Do you love your garden but hate the work it takes? If you deal with the mowing and fertilising yourself, it can take it's toll quickly. If you contract someone to do it for you, it doesn't take long for your wallet to feel the consequences. Here are 3 ways you can keep the grass you love so much without all the difficult maintenance.

Grow It

Sure, growing your grass seems counter-intuitive. If you hate yard maintenance and lawn mowing, you've probably seen how unsightly long grass can be. But that's only when you let the whole lawn grow out. Consider letting some parts of the garden grow, and keeping others short. For example, you could move a single "path" through the grass, or mow an inner square and leave the long grass as a border around the edge. Keeping on top of a small area of grass makes the overgrown areas look purposeful, as if they're part of the design. Adding flowers throughout the long grass can also add to the impression that it's meant to look like that.

Replant It

Look around at your neighbours' yards? Does their grass look different to yours? Many people are unaware of just how many different types of grass there are (over 11,000, if you're curious). Some are lower maintenance than others. Zoysia grass, for example, is a slow growing species. That means it requires less frequent mowings than a fast growing grass, like Kikuyu. Consult a landscaper for advice on which grass type would suit your lawn. A drought tolerant, slow growing, overall resistant grass is your best bet.

Pave It

Full garden paving isn't the best solution to high lawn maintenance. After all, you do want grass; you just don't want to spend all your time keeping it under control. So, instead of covering the whole thing in concrete, why not consider mixing paving stones in with your existing grass? While paving slabs are often laid side by side, they can also be installed in patterns with gaps of grass in between. You can arrange the slabs in a grid pattern, spaced apart to allow grass to grow around them. Alternatively, you could create a chessboard pattern, alternating between paved squares and squares of grass. You could even place irregular shaped stones intermittently throughout your garden. Not only does this reduce the amount of grass in your yard, it also distracts the eyes from any unmaintained overgrowth between the paving stones.

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