Finding and removing weeds has always been one of the most labour-intensive – and least enjoyable – gardening tasks. Get rid of the weeds and you get rid of a time-consuming task. Weeds thrive on the borders of the garden – where there is enough space for them to steal away sunlight, water and nutrients from neighbouring plants. Swap out perennial beds for shrubs and top off with a mulch (bark or gravel) and you’ll be able to stave off the arrival of weeds for many seasons.

Artificial grass

Artificial grass is growing in popularity in the UK. And for good reason too: it’s a low maintenance alternative to natural grass that looks just as good.