|
 An attractive garden will invariably make a large contribution to letting a property. However, whilst tenants are keen on gardens, the prospect of gardening is usually another matter all together.
It is not surprising, therefore that the holy grail of gardens from a landlords perspective is an attractive low maintenance garden. In this article, Gillian Polley of Polley Garden Design gives some tips for achieving what otherwise might seem impossible.
Low Maintenance Gardens - Desert or Oasis?
“I need a low maintenance garden because my tenants just don’t look after it” is a very common request from clients. Fortunately it is a request that can be fulfilled. The trick is not to make the area look like a ‘prison yard’ - with some paving and one or two small plants lost in a desert of gravel.
 Yes that is certainly low maintenance - but I would argue soulless and vacant. Surely the environments closest to us, our gardens, should enhance our spirits and enjoyment of life, not diminish it? Or in more capitalist terms, our gardens should enhance the rentability (and subsequent salability) of the property, rather than decrease it.
At 500 feet above sea level the garden pictured here is small front garden on the outskirts of Edinburgh. It is very exposed to winter gales and weather, yet in the summer receives plenty of afternoon and evening sun. Soft foliage plants would be ripped to shreds by the gales, so tough evergreens to give all year round interest were demanded, with a strong structural feel.
Pebbles and cobbles covered the ground over a permeable membrane designed to suppress weeds. Evergreen structural plants, ranging in size from a huge Phormium, to Yuccas and low growing Bromelia, were chosen to form the backbone of the garden. Euphorbia, Kniphofia, mixed grasses, Dierama and Agapanthus were planted to add colour in both foliage and flowers. The Corkscrew Rush (Juncus effusus ‘Spiralis’), added a twist, with its shiny corkscrew dark green stems standing out against the pebbles.
At ground level, mixed clumps of ‘Lambs Ears’ (Stachys byzantina & Stachys ‘Primrose Heron’) with green balls of ‘Thrift’ (Armeria), with long flowering upright stems of pink ball flowers. For early spring colour, small clumps of dwarf Narcissus were planted, pushing up through the pebbles.
 In a more sheltered and shady corner by the garage, three Hostas were planted, their wonderful soft leaves giving a beautiful textural contrast to the pebbles.
Amount of maintenance required? Around five hours a year to deadhead flowers and a spring tidy up. A friend visited - “It’s just like the Botanical Gardens” was her comment. No prison yard here, just a small oasis to gladden the heart.
Gillian Polley is an Edinburgh-based garden designer. Her company Polley Garden Design operates throughout Scotland designing both residential and commercial gardens.
| 
