13 Easy Garden Maintenance Tips To Get You Started
Gardening is not just a favorite pastime; it's also a mood enhancer and a fantastic workout. However, with our busy lives, finding time to maintain and beautify our outdoor spaces can be challenging. Fortunately, there are smart and easy ways to ensure your garden thrives without requiring endless hours of attention. Here are 13 simple tips to get you started:
Plants
1. Frequent Deadheading: Keep your garden vibrant by regularly removing dead or unattractive flowers. Calum Maddock, a gardening expert, suggests checking for these every few days to maintain the overall health of your plants.
2. Choose Drought-Tolerant Plants: Opt for plants like lavender, mimosa, and verbena, which require less water to thrive. Plant them while they're small or grow them from seeds for even better water efficiency.
Watering
3. Consistent Moisture: Keep your flower beds consistently moist by watering them once or twice a week.
4. Optimal Watering Times: Water your plants in the evening or early morning when the soil is cooler, reducing evaporation compared to hot daytime conditions.
5. Avoid Watering Leaves: Prevent mold formation by avoiding water contact with leaves or plant heads. Water gently to prevent damage.
6. Smart Watering Systems and Mulching: Use self-watering systems during hot weather and add mulch around plants to retain soil moisture. Jack Sutcliffe recommends mulching as a defense against soil drying out.
7. Collect Rainwater: Utilize the autumn/winter season to collect rainfall in water butts. Rainwater, with a lower pH, is better for your plants. Marcus Eyles suggests storing it in a shed, greenhouse, or garage with gutters and a downpipe.
Lawn Care
8. Protect Your Lawn from Heat: Avoid cutting the grass too short during temperatures above 30°C. Leaving it at about five centimeters protects it from the sun and prevents soil drying.
9. Optimal Watering Time: Water your lawn between 4 am-8 am to promote growth. Consider using a water computer control system for efficient watering during these early hours.
10. Watering Quantity: Use 10-15 liters of water per square meter when watering your lawn. Be cautious, as overwatering can lead to mold formation.
11. Wildlife-Friendly Lawn: Mow less frequently to create a habitat for wildlife. Thea Pitcher suggests mowing once a month or leaving a specific area unmown to encourage the growth of flowering plants that provide nectar for pollinators.
Weeds
12. Dense Planting: Plant beds densely to minimize space for weeds to grow.
13. Mulch for Weed Prevention: Use mulch to prevent weed seeds from sprouting. If dealing with existing weeds, remove them from the source using a weeding trowel.
By incorporating these simple tips into your garden care routine, you can enjoy a thriving garden without the need for extensive time and effort. Happy gardening!
