8 tips to achieve a maintainable and more attractive garden

It’s no surprise that with tackling work, families, and busy schedules of jam-packed weeks that our gardens are first to get neglected when we are time poor.

Most people enjoy a bit of gardening on their weekends, however, when you have so many other things on the go, something to enjoy can quickly become just another chore. Turning a blind eye to your garden can result in an impressive collection of weeds, over grown hedges/ vines and grass growing where it shouldn’t.

Are you ready to give your garden the revamp it needs? If so, read on!

The maintenance of your garden will depend on the overall design of your garden, the climate, soil of your location and the plants you choose to put in it.

Below are 8 easy tips for a maintainable, more attractive garden.

Invest in pruning equipment

If you have trees/bushes in your garden then they are going to need pruning to encourage new growth. The same goes for hedges and vines which will need to be regularly cut back to support denser foliage growth giving you a better screen for privacy and shade. How often you do this depends on the plants you are growing, slash the time you take pruning by investing in a hedge trimmer.

A good trimmer will not only make your hedge better looking but it will grow faster and help you avoid the feared chore of pruning. For faster growing plants use all the trimmings for your compost and pop around the roots when ready.

A strong weeding attack

Weeds – everyone hates them. They are the nemesis of all gardeners but the only way to tackle them is to take on the challenge and embrace it. Good groundcovers and regular mulching can help minimise weed infestations.

There’s no doubting that weeding is a painful job in the garden but the more you stay on top of it the less you will have to do. Options include the hard labour of pulling them out yourself or using a insecticide.

Get a garden hose that won’t kink

Are you, like many others, experiencing the issue of your hose constantly kinking during use? Fed up of the frustration of your hose snapping off from the tap due to obstructed water flow. Do yourself a favour and spend a little extra on your next garden hose to ensure you get the quality you need and avoid the ‘kink in the hose rage’.

Fertilise regularly

It doesn’t take a genius to know fertiliser is good for plants. However, different plants have different needs so do your research in terms of what nutrients your plants require and how often they should be fertilised. Seaweed preparations are a safe option for all plants and will allow them to better absorb nutrients and build resilience to extreme weather conditions. This particular type of fertilisation should be done once a month.

The power of mulch

Mulch can enhance the overall presentation of any garden significantly, however it also provides an impressive amount of other useful benefits. These benefits include maintaining moisture during summer – this means reducing water consumption and plant stress. Other benefits include weed suppression, and the supply of organic matter and microbes to the soil, which ultimately creates healthier plants.

Plant low-care species

Its important to find plants suited to your soil to avoid the costly ventures of trying to make things grow with soil enrichers. Many homeowners make the mistake of optimistically buying a heap of random things that will only just subsist and potentially die in the long term.

Take a look at what your neighbours have planted and what works for them – you’ll soon have a nice list of possible plants to include in your garden that will flourish and bring life to your home without the constant ‘first aid’ to keep alive.

Fix dry, non-absorbent soil

Have you ever noticed whilst watering your plants that the water just sits on top of the soil? This is a clear indication that you have non-absorbent soil. To stop the water wastage, ensure you apply a wetting agent to your soil every October and February. Other treatments include the use of organic soil conditioners and adding mulch to your garden every spring. Still feeling dry? Try spiking and aerating compacted lawn areas and verti-mowing lawns to remove excess thatch in spring.

Get creative

Still don’t know what to do with those boring and bare bits of the garden? Bring it to life and give it character by adding things such as lanterns, fairy lights, chairs and perhaps a fire pit. Fill some pots with flowers and distract the eye from the bare and unkempt patches with pretty objects. Gardens are a great place to entertain with friends, time to enjoy it!