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It’s time to get your garden ready for the best season of the year. To revamp your garden, make a plan of what can be achieved realistically this summer. Get informed about how to improve the quality of your lawn, which seeds or fertilizers to use and how to treat your plants. Collect as many ideas as possible, and consider carefully which plans are suitable for your own garden.
Design your future garden online beforehand using sites such as Garden Planner at http://smallblueprinter.com/garden/planner.html or the Simple Guide To Garden Planning by the Royal Horticultural Society at www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Garden-design.
Depending on the size of your landscape, optical tricks can make your property look bigger. By using the right color and texture of the plants, you can create an impression of distance. That is a technique the Japanese have perfected — just think of bonsai miniaturized plants to alter the perspective.
Because springtime is quickly approaching, now is the time to look thoroughly at your greenery. Which shrub has made it through the winter and which has turned unsightly? Before uprooting though, canvass all information available about that plant. Some species appear to be gone but aren’t at all, like the withered looking branches of a grape-vine. Some plants, such as lavender or butterfly bushes, just need to be cut back in order to bloom again properly. Ornamental grasses should be reduced to a few inches above the ground as soon as possible, whereas flowers like Iris or Epimedium call for trimming of the foliage. Cutting too much or at the wrong time can cause great damage, so take the time to read and study properly beforehand. To save time and money, check out the gardening basics online at www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques.
As for the queen of flowers, there is a whole science to it. In 2006, Britain voted the rose to be the most favorite flower in England. So, in order to take good care of your roses, check out the expert recommendations of British horticulturists like Garden Roses at www.garden-roses.co.uk/how-grow-roses or The Royal National Rose Society at www.rnrs.org.uk.
Spring is the time for supporting new growth and working on the soil. So, covering all your flower beds with bark mulch is the best thing to do right now. It maintains the humidity, keeps the weeds low and feeds the soil after the winter. The cover should be at least 10 centimeters thick. Mulch can be purchased in every local garden center and starts at about €7 to €9 for 60 liters. Calculate 50 to 100 liters of mulch for one square meter. To prepare the soil, it has to be broken up properly. Dig it up to aerate and loosen the ground. Adding fertilizers or compost depends on the needs of the plants.
Lastly, don’t forget to think about your garden furniture.
If the wood has turned gray, it will need thorough grinding before re-painting or oiling. However, huge furniture stores often offer garden equipment at low prices, so this might even be cheaper than refurbishing the old stuff. And after putting all that effort into your plants, don’t you deserve a new lounge chair to enjoy your green oasis? Have a great summer!
