Lifestyle Gardening
One of the blessings and cursings of homeownership is gardening and landscaping work. It can be a great pleasure but it can also be a great pain. This is where is where 'Lifestyle Gardening' comes into play.
The initial transition of turning one type of garden into another type is probably the most difficult aspect of the whole ordeal. You have to assess where you are now, where you want to be and how you are going to get there. Making these decisions does not set anything in stone and you certainly can change your mind. However finding an objective or goal to focus on will help you stay on track to achieving a garden you can live with.
For example the objective I set forth for my front yard was for it to be extremely low maintenance but still look appealing. My solution to this was to remove the grass from the half moons in my driveway, replace it with bark and fill it in with hardy grasses, miniature evergreen trees & bushes, large rocks and moss to cover & drip over the sides.
If you are a love to "look but don't have time to touch" gardener you can do a lot with small (keyword is small) water features, rocks, moss, ivy and of course cacti.
If you love flowers you have a lot of options. I love flowers too so I keep my potted flowers alive as long as possible and then say good bye if they can't be replanted to come alive again the next year. Luckily my husband also likes to garden and likes flowers so he takes care of the few we have.
If you are able to get in and dig on a regular basis you have lots of options and just choose whatever plants you like and are willing to maintain.
I learned the hard way, but make sure you research the plants you are interested in growing and the best ways to care for them. Especially if that plant is on the costly side. Even some small tips can help you keep your plants alive and healthy so you can enjoy them longer.
Here are some helpful websites.
Top Ten Plant Tips:
How to Buy Healthy Plants: