Gardening and Landscaping
June 15th 2019
Believe it or not, it’s possible to keep your garden healthy by spending just one afternoon working in it each weekend. If the thought of creating the perfect, lush garden brings to mind long days working endlessly in your garden, these tips are for you.
By setting aside one afternoon on the weekend you can take on a small project that makes a big difference in how your garden looks. Just think, when you spend two or three afternoons, over a few weekends, doing these projects, your garden will be in top shape in no time!
One of the secrets to maintaining a gorgeous garden and landscape is to keep up with seemingly small tasks. When you stay on top of these things, your garden doesn’t have a chance to get out of control and will always look its best.
One of the easiest ways you can spruce up your garden is by mowing the lawn. A good trim will make your yard look sharp and healthy and will actually keep the grass looking greener and fuller. Mow the lawn with a petrol lawn mower in an organised way so that your yard isn’t full of distracting stripes and don’t mow the grass while it is wet.
Alternatively, you could cut long, overgrown grass and light under-growth with a petrol brush cutter strimmer which is a handy tool to reach those hard to reach places.
If you can see moss and weeds sprouting from your lawn, it may be a good idea to aerate your soil with a lawn scarifier which will lead to your lawn being healthier, considerably less weed-free and longer lasting.
Only have a few minutes to spend in your garden? No problem. Get out those hedge trimmers and polish those shrubs and bushes. Depending on the type of plants you have, you might need to trim them in different ways. Hedges look great whey they are smooth and level across the top. On the other hand, some bushes look best when rounded. Determine how you want your hedges to look and then spend just a few minutes on the weekend maintaining that shape.
It doesn’t take long to add some new flowers to your garden and the outcome can be stunning. If you have a few bare spots or if your garden isn’t as full and lush as you’d like it to be, adding new plants is your answer.
A good rule of thumb is to put taller plants near the back of flowerbeds, along a fence or against the house. Then, add smaller flowers in front to fill out the space and add some dimension.
Even if you don’t have the space to add new flowers to your garden, you can use potted plants, planters and even hanging plants to add some new flowers to areas like your porch, patio, walkway or driveway to add some colour and interest.
By weeding just one garden bed on one afternoon, you can keep your entire garden in check and weed free. The problem becomes overwhelming when you neglect weeding and don’t decide to take on this project until the weeds have taken over.
Choose just one garden bed and weed it thoroughly. Pull the weeds completely out, roots and all, so that they won’t grow back. If you have very large areas to weed, you can use a rake to rip the weeds out and turn them back into the soil, where they will decompose. If you don’t fancy getting your hands dirty, using a flame gun is an efficient, easy-to-use tool that will get the job done quickly.
Expert gardeners use fertilisers to keep their plants healthy and induce healthy growth. Be careful about taking this task on, as you need to do it as recommended by the instructions that came with the fertiliser. If you fertilise too often, you can actually damage your plants.
While you are fertilising your garden, deadhead your flowers. Some plants actually grow new blossoms as you remove dead ones, as they can put nutrients and energy into growing new ones. Even if your plants don’t grow new buds, removing dead flower heads will make your plants look healthier and your entire garden look well cared for.
Nothing makes a garden look new, healthy and spruced up like a fresh layer of mulch. Mulch makes your garden look finished and polished and can actually help you keep it healthier as it will prevent weed growth.
You can pick up a load of mulch at your local nursery or hardware store and then use a wheelbarrow, shovel and rake to spread it throughout your flowerbeds and around trees. Be careful not to bury plants but lay enough mulch to cover the ground.
For a quick and easy way to add some interest and character to your garden, take one afternoon to install some stepping stones. You can do this in just a few hours with some flagstones by digging into the soil, adding the stones and then smoothing the ground around them.
Buying stepping stones that have different designs on them can be quite pricey, especially when compared with making your own. If you want to add flair to your garden, making your own stepping stones is an easy way.
Concrete stepping stones are relatively easy to make. You will need a rubber mould in the shape and pattern that you require – using several moulds at a time can get the job done faster. You can also use rhubarb leaves to create interesting and bespoke stepping stones.
Cement mixer hire can make the job easier as you can mix a lot more cement at one time. Simply create your mix and pour it into your moulds – flattening each one so they will sit properly.
Once the cement has set, the stepping stones should be easy to remove. Once you have the amount you need, either set them in place using more concrete or secure them in a gravel path.
To take this to the next level, you can add a flagstone or brick pathway. Either install these with no space between the pieces or add some moss in the spaces to make the pathway look more natural and to add some charm.
There are lots of other small projects you can take on to add new features to your garden. Adding bird feeders, bird baths, solar powered lights, a small water feature or a wind chime can be done in just a few hours but makes a big difference in how your garden looks.
As large plants, vegetables, trees and even bushes grow, they may need some extra support. Using tomato cages, stakes and ropes and other plant supports will help your plants stand up and stay healthy. They can also help trees and bushes grow straight so they will look beautiful when they are fully grown.
It doesn’t take a lot to spruce up your garden and make it look better. Take just one afternoon this weekend to complete one of these projects and you’ll be amazed at what a difference it makes to your entire garden.
Lauren works in our Ecommerce Team, with over 6 years of experience at HSS. She brings product knowledge and is able to give her advice on the right tool for the job no matter how big or small.
One way to care for your soil is to try and take control of pesky weeds. Making sure you get them while they are still small will help to ensure they don’t overtake your flowers and borders and restrict the growth of other plants. Use a hoe or hand weeder tool
It may seem obvious, but you need to check if the fence you are planning to paint is yours. If it is your neighbour’s fence you may be wondering “can I paint my side of the fence
Take the time to go through any seed packets you already have and get them organised into different containers for the different times of year you’ll be sowing. You’ll need to start sowing indoors if there is still a chance of frost or use a greenhouse or cold frame with added insulation for outdoor sowing. Seeds such as cosmos or salvia can be started in a propagator or on a well-lit windowsill. You could even try sowing sweet peas into biodegradable toilet roll tubes; they grow long roots that like to be undisturbed so transplanting them straight out into a container when they are ready is ideal. If you are planning to sow outdoors, you can start to prepare your beds by adding a layer of fleece to warm the soil.
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