There’s a bunch of gardening tips you should know about, and by learning about even when you start out as a beginner will ensure that you embark on a beautiful adventure with a lot of interesting colors, odors and ambiance in your backyard.
These are all the things that we wish we knew when we had gotten started – served to you on a silver plate, the easy way.
Gardening Can Be Made Easy
In this article, we’ll even include things that a low reputation
landscaping company might recommend for you to do, since they’re just out for your money but not actually need to get you as a long term client. Hopefully, after having become well-informed from reading this, you’ll have a better understanding of the best way to care for your garden. The same way you do
home maintenance, there are simply also some things that are necessary to do for your plants. We also encourage you to read our article on
vegetable gardening if that is something you’ve been considering getting into.
There’s a good chance that you may even have done some of the things that are included below.
When you do gardening the right way, it can be a really satisfying feeling to be sitting on your
porch and seeing the fruits of your hard work. Getting started with the activity in fact doesn’t need to be very hard, and you can even get an
irrigation system installed if you live in an area that doesn’t get much rainfall, making it even easier for you.
1. Are You Fighting With Insects?
There’s a
bunch of common garden pests, and you might have found out that some of them are happier taking refuge in your garden than you are having them there. A good option to get rid of them in a natural way is often with the use of neem-oil, although it’s always a good idea to find out exactly what type of pest you’re dealing with and that it’s effective against them.
Has your
cedar siding been
invaded by termites, then find out how much it will cost to get rid of them.
2. Revive Your Potting Soil
Properly watering your soil is an important step in preparing your garden against that
first frost day. You could, however find yourself in a situation where it doesn’t seem like the soil wants to actually absorb the water, when it gets old and dry. One solution is by mixing water with two drops of liquid detergent and then stirring the soil. This will
revive your soil.
3. Be Sure You Don’t Plant Shrubs or Trees too Deep
To get the best results with your tree planting efforts, you should be planting it no deeper than the root-ball, and make sure it has space to the sides so that the roots will have enough space to do their thing.
4. Carefully Select the Right Plants for the Purpose
You might be tempted to install a plant simply because it’s native, but as long as it’s able to thrive in the environment it’s being put into, go for it. Good landscaping can also help
increase the value of your home.
5. Old Hydrangeas Can Be Used for Different Things
Rather than just throwing them away, they can be used to help
decorate your home once they’ve been painted. Pink or blue are popular colors to go with.
6. Get Started With Easy-to-Grow Herbs
Growing herbs, and especially the ones that are easy to grow is a
great activity to do with the kids. They’ll love seeing the results and actually being able to eat them afterwards. It doesn’t need to be hard to do, and it can get the kids out of the home to. Some of hte ones you can look into include thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano, dill and more.
7. Fallen Leaves Can Be Reused
Do you know
how composting works? Well, leaves naturally fall and while it might be common to simply
have the leaves removed, there’s an alternative. What you can do is to use a mulching mower and that way it increases the speed at which worms will help turn it into compost, which in turn provides a lot of nutrients to your soil too. Planting beds is another great place where it can be used.
8. Are You Using a Lawn Service Currently?
It’s always a good idea to stay on top of the products that a potential company is using, especially since they’re not always all natural (generally companies that use natural products will also be quick to advertise it, and those unnatural products could have potential, like not
being good for your dog or kids. Additional
measures must be taken when you have kids at home, and that means making sure that safer products are being used.
9. Just Getting Started? Look into Flowers That Are Easy and Don’t Need a Lot of Attention.
Some flowers need nothing more than scattering the seeds followed by a good amount of watering, while other plants will not only be more demanding to plant, but they’ll also need more maintenance along the way, and you’re just likely to get tired of the project if you are still developing the passion for the project.If you’re sowing in the fall, some of the plants you can consider include sweet Williams and larkspurs, and for the spring mariigolds and zinnias are good options.
10. Watch Out For Trees That No Longer Look Like They’re Alive
Things to look out for includes mushrooms on them, if they’re hollow or if they don’t seem to be putting out leaves anymore. When that’s the case, they should removed by professional
tree removal companies because they could otherwise fall in an undesired direction and cause some serious damage. These guys are not only trained professionals, but they also should have the necessary insurance to protect you in case of accidents.
11. Covering Exposed Roots Can Cause Issues to the Tree
While you may not wish to have them there, simply covering them up is not a solution, and it can do great damage to trees like oak. If you are having them covered up, bark mulch is at least better because it will still let air into them, but it’s best to consult with a pro if you’re considering going in that direction.
12. Make Sure You Know How Much Water Your Different Plants Need
Different types of plants will require different amounts of water, and grass and other things commonly need different amounts of grass too. What that means is that if you’re installing an irrigation system to help you out, it should be properly fitted and zoned so that all your different plants don’t get the same amount of water.
13. Water the Plants the Right Way
It’s better to not actually get the foliage wet when you’re watering. Why? For most plants, it will simply increase the risk of disease. Moss (that cause
roof leaks) are among the plants that actually appreciate having it more damp, but those are not really the plants you want to be having around anyway. Fun fact: Did you know they have a very hard time growing on
copper roofs? You can actually also get copper strips installed on the roof that will help keep it away.
14. Be Careful When Thinking Winter is Over
While you may be tempted to set out things again like
ceramic planters, isn’t it better to just wait a little longer until you’re actually sure that the winter is over? They don’t really handle the frost too well, and even if they claimed they were made of
porcelain, a lot of ceramic has unfortunately been mislabeled as such. Remember how the
difference between normal ceramics and porcelain is that the former will generally crack during freeze and thaw cycles? There are probably also a lot of your plants that will be happy to be left inside for longer.
