Welcome to The Love of Gardening
By Jennifer Robinson
As spring unfolds, we’re thrilled to launch Tempo’s new gardening column, designed to help you cultivate a beautiful garden with ease.
Whether you’re a seasoned green thumb or just starting to dip your hands into the soil, this column will offer practical tips tailored to our climate and lifestyle.
Throughout the growing season, Tempo volunteers and guest columnists will share their best advice and personal insights.
👉 Got an idea or want to submit your own 300-word column? Send it to production@tempolacbrome.org
A Low-Maintenance Garden That Still Looks Stunning
Growing flowers, shrubs, trees, or food is good for the soul — but for many of us, the back-breaking chores like weeding, deadheading, dividing, staking, and cutting back can be overwhelming.
To kick off the season, here are my top 3 strategies for a low-maintenance, beautiful garden.
1. Choose Hardy, Deer-Resistant Plants
The foundation of a low-maintenance garden starts with choosing the right plants for our Zone 4 climate.
🌲 Dwarf conifers are my go-to:
They offer year-round texture, structure, and colour, coming in shades of green, yellow, and blue. Slow-growing and low-maintenance, they can be pruned to suit your space. Favorites include:
- Dwarf larches
- Blue spruces like Montgomery and Lundeby’s Dwarf
🌸 Flowering shrubs like azaleas and hydrangeas add easy, vibrant contrast year after year.
🌿 Perennials like:
- Krinkled White peonies (no drooping!)
- Helleborus
- Coneflowers
- Geraniums (perennial)
- Cimicifuga
- Rudbeckia
These not only thrive here but are deer-proof, bloom through the season, and attract pollinators that help your whole garden thrive.
2. Mulch for Moisture and Weed Control
A thick layer of organic mulch — like shredded bark or wood chips — does wonders:
- Retains moisture
- Regulates soil temperature
- Suppresses weeds
🪴 Tip: Edge your beds with plastic or metal liners, sunk deep enough to be invisible. This helps keep mulch and plants tidy and contained.
3. Avoid Pesticides and Herbicides
Choose disease- and pest-resistant varieties, including:
- Certain perennials and shrubs
- Apple trees like Freedom and Liberty
Avoiding chemicals saves time, money, and supports honeybees and pollinators vital to a healthy ecosystem.
By incorporating these simple strategies, you can grow a lush, low-maintenance garden that gets better every year — and leaves you more time to actually enjoy it.
🌼 Happy planting! Watch for more gardening inspiration in upcoming issues of Tempo.
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