| Fine Gardening magazine A Low-Maintenance Garden Three great ways to decrease chores and increase enjoyment of your landscape Most traditional garden design has been based on principles of control rather than cooperation. As a result, today's gardens are all too often ecological challenges. As we enter a new millennium, it's appropriate to consider entering into a new relationship with the natural world. If there are to be gardens a century from now, they will of necessity be less wasteful and more environmentally benign. Here are three ways to make your garden more low maintenance: 1. Create big beds rather than small ones  An overflowing bed filled with a tightly knit matrix of plants requires little grooming and pruning to control its size. Photo: Steve Silk. 2. Install deep gravel paths instead of grassy walkways  Gravel paths allow water to drain freely and don't require the weekly maintenance that grassy walkways demand.
3. Pick less fussy plants By relying on plants suited to your bioregion, you don't have to worry about supplemental watering during dry periods.
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