The King’s former head gardener reveals her low-maintenance tips

I’ve spent 40 exciting and enjoyable years working in horticulture, culminating in my latter role of caring for the gardens of King Charles, primarily based at Highgrove.

Each position has required a juggling act of managing time, labour and resources. But now, aged 62, with a relatively small personal garden that my husband and I have been developing over 20 years, I’ve been taking a good look at how to make it more low-maintenance and enjoyable.

Once I started calling our garden the “wonderful monster,” I realised we needed to do something before I disappeared forever into the undergrowth. We are both in the gardening profession and felt that if we couldn’t make our outdoor space easier for ourselves, who could?

We’ve got enthused by our “editing”, so here are my tips to change and enjoy your garden more, with less effort.

This isn’t an overnight job and should be done in the company of those who share your garden – you also may have sudden “eureka moments”, get useful feedback from friends or find solutions at garden shows. Start by asking yourself honestly what you most dislike.

I told my husband I wouldn’t miss a cherry tree covered in aphids that was only producing fruit for the birds and taking light away from other cherished plants; soon it had become firewood with my husband smiling, saw in hand. Similarly, a scented evergreen viburnum was removed to reveal all the hydrangeas behind, looking relieved to have some light.

Hedges get taller and wider as time progresses and may need a hard prune to more manageable sizes. Working for King Charles at Highgrove taught me much, particularly in his observations on nature. Hedges are valuable wildlife refuges and should not be removed without consideration. It may be necessary occasionally in ornamental situations but think carefully before doing so.

Fruit trees require pruning to maintain size. If planting anew, choose the right rootstocks for the size of tree you need, reducing labour immensely. Prune only as necessary, as vigorous pruning stimulates growth – a 10% removal rule will eventually slow down growth.

Plant choices are personal and can make hard decisions even more difficult. Roses are a case in point: I enjoy them, but my husband loves them. They require a lot of effort in feeding, pruning, dead-heading and tying in, and considerable watering.

We’ve agreed to grow fewer roses better, replacing ones struggling in hot situations and poor soil conditions with drought-tolerant Mediterranean plants such as cistus, agapanthus, rosemary and lavender.

In this era of climate change, choose plants carefully. Place them where they can grow well with little additional input. Mulching is a great way to recycle green waste, save water, feed the soil, reduce weeding, and so save time and effort.

It was paramount to gardening organically at Highgrove, paying dividends in the health of the plants and retention of moisture.

If your garden seems overwhelming, you could share the work – as well as fruit, flowers, or veg. This could be with people who don’t have access to a garden, or barter with fitter friends and neighbours for help with heavy tasks in return for services you can offer, such as cake-baking, pet-sitting or bookkeeping.

Is there a gardening group in the community to share tasks or tools? Also, consider sending friends and family a list of “useful” gifts you’d really love – it might be new easy-to-use tools, plants or a day or two of gardening assistance.

If you can afford a gardener, simplify your space to make their efforts more productive. Anything you can do to make your garden more manageable will mean you can enjoy it for longer.