning.  Avoid overhanging branches on your patio. Ideally your main patio should be in a sunny position.
  5. Construction- always prepare a firm and lasting base foundation for a patio, this will avoid movement and future maintenance.  Lay a good weed control fabric under gravels and mulch.