I Have a Problem

​​I’m a gardener and I’m lazy.  When it comes to gardening I dislike the labor involved with weeding, mowing, pruning, and yes even at times planting.  As a result my garden has untrimmed edges, overgrown lawn, and volunteer plants that some will recognize as weeds.
 
Now this is a problem for me since I am a life-long gardener, grew up on a farm, am currently a University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer, and teach gardening at the local technical college.  There are certain expectations that come with all of that.  So I am always on the search for ways to accommodate my sloth and give the illusion that my garden is a showcase. 
 
There are many magazines and books that wax elegant about digging in the soil, smelling the warmth of the earth, the joy of seeing the seeds that one planted bursting forth with new life.  I’m more interested in those with “low maintenance” in the title.  This is a code word for lazy gardeners to pay attention.  Here are a few tricks that I have discovered.

 
I start with a reasonable sized garden and controlling my plant shopping.  My garden notebook lists plants I intend to purchase for the season.  It goes with me on every garden center visit.  I avoid plants that are aggressive, self-seeding, or have the need to be pruned.    If I find myself wandering around my yard with a newly purchased plant; I have failed with this strategy.  I wish myself better luck next year.   
 
I keep my garden beds jammed with plants.  If there is no more space, even the weeds will not find a spot to set root.  It provides plenty of plants for insects to munch upon and still leave some for my enjoyment.  And I can avoid pesticides by welcoming all insects with the good eating the bad.  This is a win-win for the environment and my pocketbook. 
 
In the fall I let all my perennial plants stand and the leaves remain in the beds just like Mother Nature intended.  The leaves on the lawn get mowed to become fertilizer for the grass.  I was glad to find research supporting these practices from the University of Minnesota. 
 
Come spring, I again get out my mulching lawn mower and use it on the perennial beds before new growth appears.  This creates a self-mulched layer of old plant material and avoids applying any other mulch.  Roy Diblick describes this and other strategies in his book, The Know Maintenance* Perennial Garden, *Knowing your plants means less work.  The back cover of his book claims that his system will “reduce garden chores to only minutes a week”.  Many of his methods have worked well for me.  What used to take me five hours to rake and remove dead plant material in the spring is now done in 30 minutes.  One downside is the neighbors think I’m a bit crazy mowing my perennial beds before the snow piles have completely melted. 
 
When plants over-grow their space or start to die, they need to be dug up and divided.  This is a great bargain when more plants are welcome, but a headache when there is no room for them.  The extra plants from my garden either find a new home with a friend or go on the compost pile.  I know this is harsh but it is better than breaking sod for new perennial beds.
 
The vegetable areas get a little more attention.  In the fall I clear these areas so they are ready to plant in the spring.   I hide the vegetables behind shrubs and perennials so the weeds are not as noticeable.  This method has been used successfully for centuries.  The English call it cottage gardening; the combining of flowers, herbs and vegetables.  The French term is potager for a garden that incorporates shrubs, fruit trees, vegetables and ornamental plants.  I highly recommend calling vegetable areas a cottage garden or potager and add some ornamentals to throw off the fact that it might not be meticulously maintained. 
 
Now I’m embracing a new trend called extreme naturalism.  This term was coined by Country Living Magazine as the number one trend for 2017.  My garden already features the natural elements of the trend such as rocks, untrimmed hedges, natural flagstone paths, and moss invading the lawn.  Extreme naturalism is the perfect description of my yard.
 
There really is no such thing as perfection in gardening.  All things living have their afflictions including gardeners and their gardens.  So, I have embraced my laziness and am happy.