Need a fun workout?

Did you know that gardening is a great workout? You burn 105 calories in 20 minutes of gardening, while a brisk walk only burns off about 85. Gardening also gets you out in the sunshine and away from the hectic pace of our lives. And it is wonderful to see the rewards of your labor as the plants grow and bloom.

Low Maintenance Tips-

Here are a few great ideas to help you add interest to your garden, without adding more work.

Use plants with long bloom seasons. These plants will give you blooms for most of the year and keep the garden looking colorful. A few good choices are lavender, penstemon, potato vines, salvia, daisy, rudbeckia and daylilies.

Select low maintenance plants you like and use more of them. This will not only insure that you have fewer chores, but using plants in mass makes a high impact statement.

Under and between your plants use ground covers or a heavy layer of mulch. This makes the garden look better and will also help to smother weeds.

Many plants have varieties that are less work. For example if you like roses: climbers, carpet roses and floribunda roses are less work than grandifloras and hybrid teas.

Look for plants or varieties that are pest or disease resistant.