Being the proud owner of a beautiful garden affords you many benefits. This is the perfect space to relax during the summer months, and a great area of the home for entertaining guests at outdoor parties and barbecues. Of course, there’s also a great functional benefit: a well-designed garden allows you to grow your own food.
That said, it often takes a lot of effort to bring your vision to fruition. A highly functional, aesthetically pleasing outdoor space doesn’t simply spring up overnight.
If you’re looking at your garden and wondering where to start, this article is for you. Here are three steps to make a start at taming it.
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Step 1: Clearing Out the Rubbish and Debris
Your first step is the hardest and most certainly the least fun, but at least you’re getting it out of the way early.
If you haven’t taken care of your garden in a long time, you’ll be faced with dozens of dead plants, overgrown grass and borders, and soil that isn’t fit for growing anything.
The best way to get going is to simply choose a spot at random. Take a couple of compostable bags and start collecting as much waste as you can. After you’ve shifted about ten bags or so, things should start to look noticeably clearer. You may also need to dismantle old and rotting wooden structures and remove stumps if a tree needs cutting down (a reputable stump removal service provider will be required for the latter).
Step 2: Trimming and Tidying
Once you’ve removed the majority of debris from the garden and any major structural elements you don’t want to keep, it’s time to start trimming and tidying. You’ll want some decent power tools for this, such as a strimmer and a lawnmower, as well as a reciprocating saw for any tough branches (though a basic hand saw will work too).
Start by strimming back all dead plant life within the flower beds and along the edges of the lawn, and then go in with the lawn mower once you can actually see the outline of the grass. You’ll need a second bagging-up session once you’ve finished, just like in the first step.
Step 3: Preparing the Garden for Growing
Finally, it’s time to start preparing the garden for growing some new plants. You should now have a relatively blank slate, and where you go from here will be down to individual preference and your specific situation.
You’ll usually always need to lay down fresh compost in your flower beds, however, and some new grass seed if necessary. Designate an area for growing food if you wish, and when choosing flowers, go for perennials that remain hardy year-round for minimal maintenance.
Wrapping Up
Having gone through the above three steps, you should be in a good position to start adding the finishing touches – like new garden furniture or maybe even a decking area.
Refreshing a garden is by no means an easy task, but you’ll be very glad you made the effort. Enjoy!
