As the summertime approaches, there’s a strong possibility that you will find this to be somewhat overwhelming. It can feel like countless chores and tasks need doing in preparation for this season, and our gardens can be a big contributor to this stress. We often have lots of ideas as to what we can do to our gardens to improve their appearance, but one of the best things to do, at least as a starting point, is to get them tidy and clean, ready for us spending more time outside. To help you in figuring out where to start on your garden, we’ve put together this short yet helpful guide to give you some ideas.
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Why is it important to maintain your garden and lawn?
Maintaining your garden and lawn is essential to keeping a healthy and beautiful home. Maintaining a garden and lawn is not just about making it look good. It’s also about keeping your home healthy and safe. An overgrown untamed garden can quickly become a breeding ground for rats and other pests.
A well-maintained garden can even help to improve the air quality of your home with plants and trees, give you a place to escape to in the summertime, and provide an enjoyable hobby and exercise – what’s not to love about that?
As Always Green Landscaping explain “A well-kept lawn and garden will give you that extra edge” and not only will it make your home more enjoyable for yourself, friends and family, but “homeowners may increase the value of their houses by taking good care of routine lawn maintenance”. A well-maintained garden will make your home more appealing when it comes to the time to sell your property.
With all these benefits, it’s clear that maintaining your garden and lawn is a worthwhile investment for you to make. So how to maintain it?
Maintain your lawn
Regular mowing of your lawn is important for both the appearance of your garden as well as the overall health of the grass. Some may be tempted to cut it as short as possible to reduce the amount of time required in the future to keep trimming it. However, it’s actually much better for your lawn to trim it slightly higher than you’re used to. This allows your lawn to have a bit more shade from the hot sunshine. The taller your grass, the more shade it will create, preventing the soil below from drying out too quickly. This may mean you’ll have to cut your lawn much more often, but it’ll be worth it to avoid it turning yellow and dying.
Fed up with having to keep maintaining your lawn and want to cut out the additional work entirely? Alternatively, perhaps think about modernising your outdoor spaces with an artificial grass instead. Modern, luxury ranges keep that ‘freshly-cut’ look, and require minimal upkeep.
Prune trees and plants
It’s very important to prune your plants ready for the summer, as during the wintertime, they can get long and what is often known as “leggy.” This is where, after a plant has shed its leaves, new growth predominantly grows back at a higher point, leaving bare sticks and twigs below. This makes the plant look unsightly, and therefore you should prune the plant back significantly to the lowest new growth you can see. This will allow planting to regrow fuller. Remember that all plants and trees need different levels of care, and so you should do your research before pruning to make sure you’re doing it correctly for that plant and at the right time of the year.
Utilise storage
One of the common things that can make our gardens look messy is things like leftover pots, compost, and tools that don’t have a home but aren’t being used. If you find this to be a common occurrence for you, you might want to invest in a storage solution for your garden. Check out these garden sheds by Shedstore, which can be the perfect addition to your garden. Not only can they be used for storage, but they can also be a great space for you to do certain tasks like repotting plants and germinating seeds under cover, away from the elements. You’ll also be able to store certain things like lawnmowers and other electrical items that need to be kept out of the bad weather.
Clean slabs and decking
Over the winter, you’ll likely find that the wood and stone in your garden have developed a layer of algae, which looks unpleasant and quite dangerous. Algae can be very slippery, and it’s important to clear it away as soon as possible after it forms. Not only can it be a slip hazard for you and your guests, but it can also be very damaging to woodwork, seeping in and causing cracks and splinters. The last thing you want is for your decking to sustain damage like this, weakening its structural integrity as this can be expensive to fix and replace.
Mulch your flower beds
Similar to keeping your grass cut high, you’ll want to think about adding mulch to your flower beds which acts as a protective barrier for your soil. Mulch can be made out of many things, from dead grass and leaves to wood chippings and even newspaper. This protective barrier shields the ground from the hot sun and reduces the chances of your soil drying out. Your plants will need all the moisture they can get, as the heat and excessive UV exposure can also be very damaging. Mulch will also help it prevent weed growth too. It’s worth choosing an organic option for this task, too, as this will eventually break down and add extra nutrients to the soil too.
Fertilise your plants
While good quality compost and things like mulch can help to feed your plants with nutrients, it’s important to purposefully feed them, too, replenishing the nutrients in the soil with fertilisers. Organic mulch and compost count as organic fertiliser, but you can also find mineral fertilisers to add specific compounds to the ground. Things like potassium and phosphate can help increase the growth of your plants and crop yield for fruits and vegetables. This is a very important step for your garden, and it can make the difference between a lacklustre garden and one that is vibrant and full.
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