At the beginning of the summer, budding gardeners like yourself went out into the garden and started work. Over the summer, you have invested blood, sweat and tears, not to mention money. Now, the garden looks better than ever thanks to your hard work and determination, and you want to keep it that way. However, it won’t stay beautiful forever if you don’t invest energy in keeping it clean and tidy. It’s one thing creating an amazing backdrop, yet it’s another maintaining it for the rest of the season.
Now you know that clutter and mess just won’t do, you can try and avoid them like the plague. If you don’t know where to start, don’t fret. Instead, take a glance at the following garden maintenance tips. Enjoy!
Elbow Grease
With all the new age gadgets at your disposal, it’s easy to forget about good, old fashioned elbow grease. You know, like picking up a brush and sweeping all the loose ends down the drain. Or, donning a pair of bright yellow rubber gloves and picking up any rubbish or junk. Sure, it is not as easy as standing next to the back door with a jet washer in your hand. But, you can’t turn to mod cons until you lay the groundwork, and that means the top layer needs removing first. So, get the nearest brush and start collecting all the leaves and dirt that accumulates.
High Power Tech
Once you remove the top layer, you need to get rid of any stubborn stains. Sadly, elbow grease doesn’t help because the dirty marks are too well set. Well, you may be able to remove them with hot soapy water and a can do attitude, but you may break your back in the process! The best choice for anyone that wants to avoid that scenario is pressure washers. Quite simply, the power of the water will get under any hard to remove stain and wash it down the drain. It may take more than one attempt, but after a few goes the patio should appear brand new. To stop any stains from setting, try and do it once every couple of weeks to be on the safe side.
Don’t Forget The Furniture
Gardeners like to focus on the lawn and patio, and the reason is obvious. Still, there is more to a garden than grass and stone, such as furniture. And, it needs maintaining if you want people to think ‘wow, that garden is spotless!’ With that in mind, don’t forget to give the tables and chairs a scrub down or a jet wash, too. Thankfully, there are much easier to clean given that they are smaller and don’t collect as much grime. However, dirty garden furniture does look untidy, which is why you should never forget the role it has to play.
Mow The Lawn
The length of the grass can affect the tidiness of any garden. The reasons are two-fold. The first is that long grass just looks untidy as if it has had no attention and no one cares. The second is that objects can get tangled in the long grass and add to the sense of scruffiness. However, there is a simple solution, and that is to mow the lawn. All it takes is an hour or two on a lawn mower and the grass will look neat and sharp once again. Of course, a sit down model is a great tool because it does all the work. But, handheld versions are as effective as long as you keep an eye out for anything lurking in the wilderness.
Prune The Greenery
Hopefully, your garden will have a lot of greenery as plants and flowers are a staple of any backyard. The problem with living organisms is that they grow at a rapid rate. So, you can’t plant and cultivate them, and then never give a second glance. Otherwise, the garden will begin to represent a jungle more than an area in a residential home. This is where pruning comes in handy. It is the process of trimming and cutting away any excess growth to make plants and flowers look sharp again. In a lot of ways, it’s like a haircut. And, like any good cut, it gives the recipient a new lease of life. Also, apply this method to any shrubs and hedges. Although they are thick in the first place, they also need a trim every now and again. If you have a tree, you may want to contact a professional!
Kill Any Weeds
Weeds could come under greenery, yet they deserve a special mention. Simply put, weeds are ugly and grow at an exponential rate. This isn’t a good combination for anyone that wants to maintain a beautiful plot of land. As such, they need killing. Okay, that sounds drastic, but the truth is it isn’t over the top at all because weeds destroy anything in their path. Any plants or flowers that are nearby will lose out as the dominant plant takes up all the nutrients and space. The key is to expose the roots so that they don’t regroup. To do that, take off as much as the flower as possible and add a pesticide to the soil. Hopefully, this should seep into the ground and attack the weed at the root.
Little & Often
The tips are above are only helpful if you use them on a regular basis. If too much time passes, they may not be as effective or may not work at all. So, it’s important to keep up with the maintenance as much as possible over the summer. An excellent trick is to hit the garden little and often and clean up as much as you can in a short space. That way, the dirt and grime shouldn’t accumulate and escalate out of control. Plus, if you are a busy person, there is no reason to prioritize one job over the other.
Ten to fifteen minutes once or twice a week or more should be plenty.