15. Go For Pest-Resistant Plants When You Start Planting
Plants aren’t made equal when it comes to fighting off pests, and you can find variations of plants that are a lot more pest-resistant than others. For tomatoes, what you have to be looking for are the letters VFTNA, but it will vary depending on what it is you’re planting.
16. Do You Have Enough Space for the Tree You’re About to Plant?
While you may always have had a childhood dream about planting a specific tree in your yard, it’s better to make sure that you will actually have the necessary space for it before you go down that path. Trees not only grow tall, but their roots can burst pipes that cause
water leaks, and suddenly you’ll have your
sump pump running continuously to deal with the additional water. You want to make sure that you’re actually growing things that make sense to grow given the amount of space that you have.
17. Got an Area With No Sun At All? Don’t Have Grass Planted There
There are alternatives for the spaces that don’t get any sun at all, and you can either plant moss or Japanese pachysandra there instead that will thrive despite the lack of sun.
18. How Much Sun Will Your Vegetables Be Getting?
There are a bunch of vegetables that need a lot of sun and less than it will simply yield very little results. There are other types of vegetables that you can plant instead, such as spinach.
19. You Can Still Plant Plants and Trees Even if You Don’t Have a Lot of Space
Japanese maple is a great tree to plant when you only have a limited amount of space to work with.
20. A Shorter Lawn Is Not Necessarily Better
All homeowners want to keep their lawn nice and green, but did you know that the solution isn’t to simply cut it as short as possible. The shorter the grass, the more stress it will be experiencing from heat and drought, and the consequence is that it doesn’t manage to evolve the same amount of roots, which in turn means it will need more maintenance.
21. There are Plants that Can Be Planted in the Shade
Even if the space doesn’t get much shade, there are still plants you can go for that include toad lily, Lenten rose and more. Just because there’s not a lot of sun doesn’t mean that you can’t use the space for anything.
22. Well-Drained Soil and Sun are Golden Properties for Most of What’s Growing in Your Garden
A lack of drainage can also cause issues for the roots, and while you want to make sure that the plants have enough water, making sure there’s good
drainage is important too.
23. Do You Want More Butterflies? There are Things You Can Do to Attract Them.
Butterflies can be really beautiful animals to have in your garden, and there are things you can do to increase the chance that they’ll be visiting your garden. Start out by providing them with stuff to eat, which can be done with passion vine, parsley, dill and fennel, and then once they’re no longer larvae, butterfly bush and zinnia will naturally keep them around too.
24. Make Sure That Plants Are Pruned When the Power Company Comes Around
If your trees are in the way for the work they’re trying to do, you might want to consider pruning them yourself to make sure it’s done properly, since their main concern is likely not going to be what you think of your tree after they’ve left.
25. While Bradford Pear Can Look Beautiful, They Don’t Necessarily Smell so too
The flowers are known for their notorious smell, and there are therefore better-behaving trees you can plant instead.
26. Climbing a Tree With a Chainsaw is a Bad Idea
You’re balancing a lot of different things, and any branches that need to be taken down ought to be done so by a pro.
27. If You’re Not Seeing Your Plants Succeed, Considered Whether They’re Getting Enough Sun
When you’ve planted something and the results aren’t there, try taking a look at the recommendations with regards to sun for that specific plant.
28. Check Plants in the Morning
Wilting in the morning can be a sign that they need more water. Don’t check when they’re directly exposed to a lot of sun as that might be what is causing it and not a lack of water.
29. Some Plants Will Shed a Lot, Which Isn’t Convenient Next to Your Pool
Crepe myrtle, mulberry, hackberry, mimosa, camphor tree are some of the trees that you will want to make sure not to install near a swimming pool.
30. There’s a Bunch of Invasive Plants that You Might Want to Avoid Plating
There’s a
list of plants here that you might want to avoid, one of them is privet. You can also get all the privacy you want by rather
installing a fence instead.
31. Prune after Bloom
Pruning is a good thing when done right, but to give your flowers the best chance at blooming and being beautiful next year is to stick to pruning after bloom, or you might accidentally cut off something that would otherwise have been a beautiful flower next year.
32. Slugs Might Not Be What You Want to Keep Around.
They’re not typically loved by homeowners, because of their eating habits. They do have some benefits from the fact that they help plant propagation. You can either install a birdbath to attract their predators, or you can use natural insect spray to get rid of them.
33. Do You Have Clear Plastic Bins Around?
If you have some of them, they’re great ways of creating small green houses and get started on fun activities with your kids. They can also make them less accessible to animals that might otherwise be drawn to them.
34. You Don’t Always Need to Fill Your Planter Completely With Soil
Pots and planters may not be too fun to move as the winter gets closer. That’s especially true if they’re very big and full of soil since that will make them even heavier. The bottom part can be filled with a range of different things, including packing peanuts or mulch, and this makes them significantly lighter. It does mean that you will need to water them more often since it increases drainage too.
35. Coffee Grounds Can be a Great Fertilizer and Place for Seedlings
You can actually start a lot of different seeds straight from coffee grounds.
36. Consider Creating A Grey Water System
A
grey water system is a great way to recycle water, thereby making you
save money in the process too. Although you can’t use this water for everything, it can often be used to water your garden, although you’ll want to steer clear of using it for vegetables and other things you are going to eat. You should consider reading our article on the topic if it’s something you’re considering getting started with.